It’s the most thankless job in Hollywood. Who else but assistants keep calendars from colliding, ensure the checks clear and fix the little mistakes before they become big ones? Being an assistant means making the impossible happen: securing the hardest dinner reservation in town, rebooking a flight at a moment’s notice and babysitting egos bigger than the Hollywood sign.
But beyond the grunt work, assistants also provide invaluable creative and strategic insight, with many going on to produce, source deals or sign clients of their own. Put simply, these underpaid underlings keep the wheels of the industry turning. Here is Variety’s esteemed class of 10 assistants who go above and beyond in 2026.
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Sara Kate Baudhuin (Focus Features)
Image Credit: sara baudhuin Baudhuin reports to Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski, who describes her as “quite literally one of the most impressive, phenomenal people I’ve ever worked with.” Adds VP of corporate communications Jessica Braslow: “I’d stake my reputation on her without hesitation.” Across her nearly three years at the company, Baudhuin has become a key strategic and creative partner as well as a trusted voice in the development pipeline. Among her proudest accomplishments are helping arrange a private screening of “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” for a terminally ill fan. “Being even a small part of offering someone that kind of peace in their final days is something I’ll never forget,” she says.
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Sydney Brumfield (Searchlight Pictures)
Image Credit: Courtesy Image As soon as she learned it was possible to make a career out of loving movies, Brumfield never looked back. Now, she plays a crucial role as Searchlight’s acquisitions assistant on a small but mighty team. She is invited to scope out buzzy titles at festivals like Sundance and Toronto, most recently championing the horror film “Monitor” at SXSW. “Despite my title, my team trusts my voice enough to take the projects I elevate seriously,” Brumfield says. Outside her job, she is an active performer, starring in Dylan Clark’s viral short “Portrait of God.” She also produced the short film “Blister,” which premiered this year at the Overlook Film Festival.
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Ashley Cavecche (MRC)
Image Credit: Courtesy Image When MRC challenged its assistants to use AI to improve a core business function, Cavecche stepped up to the plate and coded a scheduling prototype, saving assistants around 20 hours per week on coordination. After pitching it to senior leadership, Cavecche worked directly with co-chairman Modi Wiczyk to hire a software engineer to launch it. The feat earned Cavecche a promotion; she also now serves as a project manager. “Often, corporate efficiency tools are reserved for senior-level roles,” Cavecche says. “But I believe assistants are the backbone of the entertainment industry, so I loved the challenge of creating something designed specifically to help them.”
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Harry Church (Range Media Partners)
Image Credit: Courtesy Image At Range Media Partners, Church has successfully brought client scripts to filmmakers like Michael Bay and helped secure starring offers for actors such as Michael Fassbender. His work ethic is evident from his promotion to coordinator of the film/TV division at age 23. Growing up in London, Church saw Martin McDonagh’s work at the Royal Court Theatre and it sparked his curiosity about the business. That led him to start his entertainment journey at Range, which reps the BAFTA-winning screenwriter. “That’s where I first fell in love with bold, risk-taking material and developed my passion for advocating on behalf of groundbreaking artists,” Church says.
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Ari Codespoti (WME)
Image Credit: Courtesy Image At WME, Codespoti has developed an AI-powered tool to help the agency identify the most promising up-and-coming digital creators and podcasters. “Building something from the ground up that has had a tangible impact on our business has been incredibly rewarding,” Codespoti says. “It reinforced my belief that technology can be a powerful complement to the relationship-driven nature of talent representation.” Even as he hopes to continue growing within WME’s digital department, Codespoti looks back fondly on getting to help with the launch of “The Morgan Stewart Show” while working as a rotational assistant. “That reaffirmed why I wanted to build a career in talent representation in the first place,” he says.
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Raunak Devjani (CAA)
Image Credit: Courtesy Image When Devjani watched Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster “Black Panther” in 2018, something shifted for her: “To me, it represented the perfect intersection of storytelling, business and social impact, and it became a reminder of what great filmmaking can accomplish.” In her work as a motion picture talent coordinator and agent trainee at CAA, Devjani takes the lead in writing script coverage and reading material for companies like FilmNation Entertainment and Thunder Road, helping identify opportunities for the agency’s clients. She’s most interested in the intersection of comedy and horror: “I hope to continue discovering and advocating for new voices in that space.”
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Brandon Estrella (CBS)
Image Credit: Courtesy Image While an aptitude test in high school told Estrella that engineering was his destined path, everything changed when he watched a touring production of the musical “Wicked,” leading him to pursue an apprenticeship under a professional theater scenic designer. Going down a more creative career path and graduating with a master’s in creative producing from Loyola Marymount University, Estrella made the leap to a major studio; he now works as an assistant and development coordinator, supporting busy slates across both CBS Studios Comedy and Nickelodeon Animation Studios. “My proudest achievement as an assistant wasn’t surviving a single day-to-day crisis; it was successfully engineering my own path through the studio system,” he says.
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Ryan Gesas (UTA)
Image Credit: Courtesy Image As the assistant to UTA comedy power agent Nick Nuciforo, whose clients include Nate Bargatze and Nikki Glaser, Gesas helps fuel one of the most valuable rosters in live entertainment. He grew up watching “Saturday Night Live” and frequenting West Hollywood comedy enclave Largo. His pinch-me moment came during the 2026 Netflix Is a Joke festival, when he spent nearly every late night on the Comedy Store patio with the agents, managers and comics who drive the industry. “Live comedy brings people together in a way that’s uniquely human,” Gesas says. “I don’t think anything can replace the experience of being in a room full of people laughing together.”
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Jeevin Singh Neelam (The Arena)
Image Credit: Courtesy Image Neelam was working at The Arena as a temp when a fire drill changed everything. With everyone stuck outside, the former banking intern took advantage of the downtime, pitching president of production Matt Reilly to hire him full-time. Reilly admired the ambition, and Neelam has manned his desk ever since. At The Arena, Neelam has helped craft and present decks, assessed the potential of joint mergers and spearheaded the company’s first industry mixer. “Community building is everything,” he says. Neelam, the son of pioneering Sikh director Sarab Singh Neelam, is also an actor and a writer in his own right; his first short film focused on how he ties his turban.
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Jordan Terry (Untitled Entertainment)
Image Credit: Courtesy Image Terry grew up in Singapore; after completing his military service, he moved to the U.S. and pursued a career in Hollywood. During his time at Untitled, he has helped run press campaigns, negotiated offers on behalf of clients and even led an in-person pitch at NBC during pilot season, resulting in series-lead bookings for four Untitled clients. He also celebrates the smaller wins, like giving Julianne Nicholson a ride to breakfast or securing an impossible restaurant reservation by calling the chef’s agent. “Optimism is an essential part of being a representative,” Terry says. “No matter what challenges the industry is facing, clients need someone who can help them navigate uncertainty and find opportunities.”
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