Updated: October 12, 2026
Holds, availability checks and booking Miami crew: first hold, second hold, challenges and releasing properly
Freelance crew in Miami live by their calendars, and the calendar runs on a set of conventions that are rarely written down and constantly relied on. A producer who "pencils" a gaffer for the 14th, a DP who is "on first hold" for a commercial and "on second" for a corporate day, a challenge that forces a decision by 5 pm: these are the mechanics by which a city full of freelancers and a city full of productions match up without a central booking system. Producers who use the conventions well get the crew they want; producers who do not become the people crew stop returning calls from. This guide explains how holds work in the Miami market, the etiquette on both sides, how to confirm, how to release, and what to do when the crew you want is on hold for someone else.
The vocabulary
- Availability check (avail): "Are you free on the 14th?" Carries no obligation on either side. A crew member answering "yes" has not agreed to anything.
- Hold (first hold, pencil): The producer asks the crew member to hold the date. The crew member agrees not to book anyone else without first coming back to the producer. The producer has not committed to pay anything yet.
- Second hold: Another producer asks for the same date after the first hold is in place. The crew member takes the second hold and tells the second producer that they are second. If the first hold releases, the second moves up.
- Challenge: The second-hold producer is ready to confirm and asks the crew member to challenge the first hold. The crew member calls the first producer, who must confirm (book and commit to pay) or release within an agreed window, usually a few hours to the end of the business day.
- Confirm (book): The producer commits to the day and the rate; a cancellation now carries a fee. The deal memo follows, as described in our guide to deal memos for freelance crew.
- Release: The producer tells the crew member the hold is no longer needed. Done promptly, it costs nothing; done late or not at all, it costs the relationship.
How a booking actually goes
| Step | Producer | Crew member |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Avail | Sends date, role, rough scope and whether it is a hold or just a check | Replies with availability and rate, notes existing holds on nearby dates |
| 2. Hold | Asks for a first hold once the job is likely; gives a decision date | Marks the calendar; will take a second hold for anyone else |
| 3. Update | Keeps the crew member informed as the job firms up or slips; releases on the decision date if unsure | Reminds the producer as the decision date approaches |
| 4. Challenge | If challenged, confirms or releases within the window; no "give me until tomorrow" more than once | Gives the first hold a fair window, then moves the second up if released |
| 5. Confirm | Sends deal memo with rate, hours, kit fee, location and call time estimate | Signs, blocks the date firm, sends invoice details |
| 6. Change | Any change of date is a new hold on the new date and a release of the old one, with a cancellation fee if within the notice period | Checks the new date and says clearly whether the second hold on the old date now gets it |
Etiquette for producers
- Do not hold crew for jobs that are not real. Producers who hold whole crews for pitches that never book are remembered, and the crew's second holds start turning into first holds for other people.
- Give a decision date with the hold, and keep it. If the client has not decided, release and re-hold rather than sitting on the date silently.
- Hold the role, not three people for the role. Holding two gaffers "to see who's better" and releasing one on the day of the challenge burns both.
- Release in writing, the moment you know. A text saying "releasing the 14th, thank you" is the single cheapest way to build a good reputation with Miami crew.
- When a challenge comes in, answer it inside the window. A challenge is the system working; ignoring it is choosing to lose the crew member.
- Confirmed means paid. If the shoot cancels inside the notice period, pay the cancellation fee without being asked; the periods and rates are covered in our note on getting paid as freelance crew.
Etiquette for crew
- Be exact about what you hold. "I'm on first for that day, I can take a second" tells the producer exactly where they stand.
- Do not double-book quietly and hope one job falls through. The whole system rests on the first hold meaning something.
- When challenged, give the first hold a real window and a real phone call; a text at 4:55 pm asking for an answer by 5 is not a challenge.
- If you release a hold for personal reasons, say so early. Producers can replace a gaffer a week out; not the night before.
- Keep your rate consistent between the avail and the deal memo. A rate that rises once the producer is committed is the crew-side version of the fake hold.
Booking heads of department versus the rest of the crew
Holds usually start with the heads of department: DP, first AD, production sound, gaffer, key grip. Each of them has preferred people for their department, and the producer's usual practice is to hold the head first and let them bring their team, holding the team through them. That gives the producer a crew that works together and gives the head some say over who they are responsible for. The roles and reporting lines are laid out in our guide to gaffers, grips and the below-the-line crew. PAs, drivers and day players are held last, often a week out, because the pool is large and the roles are interchangeable.
Busy seasons compress everything. From January to April and around the big Miami events, first holds on the best DPs and sound mixers are placed a month or more out, and a producer with a likely job should hold early and release honestly rather than wait for the client's signature and find the crew gone.
When the crew you want is on hold elsewhere
Ask to be put on second hold and ask when the first-hold decision date is. Ask the crew member who they would recommend if they are not released; the recommendation is usually good, and the goodwill is worth it. If the job is confirmed and the date is fixed, challenge, and accept the answer. Do not offer a higher rate to jump the queue; Miami is a small market, and the crew member will take the money once and remember the move for years.
How we hold and book crew
Every crew hold we place carries a decision date, and we release on that date if the job has not confirmed, then re-hold if it comes back. We hold heads of department first and their teams through them, answer challenges within the window, send deal memos on confirmation, and pay cancellation fees inside the notice period without being asked. It is the reason the same Miami crew keep saying yes to our first holds. If you are bringing a project to Miami and want a crew that is actually available on your date, the earlier we can place holds the better; the contact page is the place to start, and our approach to crewing is on the about page.