The next installment in the our sorta monthly feature "A Day in the Life" features our lovely assistant, Katie Lovejoy. And yes, that is her real name.
A Day in the Life by Katie Lovejoy
6:00 am: The
worst ringtone I have on my blackberry screams at my sleeping face, and I roll
over and glare at the time. I
proceed to think seriously about going for a half-hour jog, but decide instead
that, because it’s so early in the week, I need to get my rest. I guiltily reset my alarm.
6:30 am: I drag
myself out of bed (I’m not a morning person) and plod towards the bathroom,
beating myself up for not going on that jog.
7:30 am: After
making a steaming cup of green tea and snagging a banana, I squeeze into my
car, wondering why I ever thought it would be a good idea to own a coupe.
8:00 am: I
arrive at Ralphs, where I commence the weekly office grocery shopping. There’s nothing that says TV Writers’
Room like loading your cart up with enough sodas to quench the thirst of a
small army and enough chocolate to fuel a rocket. But don’t worry.
I buy fruits and vegetables to supplement our sugar.
8:30 am: I
proceed to checkout while twenty other morning shoppers grumble about how long
I’m taking at the counter. I
attempt a joke to ease the tension, but neither the elderly man trying to buy a
carton of milk nor the sick college kid holding a bottle of NyQuil are particularly
amused.
9:15 am: Ed
(our Writers’ Assistant) and I go over the schedule for the day as we walk to
Starbucks – Producers’ meeting at lunch, a casting session across the lot, a
set design call with Vancouver, and a notes call from the Studio and Network
(schedule subject to alteration).
9:30 am: I hunker down at my desk as the phones start ringing. Todd, who is en route to Vancouver
to oversee episode 401's prep, calls and asks what’s on his schedule
for the day. Jaime, who is working on a script polish from home,
phones in to see if I can conference him to Bruce, who is currently
reading the latest draft of a different episode at Starbucks. One of
the main responsibilities that comes with this job is being the center
of all internal communication, so knowing who is where and what is
happening at all times is absolutely crucial. It's the only time being
a know-it-all is actually a valuable commodity.
9:45 am: John
(our Script Coordinator) gives me the latest episode draft that was distributed
to the Studio and Network the night before, and I copy and collate
scripts. Well, okay. I have our interns copy and collate the scripts. But I oversee.
9:50 am: Paper
jam. I engage in an epic battle
with the Xerox Machine.
10:00 am: The writers start in the room and all is quiet on the Western Front. I update the calendar and write my
to-do list for the day – FedEx DVDs to Vancouver, get an episode outline to our
post supervisor, order office supplies (especially the index cards and sharpies
that are the life force of the writers’ room), get Sunset Gower facilities to
figure out why it’s, twenty degrees in our offices, etc. The most important thing I learned
after working this job for a while? Resistance is futile: you will NEVER outrun
your to-do list.
10:30 am: Update calendars with
confirmed meetings, including the master calendar on the white board in my
office. Naturally these meetings
will get canceled, rescheduled, canceled, and rescheduled again – so needless
to say, the calendars and I hang out a lot.
11:00 am:
Approach writers about where they’d like to order lunch today
and circulate the coinciding lunch menu.
After everyone has indicated their order, I have one of our lovely
interns fax that baby over to the restaurant.
11:20 am: The
Production Office in Vancouver calls about scheduling conference calls later
that afternoon. (Like I said,
schedule subject to alteration.)
12:00 pm: Lunch
arrives and the interns and I organize the meals. I contemplate how much the delivery guy must hate me for
making him stand there and wait for us to go through every single box and make
sure each order is correct before letting him leave the premises.
12:30 pm: Our
weekly internal Producers’ Meeting starts as Bruce goes around the room, asking
each writer how their episode is coming.
Then, we go through, one-by-one, and report on our various areas of
responsibility. I take notes during this
shindig, because if the producers say they want to set a meeting or schedule a call, I’m the one who makes it happen.
1:00 pm: We
take a short break. The interns
and I talk shop while we tidy up the kitchen, and then I clear my head. Sometimes I talk a walk to get a change
of scenery and some fresh air. Other
times, I’ll play a round of Left4Dead with Ed and John. Nothing says relaxation like killing
some zombies.
1:30 pm: I
reach out to the assistants at the Studio and Network to schedule some meetings
and conference calls.
2:00 pm:
Conference call with Vancouver regarding set design. My duties on such a call include
dialing in to the telephone conference center, making sure the other parties
are on the line, and then grabbing the producers to jump on the
call. (My biggest fear in the
world? Forgetting to MUTE my phone
while I monitor the conference.)
3:00 pm: FedEx DVDs to Canada. I still struggle to fill out that International Waybill.
3:30 pm: I
leave the FedEx in the drop box on the lot and pick up mail from the Sunset Gower
mailroom. I use this as an excuse
to climb the five flights of stairs back up to the office, which I’m hoping
will help get rid of that guilt I’m still feeling over not jogging in the
morning.
4:00 pm:
Accounting sends me the weekly Corporate Purchasing Card (P-Card) report
and I organize all the receipts from the previous week. Every time I order anything for the
office, I need a complete itemized receipt. I tape this receipt to a clean sheet of white paper and,
each week, organize these receipts in chronological order to accompany the
P-Card report. This standard
protocol is designed to make sure all purchases are actually for the use of the
show… and not so that I can finally buy that awesome Mario Brothers chessboard
on Thinkgeek.com.
4:35 pm: Visit
my favorite website.
Staples.com.
5:00 pm: As I
bug the assistants at the Studio about various and sundry projects, I remind
myself of the P.A. adage “Call early, call often.” And then I decide that this is simply a nice way of saying,
“Be annoying.”
5:30 pm: I
check in with John to see if he needs help with anything as he reads over the
latest episode outline before sending it to the Studio and Network. If he says no, I use this time as an
opportunity to read the outline myself.
There’s nothing more exciting or informative than reading each draft of
the outlines and scripts for each episode. It’s amazing how much things change.
6:00 pm: The
interns finish cleaning up the kitchen and make sure drive-ons are ready for
any guests visiting the office the next day. This is usually the time that I prep a nightly email that I
send to the entire staff with the following day’s schedule.
7:00 pm: The
room breaks and Ed, John, and I reconvene. We discuss what’s on the docket for the next day and how
things went for each of us in our various areas of responsibility. Because we spend so much time together,
it’s important that the three of us not only get along and like each other, but
support each other as much as we can. As Ed likes to say… he sees us more than his own wife.
8:00 pm: I
arrive at home and eat some dinner.
As I dig into my own writing for the rest of the evening, I’m reminded
that, while sometimes exhausting, this job is a unique and incredible
position. I’m not only learning by
example, but I get to work in the exciting and creative environment that is the
writers’ inner sanctum. And
there’s no better place to be than that.
ahahaha love how you drop the studio & network assists a call during lunch :D
Posted by: tvstudioassist | 03/09/2010 at 02:02 PM
Win for best photo I've seen so far!
Posted by: Dana L. | 03/09/2010 at 07:58 PM
Love the artistry on the whiteboard! Looks like episode planning is coming along quite well.
Posted by: Kent H | 03/09/2010 at 08:05 PM
katie, you are famous!
Posted by: Jill P | 03/11/2010 at 03:46 PM
I just bought that exact same Nerf gun because my Great Dane tries to eat TV animals!
Posted by: Jarrah | 03/12/2010 at 04:14 AM
Glad to see my workplace isn't the only one who helps keep Nerf in business.
Posted by: Karalainee | 03/15/2010 at 05:39 PM