How to find work on a film or TV production
Updated November 1, 2026 · Production List
To find work on a film or TV production, find the productions in pre-production near you, work out who hires your role, and contact them before the crew list is full. Production List, published by the Film & Television Industry Alliance, shows the stage, shoot dates, locations and attached people for each production free, and holds production office contacts for members. Job boards such as Staff Me Up, Mandy and ProductionHUB show work that has already been posted, so use them alongside it.
The steps
Pick your market
Productions hire most below-the-line crew where they shoot, not where the company is based. Open the page for your city on Production List to see what is filming and about to film there.
Find your city →Filter to pre-production
Pre-production is when crew are hired. A production already shooting has mostly filled its departments, and one in development has not started hiring.
See productions in pre-production →Check the shoot start
On a feature, hiring usually runs four to twelve weeks before cameras roll. A shoot start in that window means the people you need to reach are deciding now.
Work out who hires your role
Department heads hire their own departments. The line producer or unit production manager hires the department heads, and the production coordinator and UPM staff the office. Each Production List listing names the people attached as they are learned.
Who hires on a film set →Reach the production office
Production offices forward crew inquiries to the right department. Production List holds production office contacts for members where it has them. Without a membership, try the film office in your state, your union or guild, and crew you know on the show.
How to contact a production office →Send a short note
Say what you do, what you have done and when you are free, in that order. Attach a résumé that leads with your last three credits, and nothing else.
Keep a profile on a job board too
Posted jobs are a separate source of work. Staff Me Up, Mandy and ProductionHUB carry job posts you can apply to, which Production List does not.
Compare the services →
In pre-production, shooting within 60 days
Production List shows 144 productions in pre-production with a published shoot start in the 60 days after November 8, 2026. Soonest first.
- The Polar Express Train Ride, Southern CA (Role of Santa) · Theater · Perris, CA
- Ultra · Feature Film · CA
- Whitney: A Celebration of Whitney Houston · Musicals · Tampa, FL
- Perfect Crime - Inspector James Ascher · Play · New York, NY
- Casualties of Happiness · Feature Film · Los Angeles, CA
- Faildaughter · Pilot · Los Angeles, CA
- Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas · Musicals · Anaheim, CA
- Escape from Beverly Hills · Feature Film · Los Angeles, CA
- Beauty and the Beast · Musicals · Calgary, AB
- Christmas on the Rocks · Theater · Hartford, CT
- Winter Street · Play · Nantucket, MA
- The Family Disappears · Feature Film · Atlanta, GA
Only productions with a published start date are shown. All productions in pre-production →
Trackers and job boards do different jobs
A job board shows work someone has decided to post. A production tracker shows productions whether or not they post anything, so you can reach out earlier. Many crew positions are filled from people a department head already knows, then from recommendations, so waiting for a post can mean arriving late.
Production List is a tracker. It is not a job board and does not host applications. Production Weekly and Production Bulletin are also trackers. Staff Me Up, Mandy and ProductionHUB are where you apply to posted jobs. Backstage and Mandy cover casting calls, and IMDbPro is the reference for credits and representation. Our comparison pages set out what each one does and when it is the better choice.
What Production List does for you
Anyone can read a production’s stage, shoot dates, locations, companies and attached people without paying. A membership adds production office contacts where we hold them, the weekly list and daily alerts on new projects. State of Production publishes the current count of active productions each month.
A listing is a lead, not a job offer. It tells you a production exists, where it stands and who is attached. It does not tell you a position is open. Dates come from announcements and can move, so check the last-updated date on the listing.
Common questions
- How do I find work on a film or TV production?
- Find productions in pre-production near you, work out who hires your role, and contact them before the crew list is full. Production List shows each production’s stage, shoot dates and attached people free, and holds production office contacts for members.
- What is the best website for finding film and TV work?
- It depends on the kind of lead you want. For productions that are about to shoot and how to reach them, use a tracker such as Production List. For jobs already posted, use a job board such as Staff Me Up, Mandy or ProductionHUB. For casting calls, use Backstage or Mandy. Many people use one of each.
- Is Production List a job board?
- No. Production List tracks productions and who is attached to them, so you approach work directly. It does not host job posts or applications.
- Is Production List free?
- Reading listings is free: stage, shoot dates, locations, companies and attached people. A paid membership adds production office contacts where we hold them, the weekly list and daily alerts.
- When is the best time to contact a production about work?
- In pre-production, once the production office has opened and before shooting starts. On a feature that is usually four to twelve weeks before cameras roll.
Source: Production List, published by the Film & Television Industry Alliance. Cite this page as https://www.productionlist.com/guides/how-to-find-work-on-a-film-or-tv-production (updated November 1, 2026).