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Citing the experiences of a "freelance production coordinator" and a "production manager" who once found someone to fill a job through a buddy list, Wired has put its finger on the cyberpulse of Hollywood and extrapolated identified a red-hot trend: getting work via IM:

Instead of displaying simple "away from my computer" messages, Hollywood buddy lists now overflow with come-ons, from "need work" to "wrapping up shoot." Producers hiring for a new production can tell at a glance who's available now, who's not and who might be free in the near future.

Full disclosure: Despite our skepticism about the pervasiveness of this trend, our longtime IM "away" message ("Am starving. Will jerk u off 4 lunch @ El Pollo Loco.") has resulted in a semi-legal side business fulfilling the erotic massage needs of a nearby studio lot. But we'd love to see iChat networking penetrate to the highest levels:

BGrey0069: hey jen
Used2BFriends: ***Away from my computer, sticking head in Viking oven***
Used2BFriends: o hi brad. im here
BGrey0069: u want to work? got something 4 u
Used2BFriends: im really busy, but what u got?
BGrey0069: thelma n' louise remake with angelina. and brad
Used2BFriends: o, u r so bad!
BGrey0069: hahaha i know. ROTFL
BGrey0069: seriously tho
BGrey0069: it would b huge