Lydia Whitlock ’04 is the author of “To My Assistant: Things I’ll Never Do to You, but Many Other Crazy Bosses Will,” based on her blog about working as an assistant in the Los Angeles film industry. The book pokes fun at the ridiculous demands Hollywood bosses make of their assistants (sorting their M&Ms by color, creating and maintaining their online dating profiles) and offers helpful tips for “Boss Wrangling.” Woodward magazine caught up with Lydia by email in 2013, upon the publication of her book, for a peek into her life as an assistant-turned-author.

Where did you go to college and what brought you to L.A. and your job as an assistant?

I went to Yale and eventually decided to major in film studies there, so I thought the logical step for me after graduating was to move to the epicenter of the film industry, Los Angeles, and try to figure out if I wanted to work in film and in what capacity. Being an assistant is one of the only real entry-level jobs in the business, and it’s also a great way to learn the different sides of the business and figure out which might be something you’d like to pursue as a career.

Why did you start your blog? Did you get in trouble with your boss over it?

I started my blog after spending a couple of years hearing other assistants say, and saying to myself, “When I have an assistant, I’ll never do [this ridiculous thing my boss just did] to them.” I thought it was a good-natured and funny way to call attention to this kind of behavior. While reforming bad bosses is certainly something I hope was an effect of the blog, my number one goal was to make fellow assistants laugh at our shared misery.

As for getting in trouble, I’ve had more than one boss during my time working in this industry, and while some were more supportive than most, I’m happy to say that all of them have been good sports. I wrote it without the intent of calling out any single person specifically, and I think I made it general enough to succeed in that goal, but specific enough that assistants can recognize their own bosses’ actions and find it funny.

How did you parlay the blog into a book?

It turns out that one way to get Hollywood’s attention is to make fun of it, so after the blog started spreading around to assistants and then to executives, I started getting some emails about agent representation and TV rights. So I turned to an agent friend at WME Entertainment, who put me in touch with the person who is now my book agent there, and she walked me through the process of writing a book proposal, which we eventually sold to a publisher whose ideas for the book lined up with mine. And after all that, I started writing the book! The whole process of selling the book felt like a crazy whirlwind, but the actual writing of the book was really fun for me.

Any thoughts on Woodward and how it prepared you for your life today?

Woodward definitely prepared me for my life today. I always loved writing, but my time at Woodward really helped me to develop my skills and style, which are still improving (I hope) every day.

Do you recall any special teachers or friends from your Woodward days who influenced you or remain a part of your life?

So many of my teachers influenced me at Woodward, but especially my AP English teachers, Mrs. Haldeman and Ms. Lee, who both really encouraged my writing, and my chemistry teacher Ms. Nettles, who sponsored our film club and is responsible for my first ever viewing of “Citizen Kane,” among many other great films. And I’ll always remember Mr. Bryant, who was able to make our AP Economics class completely enjoyable with his sense of humor, which possibly contributed to my doing the same with being an assistant.

How about your family? What do they think of your book?

I’m an only child, but both of my parents have always had great senses of humor. When I finally told them about the blog and the attention it was getting, they paused briefly to take it all in, and then said, “Well, you were always good at turning bad situations into good ones.” They live in Baltimore now, and are very, very proud about the whole thing. The book is dedicated to them.

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