Screenwriting Blog
Posted on by Courtney Meznarich

3 Skills a Showrunner's Assistant Needs for Success

Hollywood assistant jobs are tough: think long hours, low pay, and thankless tasks. However, the reward for being a great showrunner's assistant is doled out in TV connections, hands-on education, and experience that can't be bought with a film school degree. Do you have what it takes to do the job and do it well?

We interviewed showrunner's assistant and filmmaker Ria Tobaccowala about her experience supporting showrunner Soo Hugh on shows including AMC's "The Terror" and "Pachinko" on Apple TV+. Tobaccowala has three degrees under her belt, including an MBA, but she told us the skills required to be a showrunner's assistant didn't come from school.

You'll want strong interpersonal skills, a general understanding and passion for television, and a can-do attitude to set yourself up for success as a showrunner's assistant.

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In this article, Tobaccowala explains how each of these traits applies to the position of showrunner's assistant.

How to Be a Good Showrunner's Assistant

"The number one thing you're doing as an assistant is dealing with schedule, but beyond that, there's a lot of different things whether it's research, taking notes, communicating with assistant directors on set, helping with the post team," Ria said. "There's a bunch of different things you're doing."

While most anyone can complete the aforementioned tasks, balancing it all and staying calm under pressure will require a separate set of skills, which Ria details below.

"There are probably three big things I think a showrunner's assistant needs to have," she began.

Strong Interpersonal Skills

"One: super-strong interpersonal skills, that means being able to communicate effectively and being able to write emails effectively and professionally. It's super important."

In the fast-paced television business, you'll need to ensure expectations are clearly communicated and that you speak up when you're blocked by something. Otherwise, the showrunner will simply expect that you've got it handled. Of course, always try to handle situations that arise on your own without bringing in higher-ups to answer questions for you.

General Understanding and Passion for Television

"Two: A general understanding of television. A passion and love for television, I think, is really important, because you're going to be working a lot, and it's busy. You should love, at least, the format and what you're doing, so I think that's the second thing."

Most people who take on assistant jobs in Hollywood do it because they want to move into other television roles eventually. Assistant jobs give you hands-on experience to see how a television show goes from writers' room to screen; It's like a mini-education. So, you want to make sure it interests you.

Better yet, having a strong passion for television will help you get through long days, nights, and often grueling hours.

A Can-Do Attitude

"The third is having the type of personality that's like a can-do personality, because the showrunner has so many hats on, from production to writing, to sometimes directing, to dealing with post, dealing with the business aspects, dealing with budget. You'll get so many different things thrown at you as the showrunner you're supporting is going through the lifecycle of a show. So, being the type of person that will roll your sleeves up and be willing to do whatever you need to do to support the show, and be able to adapt to those changes," Ria said.

As production on a TV show progresses, a showrunner's assistant's responsibilities will morph. You need to be able to take on whatever tasks are thrown your way.

"For example, the show I've been on for the last two and a half years almost, is I went from prep right before a writers' room, to a writers' room, to an extended writing period, to production in two different countries – neither of which were in the United States – to then post-production. And every stage changed. And my job changed. And what was more important at certain points changed."

Final Thoughts

As we can see above, if you want to know how to be a good showrunner's assistant, focus on your soft skills. A bit of experience helps – some people move into this role after assisting at an agency, for example – but it's not necessary to get the job done right.

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With passion, a positive attitude, and strong interpersonal skills, you're well on your way to absolutely acing the position of showrunner's assistant.

"I think being someone who likes being involved and constantly changing their job, it's important to have that flexible mindset," Ria concluded.

Be flexible,

Courtney Meznarich, Director of Community Outreach
Courtney Meznarich Director of Community Outreach
@courtonthecoast

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