How do you become an executive assistant?

If my end goal is to be a screenwriter, should I stick with my unpleasant job as a producer's assistant?

• Thanks in advance to anyone who reads this post and is willing to help... I'm a writer and writing my own scripts professionally is my end goal. To supplement that goal and acknowledge its inherent difficulties, I have been striving to become a development executive of some sort, to work at developing scripts for a company(ies) while I work on my own. I worked a handful of internships as a reader until my current company started paying me. But somehow my producer boss has slowly shuffled me away from the development work that I love and into being her personal assistant, which is not what I signed up for. I'm trying to decide whether or not to stick with it. I really, really don't like being a producer's assistant. It frequently makes me disillusioned with the film industry and inadvertently puts excess pressure on me to write perfect screenplays because they suddenly become my "way out". Should I stick with this job if I don't feel like it is serving me and my goal of becoming a writer? There is the chance (and hope) that this will develop further, perhaps into my moving up to heading development, or to them acknowledging that I'm a writer and giving me more writing tasks, but that's not definite at all. There's something unsettling about working very hard at a job where advancement (any at all) towards your goal is vague at best. Some of the time I think it's silly for me to get so frustrated with this, and I think that this is a great opportunity (after all, my bosses are famous and well-connected and it's a great foot in the door). But lately I'm thinking more and more that it doesn't matter what kind of connections I'm making if I'm really unhappy in my job. I guess it comes down to an overarching issue with a lot of jobs: Where should one draw the line between suffering through an unpleasant job in the present to get to a better place in the future, and focusing on the present and doing something that makes one fulfilled now? Thank you in advance for any help and advice.

• Answer:

  I have been in your shoes, albeit in a different capacity.  I initially took a job as a security guard at Sony years ago.  I did it not because of my love for low wages and under-appreciated stature, but because I wanted to get behind the walls of that studio.  I wanted to network.  I wanted to see how films were made.  I HATED the security work.  With a passion.  I hated putting on that uniform.  I hated sitting or standing for eight hours doing virtually nothing beyond checking badges, opening the gate for the powers that be, and observing and reporting. But I knew that it served a purpose.  I knew that there would be something at the end of the tunnel for me.  I knew that it would open doors that most up and coming screenwriters would kill for.  I eventually worked my way out of security and into a position as a studio liaison for Sony Pictures, which lead to a development position as script reader/story analyst, which gave me my best education of screenwriting and the film industry.  So appreciate where you are.  That said, you bring up a great point.  If you've become a personal assistant, rather than one working in the development office reading scripts and what not, I could understand how that could weigh on you.  I know how demanding those producers can be... especially when you're their personal assistant.  My suggestion would be to stay as long as you can.  Network out to your contacts as casually inquire, or explore, if there are other positions open in other production companies.  Keep it casual obviously.  And when you see an opportunity, take it.  And depending on the producer you work for, you could always ask them if there is more development work that you could take off of their shoulders.  Mentioning it like that seems as though you're asking for more responsibility rather than you not wanting to be doing what you're doing.  So perhaps that is a route to explore. Simply say, "Hey, I was wondering if I can take some work off of your shoulders.  I'd love to get into development more.  Get back to reading some scripts and doing coverage.  Whatever you need on that front."  Then you look enterprising, rather than disgruntled. Lastly, are you writing in your spare time?  Are you developing your own projects when you're not meeting your producer's needs? Always be developing and writing.  Stack your deck with three great scripts.  Polished ones.  Great high concepts.  Pay attention to what your producer and his partners are developing and searching for.  USE your position wisely in that respect.  For your benefit.  And if you want to try and impress him/her, bring in some projects on your own to the table from other writers.  Beyond what you have.  Then you become a producer yourself and open things up in that respect.  I've got some great specs that have tracked well at studios (See what I did just there?).  More than happy to help out in that respect;)  Keep on truckin'!  Trust your gut.