Finding assistant gigs
Hello. Thank you for existing. Reading your answer about the job of a writer’s assistant made me wonder: where and how do we find the feature writer who needs an assistant?
–Sandrine
In the back of the trades (which means Variety and the Hollywood Reporter), you’ll often find listings for "assistants wanted." Some of those will be good jobs, a lot won’t. Personally, all the assistants I’ve hired have been either referrals from friends, or people I worked with before. For instance, two of my assistants worked in the production office on GO. My current assistant came to me via my agent, who taught one of his classes at USC.
An internship, either paid or unpaid, is a great way to make contacts who could get you a job working for a writer. If you attend any screenwriting symposiums, it’s worth a shot talking to any writers there about the kind of job you’re looking for. Even if the writer himself isn’t looking for an assistant, he may have a friend who is.
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