save the assistants

Heather again. My friend Dan was an assistant in Hollywood and is now a writer and improv comic in New York. He made the most of his assistant job and moved up quickly. Here are some of his tips for your first assistant job in Hollywood.

I wasn’t an assistant for long before I got moved up to the development department where I was a much better fit.  But I was for several months an assistant to a fairly well known producer, in Hollywood no less.  Here’s my tips.

 

• Be Lucky.  My boss and I never really got along well on a personal level.  There was no animosity, he just didn’t like my personality. He was still professional and I did the best work I could, for peanuts.  When I moved back to NY and worked for his partner (in development), it was a much better match.
• Schmooze.  I got to hang out with some really cool and somewhat famous people.  You’re young.  They all want to mentor you.  You’re not a threat yet and if they help early on, you’ll love them forever.  A well known director shaped my view of what writing should be as we ate lunch at the coffee shop in my boss’s hotel, waiting for him.  An aspiring actress who’s now a movie star was happy to talk to me, in part because we were the only ones there under 30 (we were both 19).  These are good people and as the assistant, you’re not in competition with them yet.  Ask questions.  Ask them to try new things and for advice.  People love giving advice to young people. 
• Work damn hard.  Produce good work.  I work slowly and methodically, which wasn’t always right for the task.  But I produce damn fine work and I was moved to a department that was a better fit.
• Presentation matters.  I don’t care how good your spreadsheet of my daily activities is, I want it to pop and look nice enough to be in my office.  Production values should be as good as can be for everything.  Simple is always better.
• Work for peanuts.  This is a chance to learn and jumpstart a career, a glorified internship, not a fat cash job.  That’s the difference between a secretary and an assistant.  Bring your own laptop.
• Always say yes.  Can you do this?  I can figure it out.  That’s how I got to write coverage for the first time and got started on the path to being a writer.
• Flirt.  I flirted with a studio head’s female protegé at a premiere and spoke passionately about the project during such time.  She put in a good word for our company and they upped our marketing budget.  You are a spokesman for your company and should believe in it.  As long as you care about the projects, it’s fine to mix it into your personal life.
• Care about the projects.  You may have to work your ass off doing this meaningful thing, but it’s a component of releasing this FUCKING AWESOME MOVIE.