I applied through a recruiter. The process took 3 days. I interviewed at Pic Agency (Los Angeles, CA) in Feb 2017
Interview
They emailed me simply asking what my availability was for an interview. I arrived five minutes early and sat down in the waiting area. Several people walked past me without acknowledging me, I'm not even sure if they worked there or not. Someone asked me if I needed help and I said I was there for an appointment. The person with whom I had coordinated the appointment was on lunch (huh?). Someone else came out and took me in for the interview. The interview itself was ten minutes of me listening to how terrible the industry was and how everyone is so flaky - so they only want to "invest" in people that are willing to "invest" back. (The reasoning was that they are teaching, which is an investment, and the workers are toiling for low pay, which is an investment of time. Seriously.) She had no idea who I was and was totally unprepared for the interview. Then she told me how everyone that ever worked there moved on to other jobs that were really successful. Also, a job requirement was to "be able to do things without being asked." So, you know, be psychic.
I have no idea why I even went there after reading the other Glassdoor reviews. The office was dingy and dark and incredibly depressing. And yes, there's a little dog that owns the space, so if you are desperate enough for work, I hope you aren't allergic to dogs.
I applied online. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Pic Agency (Hollywood, CA) in Jan 2013
Interview
This was the strangest interview I ever had. The producer whom I was interviewing with kept contradicting what I was saying with "Nope, that's not what we are looking for, that's wrong" to the point where I was wondering why they were still bothering to keep me around. They seem to have a disdainful view of artists (mentioning that they are prone to become divas), as well as bigger companies. There was a very strange dynamic of the producer being cold one minute and then bursting forward with enthusiasm the next. Very difficult to read.
There were a number of red flags. One, the position was listed as a "Production Coordinator" with mid-level responsibilities, and during the middle of the interview, they told me they were looking for a Production Assistant to do runs, etc. Additionally, I remember a few months before I applied, they were looking for a PA to work full time, UNPAID. They eventually offered me the job (surprisingly), but after I turned it down due to the low salary and strange work environment, the next day, they posted on job boards looking for "interns" to do the exact duties the PA would have been doing. All signs that this company is trying to cut expenses as much as possible, and not trying to pay people.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
I mentioned that I had seen their graphics for a particular movie, and before I could say how much I liked it, the producer cut me off and said, "It was too overdone, right?" And I had absolutely no idea whether she wanted me to agree with her self-depreciating statement or not. A lot of the questions felt like they had no right answer, and were possible traps.