A writers' production assistant is one of the ways up-and-comers get their first taste of the TV writing industry. In general, production assistant, or PA, jobs are most people's first foray into entertainment no matter what job they hope to pursue.
For those who want to be TV writers, the writers' production assistant position is the one type of production assistant job that can get you seriously close to the action. And please note that just because this is the way many people get their start, this is by no means the only way to do it.
In fact, I'm going to further caveat this by stating that rising as an assistant and becoming a TV writer is an increasingly difficult path. However, there are still major benefits to this job, chief among them being that this is the ultimate place to network with working writers and soon-to-be writers among the pool of assistants you work with.
I wrote my book, BREAKING INTO TV WRITING, to explain exactly that. There are prescribed paths, and you should be aware of them. But the most helpful thing to do is going to be to expand your network. The writers' PA job is one of the ways to do just that. I go into many of the other ways in my book.
My Route to Becoming a Writers' Production Assistant
My first entertainment job was being a Page at the old Late Show with David Letterman. I'm dating myself a little bit by saying that. For those that don't know, it's the guy that used to do Stephen Colbert's job. But my real foray into the TV writing world started when I moved to LA.
I became a runner for a production company that produced some of the pre-taped segments for the ESPY awards. There, I met somebody who had just worked for a production coordinator at a TV show at Warner Bros. When my job ended, they got me an interview, and I started as a writers' production assistant job.
This further led to becoming a writers' assistant, a script coordinator, eventually getting to write episodes of TV. That's how I made my way in, but this traditional path doesn't not necessary reflect how it happens currently.
Keep this in mind: Hollywood has no rules. If you see a way to make a leap, take it.
That being said, let's take a look at what the writers' production assistant job is and how it can help you in your ascent to TV writer-dom.
What is a TV writers' production assistant?
In TV writers' rooms, there's the showrunner, a hierarchy of writers that, in descending order, ends in staff writer. Then there are the writers' room assistants, including the writers' assistant and the script coordinator. There's also the showrunner's assistant, who's like an executive assistant specifically for the showrunner.
And then at the bottom, there's the writers' production assistant. Unfortunately, in TV, these hierarchies are still pretty strict. So, that means the writers' production assistant is doing the work that most don't want to do.
In the right environments, with a good showrunner and friendly writers, you'll be treated as another member of the team. In more toxic environments, you'll be looked down upon and treated as "less than." There's such a huge discrepancy between the pay of a writers' PA and the writers that some uncomfortable dynamics develop.
I don't mean to scare anyone off. I'm just presenting the reality of the situation. Let's get further into what the specific duties of the writers' production assistant actually are...
Writers' production assistant duties
As opposed to a PA on set, the writers' production assistant doesn't have much to do with the actual production of the show. The job, instead, revolves around catering to the writers. This means getting them coffee in the morning and afternoon if you're sent out. It means putting out lunch menus and ordering food. It means printing scripts.
But it's best to go through a day in the life of a writers' production assistant. Most of your days will revolve around a very general schedule. Of course, there will be differences if you're shooting or of if there's a table read. But this will give you a good sense of what life will look like in this position.
This is an example of one of the days I used to have on a network comedy when I was a writers' PA:
Come in at 9am and check the fridge, make sure everything's stocked up. If anything is low or the office is out of any specific food, a trip to Ralph's (the ubiquitous LA grocery store) may be necessary.
The writers come in at 10am and fill out their coffee order. The writers' PA places the coffee orders and picks them up for the writers.
The PA will then print out menus for wherever the writers have decided they want to get food from for lunch. Once the writers fill out their menus, the order is placed and the writers' PA leaves the lot and gets the food.
If the writers are going to stage that day, the writers' PA prints out scripts for the writers. They may also shuttle them to the stage on golf carts depending on how far of a walk it is and how demanding the writers are.
If the writers' room stays late, the writers' PA will print out menus and repeat the lunch process for dinner.
Occasionally, at the end of a shift, the writers' PA has to deliver scripts to actors or producers if they've requested physical copies (even though the currect script is always emailed to everyone).
Throughout the day, the PA is cleaning the kitchen, which is always ravaged by writers, and keeping all the supplies fully stocked.
As you can see, most of the job duties revolve around the writers' eating schedule. That's what a lot of being a writers' PA is. There are smaller shows that only have one PA between the production office and the writers' office and their duties are split between catering to the writers and doing actual production work. But on bigger productions, there's a more clear delineation between the two.
The good parts of being a writers' production assistant
For most people who have gotten their first writers' production assistant job, this is their first time in a writers' room. And generally, if the showrunner is nice, you can ask to sit in the writers' room and listen. You may not be able to pitch just yet. But even taking it in and seeing how a writers' room works can do wonders for your writing ability.
I learned everything I could through reading scripts and books about screenwriting. But it all came together once I saw the process of making episodic TV in action. Even more importantly, as I mentioned earlier, this is a chance to meet a whole room full of writers and hopefully make a good impression. This is a crucial piece in the journey to being a TV writer.
Entertainment is all about who you know. And now you know anywhere from 8-15 new TV writers who may be able to help you, give you support, or give you advice for your future.
In the right environment, this can truly be an amazing learning experience and can provide connections for years to come.
