Marvin V. Acuna

In my humble opinion, aspiring screenwriters assume that an assistant doesn’t have the time, judgment, or influence to help them, and therefore simply see them as a barrier to their objective — connecting with the entertainment professional they desire to have read/buy their screenplay.

Huge mistake! After all, they’re controlling your access. Assistants are key and instrumental in any industry, but in Hollywood… a strategic alliance with an assistant has the potential to change your life.

LISTEN: Most assistants don’t aspire to be assistants forever.

There are numerous ways for you to build rapport with an assistant I’ll focus your attention here on just a few:

 Google their name. See if they blog or tweet. Try to identify something that they are genuinely interested in and may have in common with you.

 Always refer to an assistant by name, every time. Always be friendly, polite, and direct. Keep in mind that you are not their highest priority, and being impatient and/or self-righteous will not serve you.

 An assistant’s time is just as important as the person you are attempting to reach. Believe it or not, the assistant’s role is to determine potential value for their executive and/or their company. Be prepared to explain why you feel you can contribute and how you will add value.

 The more you can include the assistant in the process, the better. They have an ear to the ground about every aspect of the business and can offer unique insights that can help you refine your pitch.

 Assistants have the ear of everyone that will be involved in reading/buying your script. They know who you should be speaking to and can help clarify if you are even targeting the right person/company. Let the assistant paint the internal relationship dynamic for you so you may navigate it more effectively.

Effectively engaging an assistant affords you numerous benefits. For instance, they can serve as an internal champion of you, your work and they can make introductions on your behalf.

I encourage you to view every assistant with the level of respect you would afford their boss and observe the windows of opportunity that magically open for you.