Scott, you're a gent. I feel the juju washing over me, and now I'm paranoid that what I just said is some kind of fetish I want no part of. Um, so...two other things: 1. Just so everyone knows, I was never an assistant, but before people went out of their heads and started paying me to write things, I was a studio reader for 4.5 years. A lot of people I came up with were readers or assistants, so trust that this comes from direct (or almost) firsthand knowledge. 2. In case this didn't come through *quite* enough in my rambling diatribe, here's one of the most important pieces of advice I could ever give you: be good to the assistants of the world. Be very, very good. Get to know their names, get to know their personalities, let them know they're appreciated. Selfishly, this works for you in two ways. One, they'll not only remember you, they'll WANT to help you whenever they can. Maybe it's just as simple as getting an agent/producer/exec on the phone when normally they'd just call you back, but that's something. Secondly, these are the people that are going to be running the show in a few years while you still hopefully have a career. They remember EVERYTHING. Oh, they remember. And they'll be the ones deciding whether or not you get paid, whether or not you get a movie made. Never forget this. But there's another reason, and honestly, it's way more important than anything else: they deserve your respect and your admiration. Assistants work as hard or harder than anyone else in town for the lowest compensation, the least recognition and the highest stress. They deserve to be treated as your colleagues - not because it'll help you, but BECAUSE THEY ARE. Many assistants have as good or better creative taste than their employers and are slogging through years of thanklessness to get to a point where they can prove it. So whenever you get a chance - whether you're submitting a script, taking a meeting or asking for a favor - do it with a smile and a good attitude. Everyone wins.

Thanks Scott and Geoff. You can never hear this kind of advice enough times. To know you have gatekeepers to convince actually gives me a boost. Anytime I can focus on something specific, I have a much easier time getting things rolling.

As someone who's interned and befriended many assistants -- showing up on time and working hard is all you need, and they'll remember that. Humor and sports knowledge is a bonus, but none of that matters is if they think you're not taking your "job" seriously. About remembering everything, yeah, absolutely true. Most assistants are way cool, but I've known a couple pricks. Not even "cool assholes", but complete douchebags. And yes, there's a difference. I always tell myself that IF I ever get repped *knocks on imitation wood table*, I plan on taking out the assistants for drinks. That sounds fun.

Thanks to both of you for the insights. Sometimes the truth is hard, but it's still the truth. And best of luck to Geoff on his film!