So you want to do drama production, eh?

There are literally no barriers of entry for finding jobs in this industry, unless you have a language barrier. All you need is a little dose of technology, determination, and perseverance. Moving to Taiwan I had completely no connections whatsoever to the industry. Here are some of the different avenues of employment that I tried.

1. PTT - PTT is a public forum that many Taiwanese youth rely on for practically everything. Need someone to go to KTV with? Hit up PTT. Want to gossip about the latest news? Look on PTT. Need a drama production job? Click here for the thread.
2. Facebook - The search feature in FB is a great tool not only for job hunting but if you're looking for events and people to do it with. For jobs related to films, check out this and this group. You will need to be approved to join before you can see the postings, but anyone in the group has approval rights.
3. Recruiting sites 104 & 1111 - These are Taiwanese versions of job sites like Monster.com. Just check the filters of the type of job you're seeking. In my experience most postings on these sites are for commercials and TV variety shows, not dramas.
4. Cold email/call/show up - Look up the production credits for your favorite Taiwanese drama and search for the company's information online. I only sent one cold email and never heard anything back, but like I said what you need is a dose of determination and perseverance to land (any) job.
5. Taipei Film Commission - They will post openings for various positions, but it is not updated regularly. You may have better luck calling or visiting their office.

I got really lucky and only spent a week looking for a job before successfully landing one through the Facebook group. Next, the job interview! 

Top 3 must download apps in Taiwan

Back in the States I didn't have texting, much less a smartphone, but here, I don't know how I would survive without one. These are the three apps I've found to be most useful here and use everyday.

1. LINE: If you have a smartphone here, you have LINE. It's like WeChat in China and Kaokao Talk in Korea where it's THE messaging app that everyone uses to chat with and even make phone calls from (Phone calls are very expensive in Taiwan). You can even record your voice and it has a built in QR code reader. I really like the app because it's stable, doesn't lag (like *cough* What's App *cough*) and has really cute stickers that you can download for free or purchase.

   

   With Line characters near the Line pop-up store in Huashan 1914 Creative Park

2. ubike: A little over a year ago Taipei city started a bike share program called "ubike". All you have to do is register your EasyCard at the kiosk at any ubike station or online and you can rent a bike for free for 30 mins. Every half hour after that is 10NT ($0.33 USD. Yes, it's that cheap!). If you download the app it will tell you how many bikes are available at each station and where the nearest ubike station is. It also has a nifty 30 minute timer so you can know when your free period is almost up.
   
   Ubike station at Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall
3. A bus app like 台灣公車通 or 公車來了沒: Most inner city buses here don't run on a timetable and bus service ends earlier than the MRT, so this is a must have! The only crappy thing about all the bus apps is that they don't tell you specifically where the bus stand is and which direction. I usually just use google maps to find the exact location of the bus stand or look at the transportation map in the MRT. It will tell you the bus number, bus direction, and closest exit as shown below. 
   
   Transportation map taken at MRT Zhongshan. The bottom "Transfer Information" section lists the buses. Note that buses are listed twice because depending on the direction you're going, the bus stand will be different. Make sure to read the direction carefully!

Still trying to find a good food app like Yelp since Yelp hasn't entered the Taiwan market yet....any other suggestions greatly appreciated!!

What is drama production?

This is how the conversation usually goes:

Somebody: "So what do you want to do in Taiwan?"
Me: "Be a drama producer."
Somebody: "What's that???"
Me: -.-"

There's two paths you can take when it comes to finding a job in (drama) production in Taiwan: proposal and execution. The proposal path is usually a more office/admin type of job where you're writing and/or evaluating proposals for potential dramas. Usually TV station and drama production company employees hold this type of position. The working hours are more regular and it is more of an office job.

The other type is the execution part where you're on the set and making the actual drama. Most people in this role are freelance and take on projects as they choose. Because drama budgets are so tight, the production team is usually managed pretty tightly, with anywhere from 2 to 5 people, doing all of the following and more random tasks:

• Location scouting
• Buying supplies
• Casting
• Creating schedules
• Chauffeuring
• Hiring the filming crew
• Shooting logistics
• Cleaning
• Managing the set

At a filming location with stuff we have to carry around (and move) everyday. 

Plus you're always the first on the set and last to leave and the first team to join the project and last to leave. The tasks on a basic level are not difficult and are actually quite menial. The challenge is in  managing the large number of menial tasks and handling unexpected situations that come your way. In Taiwanese there's a term, "mei mei ga ga" which literally translates as "corners and edges", which refers to the tiny little details that you should pay attention to, for example someone being vegetarian. The production team is all about taking care of everyone's "mei mei ga ga" to ensure smooth filming. Though it's definitely the toughest team to be on, you get to make decisions that significantly and directly impact the drama which is very cool.

Hope this sheds a little more light on what drama production is. Curious about anything else? Let me know in the comments!

Working in Taiwan

I'm an American born Taiwanese (ABT) and never did it cross my parents' minds that I'd want to live in Taiwan so they never applied for Taiwan citizenship for me. After making my decision, I knew I needed to figure out my citizenship issues so that I could legally stay and work in Taiwan.

The Taiwanese government allows the children of Taiwanese citizens born in a foreign nation to also apply for Taiwanese citizenship. If you are under 20, you can get it immediately (instructions in Chinese here) and your life in Taiwan is peachy because you're a Taiwanese citizen just like everyone else.

Since I'm over 20, the process is more complicated (instructions in Chinese here). I needed to first get a special no household registry Taiwanese passport from the Taiwanese consulate in Houston and then enter Taiwan on a residency visa. After entering the country, I then needed to apply for a resident certificate. Once you get the resident certificate and stay in Taiwan for 365 consecutive days, you are eligible to apply for a Taiwanese ID card and with that, you earned your Taiwanese citizenship badge.

I thought that the resident certificate was enough to allow me to work, but nope, to legally work here you must also have a working visa that the company hiring you applies for. Most people working in drama production are on a contract basis and when there's an opening, they need it filled immediately. Since it takes 1-2 months to get a working visa and requires a lot of paperwork, it's very unlikely that a production company will sponsor a working visa for you. A good alternative for fellow non-citizen ABT's is to first become an English teacher with a company that can get you a working visa. Once you get the working visa then you can look for the job you really want.

Obviously, you can also work without a working visa, but please keep in mind that it is illegal and if the immigration agency finds out, you could be deported and banned from ever visiting Taiwan again. If you're a foreigner, you need an ARC and a working permit which you can read more about here and here.


Was this post useful? Also, help me pick a topic for my next post! What do you want to read or know more about? Let me know by commenting below!

Nice to meet you~

Welcome! About four months ago I decided to quit my stable job in IT to pursue a career that I'm passionate about. So I packed up my things, said my goodbyes to friends and family, and plopped myself in Taipei. Below are a few questions I get asked often that you're probably wondering too.

Did you hate your office job in IT that much?

No! I enjoyed my time in IT and met some awesome people along the way, but the idea of sitting in an office doing the same drill for the next 50 years was, simply put, frightening. So I figured hey, I'm young, single, free, and #yolo, so why not give my dream a shot? Worse case scenario I can always go back to the IT industry.

Why choose to be a drama producer in Taiwan?

I watch an average of 30 dramas a year (a mix of Taiwanese, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese dramas in case you're curious), which roughly equates to 3 weeks of nonstop 24/7 drama-ing. I already invest so much time in this hobby, why not try to make a career out of it? The catch...I'm not pretty enough to be an actress, nor do I have the interest in being a director. So what role in the drama world would suit me? The answer I came up with is the production side. Much of what a producer does is similar to what I was doing in IT as a project manager; you manage people, time, money, and quality to create a product.

Do you have any industry connections already in Taipei?

Nope, none whatsoever.

So....what's your plan?

Start from the bottom and work my way up to producer. I've given myself a timeline of 2-3 years and will reevaluate when needed. As for more concrete ways to actually land a job, we'll save that for a future post ;)

Do you have a hard time adjusting to Taipei?

Perhaps it's my easygoing personality, previous travel experience, fluency in Mandarin, and familiarity with Taipei from previous family vacations, but I have no issues in adjusting to living in Taipei. The only thing is, like moving to any new place, rebuilding your social network and making friends is difficult. I do crave American things like Tex-Mex, BBQ, and driving but Taipei is a big city and I can usually find something to placate my craving or just make it from scratch.

You're so courageous!

Not really...I'm still really scared of cockroaches haha. I think rather than describe me as being courageous I'm more goal oriented, and because I have a goal and action plan to achieve that goal, making this move didn't seem to be a big deal.

I started this blog mainly to let my friends and family know what I'm up to, but hopefully I'll also be able to shed some insight with you about trying to achieve something in the entertainment industry in Taiwan and inspire you to pursue your passion/dream because really, nothing is impossible if you set your heart to it. Thanks so much for reading this lengthy first post and stopping by!