Its All Your Fault: How to Make It as a Hollywood Assistant

This is a fast read, and it reads like a memoir-humor book-- don't be fooled. It's full of REAL information, and good advice. I have only a limited experience in this world, a few month's as a producer's assistant, but everything they described is 100% accurate. As I investigate how I want to continue, I'm finding the descriptions of the different roles invaluable (particularly that of assistant to a network exec as a great job for those in the witness protection program; i.e. you'll never meet anyone... lol) the way these two got into the industry is, as is the norm, highly idiosyncratic, full of luck, timing and chutzpah. It's no surprise that both have done well along the way. This is also a useful book for creative artists-- screenwriters, actors, aspiritng directors-- because it gives an invaluable inside look at the day-to-day life of the offices and staff of the people they need to deal with. Better than I hoped it would be!

This is the "Crafty Screenwriting" of assistanting. The writers have clearly been around the block and through the mill, and tell it like it is. They also had fun writing it, and the bitter joy of (I hope for their sakes) no longer being an assistant shines through. If you're thinking of going to Hollywood as anything at all, you need to read this book to understand what the lives of the 50% of people there who are assistants are like!

Whether you're already in the business, want desperately to break in, or are simply a fan of Hollywood gossip, "It's All Your Fault! (How to make it as a Hollywood Assistant)" is an absolute delight. Bill Robinson and Ceridwen Morris have put together a 'how to' book which very often had me laughing out loud. Beginning with their own experiences (Robinson had been an assistant to Diane Keaton, and Morris, a screenwriter, was at one time Robinson's assistant), the authors offer a glimpse at the crazy, chaotic, and often thankless job of the Hollywood assistant, whether it's an assistant to a movie star, director, talent agent, or producer. The authors provide anecdotes from countless assistants about their more famous employers. Many of them are anonymous in the book (more for the protection of their livelihood than the stars' reputations) but it isn't difficult to figure out who some of the unnamed big shots are in many of the tales. Morris and Robinson describe the subtle differences in each assistant job, depending on who your boss is and what they do. And there's a good deal of sound advice about which job would be right for you, depending on what you want to do afterward, since you probably don't want to be an assistant forever. Along the way, Robinson and Morris provide tips on how to land your dream job, and how to prevent it from becoming a nightmare, and what you should/could do to parlay that job into your dream career. On the flip side, if you have no intention of pursuing an assistant job, "It's All Your Fault" should serve as a reminder to those who come into contact with assistants while in pursuit of their own dreams. Think twice about who you're speaking with, and how you treat them. They may one day hold a position of power and will remember ...

Take it from someone who has been chewed up and spit out, but still surviving in the trenches, this book is a must read for anyone who dreams of a better life in La-La Land. Who let the dogs out? God. And they all reside in Hollywood. This hilarious handbook/'bible" should be passed out to everyone who crosses the Los Angeles county lines. For those of you still brave enough to venture here, you've got brothers and sisters who feel your pain, so memorize it, sleep with it under your pillow, get the book on tape for godsake, but give yourself a leg up and order it for next day air.

I thought it was funny. Most of these How-to books are overly technical and dry. This had a good balance of humor and gossip and info.