This is a letter written to a friend of mine in response to her talking 
about how executives in Hollywood treat their underlings like dirt. 
Note: a "PA" is a production assistant and is basically the go-fers; the 
kids you always see the big movie producer yelling at to fetch their 
coffee and make copies.

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A few things about the evils of miniondom:

As was told to me after talking to an exec friend once about my 
many PA chores: "Well, this way when you become one of the upper 
echelon and you have to ask a PA to do something like that you can 
say, 'F**k you. I've done it myself.'"

Second: Lowly bulls**t needs to be done. An assistant is merely an 
extension of the executive. An executive that made all of her own 
copies would be very inefficient. Thus, often a lot of the s**t that 
seems stupid to have to have someone else do actually is necessary 
to have someone else do. The problem is that this is an evolved 
working system that is not often appreciated. And I say appreciated 
not in a "Thank you" sort of way, but in a way that denotes 
realization and understanding. Often foolish executives think that 
PAs are just a perk of the job and a luxury of the position. This is 
where you see situations where an assistant wouldn't pull her boss 
out of a busy street and the boss loses both support and efficiency. 
(Unfortunately, in a business like Hollywood, where people are 
promoted quickly and while they're still young, this is very prolific. 
Ignorance plus power.)

The other side is those people in power who appreciate the 
relationship. This is were you see highly effective assistants which 
are very valuable in their own right and in their usage. Thus you 
have well-treated underlings and an efficient boss.

Doesn't seem all to uplifting does it? Well it should be. The simple 
fact is that the cream does rise to the top. If your feet are firmly 
planted on the ground, you will succeed for no other reason than 
because everyone else will fall behind. In the end, good people are 
appreciated in this industry because you have to work with them. If 
anything, perhaps even more because the work is very intense and 
close and the turn over makes for a rapidly evolving populace. The 
appreciative exec is more effective. The down to earth movie 
appeals to the people and sells. Originality is a valuable commodity. 
If you rise high without a solid base, you will crash hard when the 
winds inevitably change. So don't worry about the plastic world, it's 
constantly crumbling in on itself and if youšve got your s**t 
together, then you'll see everyone flow by you backwards in the 
stream as you stand steadfast with your feet on the bottom. After 
all, there is no exec in this town that doesnšt wish with all his heart 
that he had nabbed Star Wars, Casablanca, or Citizen Kane.

To say that "all things pass" is actually a rather accurate statement. 
The only thing you have to do is make sure that you don't pass with 
them.

And then of course there's our old friend Neitche--"That which does 
not kill us, blah blah blah"

I'm going to stop here. If I continue, my rant will go on beyond 
practicality.

Enjoy being able to pay your bills and getting laid after work.

Bride