Career Spotlight: Personal Assistant to Actor/Director

When I hear stories about people who work as full-time personal assistants to important people, I get nervous for them and think about the horrors that Anne Hathaway's character endures in the movie 'The Devil Wears Prada.' Many people in the entertainment industry have hectic lives as assistants to producers, actors, and other high profile workers. My friend, who chose to be anonymous for this interview, discusses his work life as a personal assistant to an actor/director.

photo blurry on purpose

How long have your worked in your position?
Two and a half years.

How did you get this job?
I heard about it through the UTA job list.

So many people apply to postings on the UTA job list. Were you surprised that you even got a response to your application?
Yes. When I first moved to Los Angeles I applied to countless online postings. I kept a spreadsheet that organized how I found each job, which resume I used, and when I sent in my application. But for this job I forgot to put the information on my document. So when I got the initial phone call regarding my submission I was confused because I couldn't remember which posting the woman on the phone was talking about. It's interesting because just a few days prior to that telephone call, I had actually accepted a job at a reality production company. The job at the reality company was not something I really wanted. It was very low pay and  long hours, but I had accepted it because I was unemployed at the time. However, the woman who called me about the personal assistant job agreed to meet with me anyway. I met her at a coffee shop at 7 AM on a Wednesday, which was my first day at the reality company. The interview with her went well, but nothing was final because I still had to meet with the actor/director. However, I felt good about the meeting and quit the reality company that morning. They were not pleased.

You made a risky decision to quit so quickly.
Yes, but it paid off. I met with the director that Friday, and started working for him the following Monday.

So the whole hiring process took about a week?
Yes. It was pretty fast all things considered.

How long did the person who had your job before you last?
The person whom I replaced only worked for eight months in the position. Most personal assistants in this industry last around a year. However, I do know a woman who has been working for the same man for thirty years. She is what we call a 'career assistant.'

What are your hours like?
We are currently shooting a movie here in LA. Right now I clock about 60 hours a week. However, before the movie started I worked usually between 40 to 50 hours.

What have you learned about being a personal assistant?
I have learned that this job involves a lot of listening and remembering how certain people operate.

What is your favorite aspect about what you do for a living?
I like having access to some of the most interesting crew and cast members in the entertainment industry.

What are some challenges that you have faced?
When I first started out, I was stressed and wondered if what I was doing would ever amount or lead to anything. I was worried because when I began the job I knew I didn't want to become a lifelong personal assistant. I originally gave myself a two-year deadline for the job. As that mark approached, things changed a little bit because it was near the end of pre-production for the movie. Once there was an actual start date for the movie, I decided to stick around longer because I wanted to have that experience under my belt. It will be interesting watching the film go into post-production and then to see what happens when it gets released. It is unclear how the movie will be promoted since it's an independent project.

What job do you think you will take after this one?
I don't know for sure. Once the film is over I will be in a good place to determine if I will want to move on to something new or stick around a little longer. I'm not interested in jumping into something else that will be the same level of insanity. Either I will need to take a break and develop my own projects, or find something at a studio that has regular hours.

What are some of your life ambitions and goals?
I kind of want to do it all. I want to write, direct, produce and maybe act a little bit.