This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Production assistant specializes in prop sourcing. Hey friends, what's up? Welcome back to Side Hustle School. Welcome as well to Throwback Thursday. In this segment, we take an in-depth look at someone whose story has evolved since we first featured them.
It's fun to go back and do a little blast from the past. Last week, we heard from a Toronto freelancer who turned scattered editing gigs into a specialized agency serving fitness creators. So they found their niche, they found a way to get specialized, and they actually created sustainable monthly income. So it's often a good strategy to achieve that particular goal. Now today in our latest feature, we're gonna continue with a Canadian theme.
We will hear from a Vancouver production assistant who built this side hustle specifically around sourcing hard to find props. So in the film industry, which is big in Vancouver, you need people to do all kinds of things. They're often in various production roles, but they're doing lots of stuff. And this person has been able to focus or specialize on finding props for film and TV shows. So let's hear about how meeting this gap brought steady work and new credibility in a competitive field.
We're gonna hear today from Harper. I'm gonna pass the microphone to her, and I'll be back at the end with a quick wrap up. [Music]
I'm Harper, and my first job in Vancouver's film industry was as a production assistant to mostly fetched coffee, wrangled cables, and tried not to trip over important people. Now the big break didn't come by landing a glamorous roll. I found my niche in something that most crews dreaded, sourcing obscure props.
On one indie project, the director asked me for vintage roller skates with neon wheels and a sixties era typewriter by the next day. And I managed to score both items with time to spare. Now that was the light bulb moment for me. Maybe I could build a service around delivering hard to find props fast. Now Vancouver's film scene is bustling, so I started small.
I whispered to a few assistant directors I knew, if you ever need weird props in a hurry, just call me. A week later, got my first gig sourcing an anti-camera for a short film. I only charged $150 that time. I was just excited to prove myself. And with each successful find, be it a retro telephone, a custom designed letterman jacket or a giant inflatable flamingo, I ended up building a reputation.
Set a simple rate, $300 per project for up to three items sourced within a week. And after three quick gigs, I was at $900 in total revenue. That was close to my $1,000 goal, but I wanted to go beyond scrappy one-offs. So production coordinator I knew suggested I offer a monthly retainer for $500. I'd guarantee a number of prop fines per month plus priority response time.
Coordinator took me up on it for a web series that needed a rotating set of unique items every episode. Bingo. Retainer clients provided predictability and I quickly surpassed my first $1,000 in steady income. I refined the service, a quick online form for requests, a simple contract and transparent timelines. And before long, I had two monthly retainer clients.
Their needs ranged from period accurate kitchenware to futuristic sci-fi gadgets. I love the puzzle of hunting down these props. Vancouver's network of antique shops, prop houses and local artisans became my secret weapon. I got requests for even stranger items. One show needed authentic carnival prizes from the '80s.
Another wanted a custom fish shaped lamp. Sure, that sounds weird, but the satisfaction of finding the perfect match was real. Started tracking down suppliers and forging relationships. Some vendors gave me a heads up when something rarer came in and that put me ahead of the competition. So now I earn around $2,000 a month working a few hours a week in between my real production job on salary.
I no longer do coffee runs, unless I want one for myself, of course. Instead I walk onto sets knowing I've made myself indispensable. If someone needs a Victorian parasol or a neon boombox by tomorrow, my phone rings. The fun part is I've become known as the prop wizard. Not the title I expected when I first stepped onto a film set, but I'll take it.
[Music]
Harper, thanks so much for sharing those updates with us. Congratulations on your business. Sounds like things are going well and also giving you plenty of time to do other things, which is also good. Listeners, let me know what you think, who you'd like to see featured from our archives of thousands of episodes. If you have a comment or a question, if you'd like to update us on your side hustle, sidehustleschool.com/questions.
So excited to make this show for you every day. Much more is coming up, but that's all for now. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
