Thursday, September 30, 2010

Dear Diary

So, I work in Hollywood as an executive assistant on the creative development side of things.  I've had an internship, a medium-term assistant gig, many short-term assistant experiences while temping, and now a longer-term assistant job, all at two major studios.  It has been a lot of fun, and I have learned a whole lot, even if I am keenly aware of just how much more I have to learn before I'm ready to move up the ladder into an executive position myself.  Of course, there have been frustrating times as at any job, and it's not as glamorous as a lot of people think it might be.  But a lot of the time I can't believe how lucky I am to be working in the world of filmmaking, and I still feel like an excited kid when I get to walk on a studio backlot.  I was just thinking about some of my goals, and wanted to share some of what I hope for in my career.

The Fun Stuff
  • Attend the Sundance Film Festival
  • Attend the Cannes Film Festival
  • Go to the Academy Awards
  • Go to movie premieres
  • Have an expense account
  • Be honored in the trades
  • Reunite with Jason Schwartzman, who realizes that he wants to marry me; attend Coppola family reunions, where Sofia's still friends with Spike Jonze for some reason, and so he comes and brings his ex Michelle Williams (because they're also still friends) and her baby Matilda, and I creepily tell Matilda that I'm really sad I'll never have a chance to make out with her dad
The Important Stuff
  • In my time as an executive at a studio, make an impact in getting the studio to recognize more female and multicultural filmmakers; help tell stories that represent a more interesting and varied portrayal of members of society that are not necessarily cis-hetero-Caucasian-male characters.
  • Sell a screenplay of my own
  • Get involved in helping Hollywood reach out to the community, by helping teach people how to tell their own stories
  • Create an organization that helps teach school children how to write stories, make movies, and share them with friends.  Get people to respect each other more by understanding each other better.
  • Work for a studio that endeavors to distribute good, important content from around the globe, to give it a wider audience.
This is all probably very silly to read, but I just had to take a moment and reflect on why I want to work hard to make a place for myself in this industry.  Mostly it's the Coppola thing.

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