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This months's "Industry Spotlight," features Andrew Roxby, an assistant to an agent at one of Hollywood's top talent agencies. An agency assistant job is one of the best places to start your career in Hollywood -- so if you're curious what one actually does, read on!
HOLLYWOOD RESUMES: What is your job and how would describe it one sentence? ANDREW: I’m an assistant to a television lit agent at a major Hollywood agency. HR: What is your day-to-day like? ANDREW: In general, it consists of answering calls, sending emails, setting meetings for clients, and setting phone calls for my boss. I also do quite a bit of sending out materials to educate various buyers on our clients. HR: What do you like most about your job? ANDREW: Getting to read our clients' work and getting to learn about the television industry as a whole -- who its various players are, how the process works, and how the deals are structured. HR: How did you get your current job? ANDREW: I interviewed for my current desk after working on a difficult desk in the motion picture lit department. My first job at the agency was in the mailroom, a job I got by meeting as many people as I could through anyone I happened to know who might have a connection to someone who worked at an agency. HR: What was your first job in Hollywood? ANDREW: Production Assistant on The Talking Dead. HR: What are the skills someone would need to succeed in your position? ANDREW: Ability to "read the room" is key and perhaps paramount. Work ethic, resilience, and the infamous "thick skin" -- meaning the will and ambition to work through anything, even when it means dealing with difficult personalities. Adaptability and the drive to learn and adjust on a daily basis are also key. HR: What’s something you do in your job that an outsider wouldn’t expect (and maybe you didn’t expect before you took the job!)? ANDREW: Quite a bit of drinking alcohol after work in professional meetings with other up-and-coming assistants around town. HR: What’s a mistake you made early on in your career? ANDREW: Taking a desk I didn’t want because I was under time pressure. Always insist on time to consider decisions. HR: Where do you see yourself in X years, and what are you learning in your current position to get you there? ANDREW: Running a company. I’m learning exactly how and what deals get made in this industry! HR: If you could give one piece of advice to someone trying to break in/move up in the industry, what would it be? ANDREW: Keep going, be polite, genuine, and hardworking. Authenticity open doors. HR: Thanks, Andrew!
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 It’s your first day as an assistant, and you walk in ready to show off the amazing skill sets you’ve developed during college and previous internships. But your superior analytical skills, business knowledge, or producing experience isn’t what your boss is looking for at this point. Although you’ll need these skills later on in your career, your current job is to support your boss. And if you can’t do that well, you’ll never get to move up the Hollywood ladder. So let’s take a step back for a moment and discuss the qualities you'll need as an assistant to help you succeed. In Hollywood, the best assistants are...
Resourceful. Are you constantly asking your boss and other team members questions? Is it taking you a long time to get projects done? Do you frequently find yourself telling your boss that “it can’t be done?” If so, you may want to reevaluate your approach. From a boss’s perspective, great assistants are the types of people who can make “magic” happen. These assistants come across as ultra-confident and can always complete a task or find an answer without ever letting their bosses know what steps they took to get there. So before you start asking others how to complete a process or find information, make sure you’ve exhausted all your resources. Take a moment to think things through. Did you check Google first? Do your best to keep your boss blissfully unaware of the majority of the tasks that you complete. Save all this info for your performance review – you’ll surely surprise and impress him. Available. One of the things that sucks the most about assistant life is being tied to the desk. Especially when you’re in the office, you’re always on call (and in many cases, you’ll be on call 24/7). But this is something you’re just going to have to deal with if you want to move forward in your career. You should make it your goal never to miss a call or be away from the desk when your boss calls your name. And if that means skipping lunch, do it. Remember: It’s only temporary. Everything gets better once you finally get that well-deserved promotion to coordinator, and this will happen a lot faster if you show your boss how dedicated you are by always being there when you’re needed. Thick-skinned. You’ll see the term “thick-skinned” as a requirement on many job postings, and there’s a reason for this: As an assistant, you’ve got to be able to handle working in a high-pressure environment without having a mental breakdown. Yes, you are going to make mistakes in your career, and yes, your boss will probably yell at you. Even the “nice” ones have their own ways of expressing disappointment. But there’s no reason to cry. Just pick up and learn from each mistake – it will make you better at your job in the long run. Organized. You’ll never survive an assistant position without impeccable organizational skills. At least 80% of your job will involve some combination of scheduling, booking travel, maintaining a phone sheet, compiling reports and lists, filing documents, and tracking projects. So figure out some type of organizational system that works for you, and do it fast. Everyone has a different strategy — some people love post-its; others swear by Outlook reminders — there’s no wrong way to go about it . . . as long as it works. Never let anything slip through the cracks. Aware. As an assistant, you are pretty much the go-to person for the whole department. All internal and external questions will be directed to you, and it’s best if you’re able to answer them without asking your boss or other team members (this also goes along with the idea of being resourceful). Scheduling meetings and listening in on your boss’s calls gives you a huge advantage here – make sure you read all the scheduling emails to know what each meeting is about and take detailed notes on every call. You should also familiarize yourself with your team’s projects – read scripts, watch cuts, whatever it takes. You’ll make yourself invaluable if you can become your department’s primary knowledge base. And don’t be afraid to share your knowledge! If you hear something on a call that you think your other team members might find useful, you should let them know. It will only encourage them to keep coming back to you for information. If you can remember to put your boss’s needs before your own, a lot of this will come naturally. Or you may develop these qualities the hard way – by making mistakes and learning from them. But don’t worry, all of us have been through it. Once these traits have become ingrained into your overall work persona, you’ll find it easier to take on the more difficult tasks that will eventually earn you a promotion. There are so many Hollywood assistant positions -- how do you choose which is right for you?2/25/2019  Move to Hollywood. Become an assistant. That’s the advice every Hollywood hopeful gets before they join the industry. We often hear people say things like, “I just want any assistant position. Anything to get my foot in the door.” And that’s a fine approach, especially if you aren’t sure what you want to do in the industry. There are many jobs that you probably didn’t learn about in college, and if you’re truly open to figuring out where you fit in, applying to any assistant job that sounds reasonable and interesting is a good way to go.
But if you do know what you want to do, you should be aware of the differences between the various types of assistant jobs. Some will help you build your network and lead to your dream job, and some may stall you on your path. So here’s a quick overview of some of the most popular assistant positions: AGENCY/MANAGEMENT COMPANY ASSISTANT This is the #1 entry-level job you’ll hear about. Though you certainly don’t need to start as an agency assistant to succeed in Hollywood, more doors will open up if you do. That’s because as an agent’s (or manager’s) assistant, you’ll get an inside look at all the different sides of the business. You’ll talk to creative clients, to buyers at networks and studios, to producers, and of course, to other reps. You’ll have your pulse on everything that’s happening in Hollywood, and you’ll meet a ton of other assistants who will become your network as you progress in your career. The job requires a lot of hustle, great phone etiquette, killer organizational skills, and often, thick skin. But if you can make a great impression on an agent’s desk, you’ll be in a great position to hear about open desks at other companies. And of course, if you want to work as a rep, you’ve got to start here. NETWORK/STUDIO ASSISTANT (DEVELOPMENT OR CURRENT) If you want to be an executive, you’ll need to start as an assistant at a network or studio. But “start” is a little bit of a misnomer here. It’s pretty rare to land this kind of desk as your first job. Executives at networks and studios don't have time to provide on-the-job training and typically want an assistant who has already mastered phones and scheduling. Plus, they need an assistant who already knows the major industry players. Networks and studio executives have the most power in Hollywood -- and their assistants need to be true gatekeepers. Unless you have gotten very lucky, you’ll need at least a year of assistant experience to secure one of these coveted desks. TV/FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY ASSISTANT If you don’t have the temperament for an agency, or you’re interested in becoming a producer down the line, you may want to explore assistant jobs at production companies. But not all production companies are created equal. A job at a reality company isn’t going to help you break into scripted development very easily, and an outfit that focuses on indie features isn’t going to give you much exposure into the TV comedy world. You should thoroughly research the production company you’re applying to so you can learn about their projects and culture. Is it a small shop with one or two executives? Or is it a major company with multiple departments? Do you like the content they produce? Is there room for growth? It's okay to take a job without growth opportunities, but some companies are specifically looking for candidates they can promote down the line -- that's great if you want to be a producer, but not as good if you're looking for a stepping stone. PRODUCTION ASSISTANT A PA is a totally different job than an office assistant (though a few types straddle the line). A traditional PA will be on set helping out with a variety of tasks -- running errands, wrangling talent, and setting up craft services (aka food). You’ll interact with the crew and experience the fast pace of set life. These jobs often last for only a short period of time, so you can build a large network quickly if you're smart about using your connections to move on to other projects. This is a great starting place if you want to work as a director, line producer, crew member, writer, or production executive. And there are a ton of other PA jobs, too -- Writers’ PAs support the writers' room, Post PAs support the post production team (and get great exposure to writers, too), and each crew department on a production has a PA. Meanwhile, an Office PA is typically someone who works in the office of a TV show, answering the phones and coordinating some of the basic office flow. You won’t be rolling calls like at an agency desk, nor will you be on set. But you will get access to the creatives behind the show, so you may consider starting as an office PA if your goal is to end up on set or in the writers’ room. COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION COMPANY ASSISTANT If you’re looking to boost your time on set and love creating content across formats, and especially if you want to work with brands down the line, you may enjoy working at a commercial production company. But make no mistake: A year as an assistant at a commercial production company isn’t going to be as impressive to hiring managers as a year at an agency or film/TV production company. It’s unrealistic (not impossible, but not easy) to start here and transition to a job at a network or studio. But if you want to learn the ropes of production or are open to growing within the commercial world, this is a good place to start. In fact, a lot of people who start in commercial production like it a lot because the pace is slower, the money is good, and there are still plenty of opportunities for creative expression. WRITERS’ ASSISTANT This job, like the network/studio current or development assistant, is rarely a truly entry-level position. As a writers’ assistant, you’ll be supporting the entire writers’ room, taking notes during meetings and keeping the writers organized. You’ll need to have a good understanding of a show’s workflow and how the room functions, so this job -- while a great gateway to a writing job -- usually comes after some time as a PA, Writers’ PA, and occasionally, as an assistant on a great desk. PERSONAL ASSISTANT Personal assistant jobs are tricky. They typically won’t lead to a job on a desk at a production company, studio, or agency, but there are some benefits to this often thankless job. If you work for an actor, writer, or director who has their own production company and prove yourself invaluable as a personal assistant, you may be able to transition into a role on one of their projects -- as long as you make it clear in your work product that your #1 priority is the job they hired you to do. You may also build a strong relationship that can open doors for you. If you’re not sure what you want to do in the business and you just need connections, this could be a worthwhile first step that pays a lot better than other assistant positions. But proceed with caution -- if your ultimate goal is to be a network executive, a year as a personal assistant will only delay you. You’ll still need to go from personal assistant to assistant on a desk to assistant at a network (for a few years) and then start climbing the ranks from there. As you begin your assistant search, keep in mind that there are exceptions to every rule. If you've started at a commercial production company but want to become an agent, all hope is not lost. But if you're strategic about targeting the assistant positions that will get you to your ultimate goal as quickly as possible, you're going to have a much easier time building a successful career.  So you’ve been on a desk for three years and are confident that you’re a rockstar assistant. Your boss never yells at you anymore, and you’re even getting regular praise from him. Is it time for a promotion? Maybe. But being a great assistant isn’t going to be enough to get you there. Good assistants are a dime a dozen -- after all, there are plenty of career assistants who have been doing this way longer than you have. If you really want that promotion to coordinator, you’re going to have to stand out in a bigger way.
The first thing to remember as you’re striving for a promotion is that you need to figure out how to get noticed for higher level skills -- phones and calendar management are no longer relevant once you've moved up. Look at the job responsibilities of the person one level above you and start taking some of them on (this could work out very nicely if that person is also trying to get promoted -- she may be willing to hand off some of her duties to make room for her own higher level assignments). Find things that are outside the realm of administrative duties and learn to do them well. Maybe you’ve never been asked for your thoughts on a script or project, but that doesn’t mean you can’t share your opinion. At the very least, you could read/watch the content and have your notes ready to go in case someone asks for them. But if you have a really strong point of view and have cultivated your taste by reading and watching a lot of content, you may be able to impress a higher-up by offering your feedback in a humble way, even if you haven't been asked. Just keep in mind that you shouldn't offer unsolicited feedback until you have established a very solid rapport with your supervisor. Secondly, you should find ways to take initiative. If you see a problem with the way things are run on your team, fix it. This could range from implementing some type of new organizational process that improves efficiency to generating a competitive report that will allow your department to develop content that will stand out in the marketplace. You could even find new projects or talent to bring in -- no one is going to stop you from getting coffee with potential writers or directors that could help make your team’s product stronger. If you can come up with a list of concrete accomplishments that are the result of you taking the initiative to get something done on your own without being asked, it will be hard for your boss to argue against a promotion. As you develop yourself professionally, remember: You CANNOT let your current responsibilities slip. Your work as an assistant is essential to the daily functioning of your department, so administrative errors will be more noticeable than any achievements you may be making outside of your pre-defined role. Wait until your assistant duties have become second nature before trying to take on extra work. Your boss will recognize that you’ve put in your time and that you’re capable of handling a heavier workload, and only then will you get your promotion. And if there's no room for growth at your company, you can always position yourself to level up at a different company with your newly cultivated skills. |
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