SMILF
- Aug 23, 2025
- 2 min read
SMILF was a TV show that ran on Showtime for two seasons in 2017 and 2018. I was friends with the star and creator, and when she was making the pilot I tagged along to shoot a BTS doc. We failed to get permission from the studio for me to do this and when the execs found out some random kid was filming every meeting, location scout, phone call, etc. they promptly kicked me out. I was able to capture enough material for only a trailer. What a great doc that would have been. After the first season, I joined the production - officially this time - as a set PA, specifically (and proudly) the walkie PA. I moved [back] to boston for the summer for 4 months while we shot season 2. This was one of the greatest moments of my life. I loved being a PA so much. The money was borderline illegal, I was making less than $700 a week working 6 days a week, 14-16 hours a day, but I was in heaven. There is something totally magical about a film set, and to live on one for four months was truly amazing. It was the first real production I'd been apart of and I especially relished my roll as walkie PA. I loved having something to be in charge of and organize; I was born to track some 200 walkies across the duration of the production. I made some amazing friends, and learned a lot as well. I would then go on to work both in the location department and rigging electric department for several weeks on Greta Gerwig's Little Women which was shooting right after we wrapped, which was another incredible experience that I cherish. Anyways, below is the trailer I made for the documentary-that-never-was and then below that are the photos I took on the set of SMILF. It was questionable whether I was actually allowed to shoot photos on set but that's the value of nepotism.
