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The Hollywood Assistant: Celebrating 150 Articles

  • Writer: Natalie Lifson
    Natalie Lifson
  • May 20
  • 10 min read

Today, The Hollywood Assistant celebrates 150 articles! While we’re eager to pop the champagne and toast to this milestone, this piece is more than a celebration. It's a thank you to everyone who has helped us grow to where we are today. To our contributors who have conducted informative interviews, eloquently shared their personal experiences in op-eds, and thoroughly reported on industry events. To the industry pros who have shared our newsletter across their networks, connected us with wonderful folks across the industry, and generously shared their wisdom in interviews. And to all of our subscribers for spending time with us every month. We couldn’t do any of this without you.


The Hollywood Assistant launched in February 2023 with just 3 columns (Ask an Assistant, Ask a Former Assistant, & Op-Eds). Our founder Cathy Campo and her personal network of assistants were excited to make their voices heard. They had one mission: to build community, increase accessibility, and fight for equity in entry-level entertainment from coast-to-coast.


What started as a scrappy little newsletter quickly grew into a community, where assistants could find advice, hear from executives who had once been in their shoes, and learn that they weren't alone in an industry that can often feel overwhelming.


With the help of all of our contributors and supporters, we’ve accomplished so much in service of our mission. We launched a website. We added more columns, including Hollywood Buzz, Assistant Highlights, Ask a Recruiter, and Who’s on Strike Now? We established a journalism initiative to make information more accessible and share it from a perspective our readers can relate to. We started a running glossary of entertainment industry terms to know. We began publishing networking events for our readers to attend, and more recently began producing our own. 


Over the past 150 articles, we've achieved the following and more:


We asked some of our contributors why The Hollywood Assistant’s mission is important to them, and why they volunteer their time and energy in service of it. This is what they had to say:



The Hollywood Assistant platform is transformative, breaking down barriers in our often gatekept industry. I wish I knew about it sooner! I think this mission is important as it fosters a sense of community among assistants by addressing topics that many are hesitant to discuss in the workplace, providing a space for honest conversations. By sharing personal stories and resources, The Hollywood Assistant not only helps bring each of us us closer to our dreams but also offers a realistic understanding of the challenges we each face. It's a vital resource that amplifies our voices and strengthens our collective presence in the entertainment world.



The Hollywood Assistant’s mission of championing equity has directly impacted me as a disabled assistant. Having the opportunity to write about my experience while speaking to what needs to change and how to go about it in terms of accessibility was so empowering and has led me to advocate even more for myself in the workplace.



The Hollywood Assistant has done so much for me in providing me two of my earliest bylines and keeping me in the loop with the entertainment world while in Missouri!

THA is so important because in order to increase accessibility, community, and equity, there must be a willingness to end gatekeeping and acknowledge entry-level entertainment professionals beyond and between the coasts. This magazine did that for me by publishing my first interview and op-ed while in Missouri! The Hollywood Assistant continues to showcase up-and coming-writers from where they are and prove to be at the forefront of showing the entertainment industry how valuable and easy inclusion truly is. 



The Hollywood Assistant has created a town square for the backbone and unsung heroes of entertainment—the assistants! Finally, there is a place in Hollywood where transparency, community, and mentorship are valued. Sharing ideas, experiences, and resources in our cutthroat industry is the progressive direction that The Hollywood Assistant champions. Everyone has a chance to speak their mind, free of ridicule and full of support. I’m grateful to have contributed an op-ed and can’t wait to see how the entertainment industry evolves for the better.



When most people think of Hollywood and entertainment, they picture glamorous stars, big studio productions, and heartwarming stories that bring people together. When assistants talk about it, we call it show business and the industry. This is an important aspect that shouldn’t be ignored. It is a business. It is an industry. And like any other industry, it requires people to make it move forward day after day. A large contingent of those people are assistants. They grind and sweat and work their fingers to the bone for the giant machine to move forward. The glamour, glitz, and awards are what everyone sees and loves, but for most things in the world, there is an underlying reason. 


This is why expanding access and ensuring equity for everyone is important. It benefits the business, and it benefits the future of the industry for everyone to be equal and be paid fairly. A lot of times a career in the arts is exemplified by hard work, and you do it by pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. 


But we have now been 100+ years into this industry and should honestly admit to ourselves that an industry is what it is. And treating the entry-level employees fairly is mandatory. 



The Hollywood Assistant is such a special resource and incredible community-building tool for all who are growing in the entertainment industry and wish to find a supportive environment. Accessible information is so valuable when navigating the entertainment space. I have connected with so many wonderful individuals, all with unique and exciting goals, who have a passion to collaborate. These connections are so important for me personally because I want to continue to work with like-minded individuals now and in the future. Congratulations to The Hollywood Assistant on 150 articles!!!



The insights provided by The Hollywood Assistant help build a more inclusive entertainment industry. Entry-level and mid-level employees are the backbone of the industry, and regardless of someone’s financial, social, or geographical background, they should have the opportunity to enter and thrive in entertainment. 


By offering valuable industry insights and helping others find pathways into the field, The Hollywood Assistant hopes to assist in creating a more equitable playing field. By doing so, this enables the next generation of creatives, leaders, and storytellers from all backgrounds to make a lasting, positive impact that benefits both the entertainment industry and society as a whole.



The Hollywood Assistant’s mission to build community, increase accessibility, and fight for equity in entry-level entertainment from coast-to-coast feels even more critical every single day. As someone who moved to Los Angeles with the dream of working in the entertainment industry, what I found I needed even more than a job was a community of people who understood this landscape and could educate, empower and simply empathize with me. This is so challenging when you are an outsider to this world and don’t even know where to start, but THA has such a vast network of young people who sincerely want to elevate and inform each other and serves as a reliable resource for those who wish to candidly share their experiences, learn about the state of the industry, and best prepare to embark on this career journey, no matter who you are or where you’re reading from. 



I came across The Hollywood Assistant while I was unemployed during the writer’s strike. I was feeling stuck and unsure of what was next, but reading the stories here reminded me of why I chose this crazy industry in the first place. It made me feel less alone and gave me the push I needed to keep going. 


Breaking into Hollywood is tough, and it’s easy to feel like you’re alone, but having a space like this—one that actually cares about making things more accessible and fair—makes all the difference. I’m really grateful for The Hollywood Assistant and everything it does to support young professionals trying to find their way in this industry.



I believe that THA is such an invaluable resource because it provides access to entertainment and career development resources, fosters a community for administrative professionals, and amplifies the voices of those who often go unheard in the industry. 


Networking and mentorship are especially essential in an industry like ours, where connections are everything. THA and its mission encourage this by constantly sharing networking events and opportunities through their newsletters that allow us to meet, share, and learn from both peers and seasoned professionals. 


This creates a community where people are motivated to step out of their comfort zones and put themselves out there to build meaningful relationships and take their careers to the next level. I’m super grateful to have contributed and excited to see how The Hollywood Assistant continues to make an impact. 



I have tremendous respect for The Hollywood Assistant's commitment to promoting fairness, accessibility, and opportunity in the entertainment industry.  That's why I was glad to support their platform and contribute an article to The Hollywood Assistant.  I was very happy to share my ideas with the community through the article!



If you’re like me and came here with minimal/irrelevant job experience and zero connections, breaking into the entertainment industry is extraordinarily challenging, and more so than ever, it really is all about who you know. 


That's why a community like The Hollywood Assistant is crucial to the industry: it's a hub of resources for people who have none. 


When I was first trying to break into the industry, everybody I talked to told me that "once you're in, you're in." That's what I told my mother when she hounded me about being more realistic about my career, and the idea of being "in" is what kept me going each time I was told no (countless times). I'm sure everyone can relate to this.


What they didn't tell me was that I was entering into an uphill battle. Getting "in" means being paid minimum wage knowing there's a long, long line of people trying to get "in" just like you did. With an increasingly unstable job market and rising cost of living, staying "in" becomes the real challenge. The people who enter- and stay- in this industry are some of the toughest, savviest, most determined (and just a liiiittle delusional) people on the planet, and it's critical that we, as support staff, see and protect each other at all costs- that is what the Hollywood Assistant is built upon, and that is why it is so critical to the health of this industry. It shouldn't cost an arm, leg, and soul to do what we love.



As an assistant and aspiring executive in Hollywood, the mission of The Hollywood Assistant Newsletter is deeply personal to me. This industry, while full of exciting opportunities, can also be incredibly demanding, and having a sense of community is essential. The newsletter creates a space where assistants can connect, share experiences, and learn from those who have navigated the often unpredictable path to success. Hearing the journeys of executives who started in the same place—sometimes taking unconventional and unexpected routes—is both motivating and a reminder that there is no single way to break through.


What makes this newsletter so important to me is its ability to make assistants feel seen, heard, and understood. Having one trusted place to discover networking events, professional development opportunities, and candid industry insights is invaluable as I work toward my own career goals. The transparency and authenticity at the core of the newsletter help foster real connections and relatability. Knowing that there’s a community of people who understand the challenges of this role—and who are also striving for something bigger—makes all the difference.




THA’s mission supports achieving equity in a historically notorious-for-being-inequitable industry. As a woman from an underrepresented background, this signals hope in turbulent times that Hollywood can change and become a place that supports creatives from all backgrounds. Perhaps someday soon, artistic careers will be accessible to all artists, not just those with inbuilt connections.



At a time when the entertainment industry is rapidly evolving, building community and making entry-level opportunities more accessible is more important than ever. 


The Hollywood Assistant is able to play a crucial role in leveling the playing field and connecting the next generation of entertainment creatives, executives and technical professionals by connecting assistants from coast to coast, empowering them with the news, tips, and potential opportunities they need to succeed.


For the entertainment industry to make it through these turbulent times, it will need the help of fresh voices from all walks of life, and The Hollywood Assistant is bridging the gap to enable those who might otherwise not have the tools or insight to get a foot in the door.



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