We spoke with former Hollywood assistants about the mistreatment they faced on the job
Photo: United Artists As Hollywood realigns itself in the wake of Me Too, new questions are being asked about the ethics of power within the industry — including a movement examining the treatment of Hollywood’s assistants. Last year, a survey called #PayUpHollywood, conducted by TV writers Liz Alper and Deirdre Mangan, and media consultant Jamarah Hayner, revealed that nightmare assistant stories weren’t exactly rare.
I was a phone assistant, and when I started, everyone was like, “I’m so sorry you got this job.” He expects there to be four or five phone calls being made simultaneously, and he will scream and scream if that’s not happening. You can’t really get up; there are no real breaks. Every production job I’ve ever had, there’s not really a break. You are at the beck and call of everyone else.
You’re never gonna move up — that became really clear to me right away. But there’s always something being dangled in front of you. When I went to film school, we learned you start at the bottom and you work your way to the top. Now, the friends I have who are successful were never assistants, and I’m like, “Well what the fuck was I doing? Was this all a lie?” Sometimes people are really lucky, or really good, and other times they’re just really rich and can do whatever they want to do.
A touring agent assistant I did his phone and scheduling and the “work” of it was dealing with contracts. Most agents in that space just negotiate deal terms. I was responsible for making sure people got paid at the end of the night. Very high stakes and anxiety inducing. A performer is making $500,000 for an hour of work and I’m doing all the contract work and making sure all the terms are accounted for while making just above minimum wage.
An assistant at a top-tier agency Like most, I worked my way up from the mailroom at a top-tier agency. I started at $30,000. I worked my ass off to be “promoted” to an agent’s desk. Everything was fine for a while. My boss was the one who helped me find an apartment. She gave me a raise so I could afford rent, showered me with unwarranted gifts, and sent me out to some really great shows, events, and screenings.
My favorite, though, was when, in an attempt to get me fired, she fabricated a story about how I cursed out and hung up on the company’s CEO. I relayed all of this to HR, who told me that “’it’s part of the job.”
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