I checked every single script from 2025’s Black List (the real one). Out of 74 scripts, 17 writers (that I could find) work as assistants—particularly writers or show runners assistants. Why?
PREFACE: I am not a professional writer with industry experience. These are just things that I noticed, and have questions about! This post is mostly about trying to set the proper goals for folks in my boat, which I imagine is actually most people on this sub.
I mostly resorted to linkedin to track these writers, and because many had no social media (that I could find), there's likely quite a few that I missed out of the 74.
Regardless, there's a trend. Twenty-two percent, probably more, of the writers featured on the Black List currently are working, or have worked, as Hollywood assistants.
Most writers on the list followed the common route to becoming a writer's assistant: mailroom trainee at agency --> literary assistant at said agency --> writer's assistant OR showrunner's assistant (OR, less common, script coordinator or development coordinator). None stopped at the 'literary assistant' level.
My question is, why would an aspiring screen writer trying to get into writing features seek a job as an assistant to a tv writer? Or, for that matter, as an assistant of any kind?
Professional writers on this sub have given the advice before to aim to become a writer's assistant, but that could have been geared more towards those trying to write in TV. Would the same advice apply to those trying get representation for feature length work?
It could be that, by breaking into TV, you're breaking into screen writing period, and can then transition into writing features. This would explain why one might want to become a TV writer's assistant in order to possibly become staffed in the future. But, this explanation is hard to imagine, considering how different the process for writing a feature vs an episode of TV can be. From my perspective, just because someone's staffed on a show, doesn't mean they would make a great fit to write a feature. To me, it would make the most sense only for those trying to become staff writers or showrunners primarily to seek a writer's assistant position.
Then, maybe, the scripts that got featured on the Black List were never meant to get produced, and instead meant to serve as writing samples for the writers featured to gain recognition, representation, and break into TV?
Or, perhaps, might an aspiring feature film writer seek a writer's assistant job so they can network with possible managers and agents? Or, rather, is it that assisting a professional writer provides excellent training and invaluable experience for someone trying to write themselves? Wouldn't the best option be to find a job that requires the least amount of work, so that one can spend as much time as possible writing their own material?
I also wonder how many writers wish to work in both the TV and feature length worlds. Maybe tv writing provides stability, a consistent flow of work, and representation, making it easier to write feature films on the side?
Aside from being a writer's assistant, being assistant to a producer at a company with a POD seems even further removed from getting paid to write yourself. In that case, you would have even less time to write.
There were also a few writers I found that progressed past the assistant level altogether, and went on to become producers and VPs themselves. In these cases, though, it could be that their goal is primarily to become producers, and that they happened to write an excellent script. This is also difficult to account for, because writing a screenplay of such high quality takes years of dedication and commitment.
Lastly, I think part of why having an assistant position within the industry is so desirable is also because writing in a vacuum is surprisingly difficult. Having an industry job at least means that you're surrounded by, or have access to, a network of people who are either where you want to be, are in an adjacent position, or can help you get to where you want to go. Without any of that, it becomes tough to keep up writing every single day without that affirmation around you that you are where you need to be, and that, if you keep going, you at least have a chance of getting your work recognized.
TLDR Out of all these positions mentioned (writer's/showrunner's assistant, literary assistant, script/development coordinator), can any of them actually benefit the career of an aspiring screenwriter? If so, how? And which of these positions would be the most optimal for someone trying to break into writing feature films? Would the same advice given to someone trying to be a tv writer apply to a feature film writer?
If, aside from the obvious goal of writing several good sample scripts, none of these positions serve as proper goals themselves, then what could that be?
