Professional Profile: Bobby
Jones, Generator Operator
Eleven years ago, Bobby
Jones discovered that his
driving skills could be directed
toward a career in film and
television.
He learned to drive trucks
right out of high school and
honed his skills driving for a
logging contractor, maneuver-
ing a tractor-trailer through the
woods. He went on to work in
construction, building houses
and sometimes driving trucks.
The girlfriend of a former
schoolmate introduced Jones
to filmmaking when she
employed him to assist her
with wrangling animals for
various productions. When
the school friend got into
transportation, he employed
Jones to drive the truck that pulled the hair and makeup trailer. He gave
up construction soon afterward to devote himself to driving for film and
television productions.
At the time Jones began driving, Virginia was a "right to work" state
and did not require him to be a Teamster. As more production came into
the state, it eventually became necessary for him to join the union. He
learned to run a generator from watching the genny operators of the pro-
ductions he worked on.
Jones's first full time film
work was the television movie
My Name Is Bill W., starring
James Woods and James
Garner. Work on Love Field, The
Contender, Kingpin, Beverly Hills
Ninja, Hearts in Atlantis, and
many features and television
series followed.
What do you like
least about your job?
"My least favorite thing
is the hours we work,
especially when we're
working all nights.
Sometimes on night
shoots you work all night for two or three
weeks at a time. You're not conditioned to
stay up all night and sleep during the day.
That's my least favorite thing."--Bobby Jones
What do you love most
about your job?
"I just enjoy the work itself. I have never
worked in an office atmosphere and I don't
like being inside a building continuously. I
like being outdoors. Most of our work is on
location and a lot of it is out of town. I like
that we get to go to a lot of places that
normal people wouldn't. I like to see what
goes on behind the scenes."--Bobby Jones
VOICES OF
EXPERIENCE
Once on set, pay
attention to what others
do and if the opportu-
nity presents itself,
learn new skills from
those working on set. Jones was working as a
driver when he learned to run a generator.
CAREER TIPS
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