Ask a Former Assistant: Nathan Varni (ABC, Hulu)

Interviewed by Rachel Jarrot, Board Member, JHRTS & Lucy Stover, Talent Coordinator, More/Medavoy Management & your co-Editor-in-Chief of THA 

Hi Nathan! Thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Can you share how you got started in entertainment after graduating from Cal State Northridge?

Sure! I had my “Aha!” moment sitting in a sitcom studio audience when I was 13 years old. Throughout high school and early college, I went to about 25-30 sitcom tapings. After graduating with a degree in TV & Film from CSUN, I knew I wanted to work on sitcoms, but I was still pretty green and just wanted to get started in the industry. Reality TV was booming at the time, so I got lucky through a professor’s connection—her friend was the post producer on America’s Next Top Model. I worked in the unscripted/reality space for about a year and a half on various reality shows, but I kept interviewing and cold-calling production offices every June, inquiring about PA positions. 

I’d get called in for a lot of PA interviews, but I couldn’t land a PA job, they always wanted to know who recommended me and typically I was getting these interviews via cold calls. Luckily, I still had reality TV to fall back on, even though I knew it wasn’t the path I wanted to pursue long-term. But I learned a lot about story, putting shows together, and working with different personalities, it was always a fun environment!

While working on what would turn out to be my last reality show, I met up with a friend for lunch and he brought along his friend who happened to be a production coordinator working on a new CBS sitcom. She asked if I knew anyone who could recommend a PA for the show. I shot my hand up and said, “Would you consider me!?” The next morning, I met with the line producer, and just four hours later, I got a call saying, “If you want it, it’s yours.” All of that happened in less than 48 hours. At 24, I had finally achieved what I considered my dream—getting a job on a sitcom.

I started as a night PA. My shift started around 3 PM, and I’d get dinner for the writers while they did rewrites. Once the script was done, I’d make about 150 photocopies, which usually took three hours. Last part of my day (in the wee hours of the middle of the night), I would then make script deliveries to the homes of actors, the director, the showrunners, and our studio and network execs. I spent a lot of time in my car but quickly started to learn every shortcut and fastest route possible around the greater Los Angeles area. To this day, I rarely need GPS to get around town! 

Eventually, I moved to a day PA role, starting around 5:30 or 6 in the morning, and working until 7:30 or eight at night, depending on when we wrapped. Even though I was still doing a lot of basic tasks, I felt like I had really found my place in Hollywood.

Pretty quickly—within six or seven weeks—the two executive producers (one the head writer, the other the non-writing producer) were looking for a new assistant. They decided to pull someone from the PA pool, and since I had a bit more experience, they sent me to work with the EPs for a trial day. After that, they made me full-time. It was tough at first. The production staff when I was a PA was great—everyone had each other’s backs, and it was fun. But then I moved to the intense writer’s room with the EPs. They were tough on me, and at the time, I thought, “What did I do?” But looking back, I realize they were trying to teach and challenge me. I think sometimes, when people are tough on you, it pushes you to get better in the long run, even if you don’t realize it at the time.

The non-writing EP had a development deal with CBS, which was my first introduction to the studio-network world. From my point of view, I’d watch the CBS executives come in, and it felt like they were there just to tell everyone what was wrong. I was immediately intrigued by what studio/network executives' role was on series and through working for EP’s, was able to have more interaction with studio/network execs and assistants/coordinators. After proving myself to the EP and gaining her trust, she started bringing me into more things—reading scripts, working with writers, and sitting in on pitches. It was an invaluable first step in learning about the studio and network side of things, all through the lens of working for a producer.

When that show ended after one season, and my boss’s development deal was not renewed, I thought, “Great, what now?” Luckily, my old position opened up again and I rejoined production to work on a comedy pilot, which ultimately did not get picked up to series. About a month later, I got a call from the same line producer who had originally hired me. She said, “Hey, I just got a new job.” I was like, “Oh, cool, good for you!” Then she asked, “Do you want to come along?” And that’s how I ended up on How I Met Your Mother. I worked as a PA during the first season, and my boss, wanting to continue my education, split my time between post-production and production. It sounds great on paper, but it meant very long hours—often six days a week. Even so, it was an incredible experience, and the entire cast and crew that first season was a delight to work under.

That’s incredible, thank you! That leads us right to our next question—can you share how you made the move from PA to the network side you're on now?

Yeah, definitely. A friend of mine from Regency Television—someone I’d worked with on that previous sitcom—called me up one day. He said, "I know you are happy at the show, but I just wanted to let you know the head of drama development and current programming was looking for a new assistant. She wasn’t your typical executive—she was calm, collaborative, and really down-to-earth. She brought her assistants into meetings and valued their input." He was right—she was amazing. She offered me the job, I took it, and I worked with her for about a year.

Eventually, she didn’t renew her contract and went to The CW, but she couldn’t bring me along. She had about six weeks left of her contract, though, and she told me, “The good news is we’ve got six weeks to find you a new job. I don’t want you in the office much—get out there, network, meet people, and interview.”

So, I ended up interviewing at ABC in current programming on half-hour comedies. At the time, comedy was struggling, but about two or two and a half years later, they decided to shift things. Comedy development started to embrace what ABC used to be known for family comedies in the multicam space, so they asked, “What if we do the same thing but in the single-camera space?” That’s how Modern Family and The Middle came about. Those shows helped keep ABC’s comedy brand enormously successful in the years that followed these launches. Since then, I’ve worked in many different genres at ABC and have been through quite a few changes over the years, all of which have made me a stronger executive today. I’ve been on the development side of comedy, in current programming, done current drama, current comedy, daytime soap operas—you name it, I’ve covered it. It’s been an amazing experience, full of changes. I used to resist change when I was younger, but now I embrace change because I believe we are all stronger because of it! 

How would you define “Current Programming” to someone unfamiliar with the department, and what does it mean to “cover” a project? What does your job look like on a day-to-day basis?

The easiest way to think of it is as a project manager. Each year, the current programming executives are assigned anywhere from three to seven shows, depending on the workload. The new shows are developed by the development department, which goes through the process of hearing the pitch, ordering scripts, and deciding whether to make a pilot. After the pilot cuts come in, they narrow it down to maybe three to six new shows, and those are handed off to a current executive to work with development during the transition.

Over the years, the number of episodes that development has stayed on working with current programming has changed. Sometimes, it's just the first three to six episodes, other times, it's the entire first season. It really depends on the show, the development executive, the showrunners, and how particular they are about who they work with. Most of the new shows I’ve worked on with development typically transition around episodes four to six, which allows me to take the lead. On Will Trent, for example, I worked with development on the first 13 episodes and really cherished working with our development executive on that since she had devoured and became the expert on the book series which the show is based on. It was a great partnership and I’m forever grateful to that executive for taking such care as she handed the show off to me. 

In terms of what it means to “cover” a show, the first step is reading through the story area (or hearing a verbal pitch from our showrunners), and then an outline of the episode comes a week or two later. After reviewing the outline, we might have some questions or feedback, this is what we’d refer to as a notes call or Zoom. Once everyone signs off, we move to script. We read it with our studio partners, provide feedback, and then that episode goes into production. For drama, production can take anywhere from eight to 11 days per episode, while single-camera comedies usually take five days, and multi-cams are done in one night with an audience, sometimes with pre-shoots.

A few weeks after that, we get a rough cut. We review it and give more feedback (if needed), and then the episode is locked. Post-production does their magic in polishing up the final cut (color correction, titling, sound design, etc) so that it’s ready for broadcast, and then it’s sent out to the world. That’s the basic process in current programming. There are a lot of other elements, like communicating with internal business affairs, casting, scheduling, marketing, social media, ad sales, digital, etc. We are the connective tissue for a lot of the other departments at the network, and we help keep the flow of information so everyone is aware of all the moving parts. A lot of what we do isn’t purely creative—there’s a lot of admin work involved. It’s not exactly paperwork, think more logistics like emails, daily conversations with showrunners, helping pull the episode’s promotable moments and conveying to the network stakeholders in weekly meetings, season planning, and making sure our shows are hitting deadlines and speaking with studio partners daily as well. 

From there, I always say to expect the unexpected. Showrunners can call at any time with an issue or to discuss something going on that needs the attention of the network and/or studio. We work together to figure out the best solution. Sometimes, we can handle it on our own; other times, the issue is big enough to involve higher-ups, like department heads or network/studio Presidents. It really depends on the situation and the show. 

That’s what I love about current programming—it’s about problem-solving without panic. It’s all about communication. My job is heavily communication-based, whether I’m working with showrunners, people at the network or studio, or in external meetings like generals. We take hundreds of general meetings each year with writers, producers, and directors, plus all the coffees, lunches, and dinners that come with it, always meeting potential talent for future staffing opportunities

How do you balance the creatives' (showrunners, writers, producers) direction on a show with what is allowed on the network?

The network is always going to have opinions and marching orders and being employed by them, executives must find a balance between meeting network needs while also keeping creatives (writers, producers, and directors) feeling heard and satisfied with their experience working with us. My inspiration though often comes from the writers. I’ve striven to be the kind of executive who believes in the writer’s vision and always tries to find ways to make sure that unique and original vision translates to the screen, even if an idea seems a little out of the box, I typically encourage our showrunners/writers to go for it! My goal is to capture what’s in the minds of our writers, producers, and directors. I have so much admiration for the creative side of this business that I don’t want to be the person saying, "No, that feels too far outside the realm for the show." It’s more satisfying to work with creatives to see through their vision as they know their show best. 

What’s one thing you wish you had known when you were first starting your career that you know now?

Sometimes, I think if you stay at a company for a long time, like I have, your growth as an executive can get a little stilted. My promotions have been spaced out more than I expected. It’s something that’s really hitting me now because I’m at an age where my peers, the people I worked with as assistants, are now stepping into leadership roles by moving around from company to company. But I also try not to compare my career to others, the great thing about this business is we’re all on such different journeys, you have to celebrate your colleagues' promotions in this business as you would with yours. 

You’ve likely worked with a lot of assistants and up-and-comers by now, what is a quality you find valuable in a great assistant? 

It all starts with a great attitude. If you come in with a positive, high-energy vibe and passion for the work, it makes a huge difference. Being upbeat, friendly, and genuinely excited about what we’re doing here—being like everyone’s cheerleader—goes a long way. I feed off other people’s energy, so if you come in feeling down, like, “I hate this business, I hate this job, it sucks,” I’ll definitely feel that. I get it, some of it is true, but it’s hard to work around negative energy on a consistent basis. These jobs are tough enough, and having positive energy makes a big impact.

It’s about finding a connection with up-and-coming assistants and nurturing them through their own education and introduction to our industry. t You might not be a superstar executive right away, but if I enjoy being around you and feel you’re passionate and excited about the work we do, I can find the time to mold that assistant and help them with their career advancements. And if I can find people I trust, that’s even better—I don’t have to micromanage. I want to empower them to succeed.

In that same vein, what’s a skill or quality you learned as an assistant, or just when you were younger in the industry, that’s proven valuable as an executive?

My advice for assistants just starting out is to have the ability to read a room. Even at my level, I adhere to my own advice when it comes to working with upper management. Being self-aware is incredibly important—how do others perceive you? How does your boss perceive you?

I also think being able to get along with different personalities is essential. Being able to work well with your direct counterparts, like other assistants and coordinators, as well as with higher-up executives, is key. It’s about finding the right moments to share your opinions. You want your words to have an impact and finding the right moments is really helpful for assistants just starting out.

Last question: do you have any final advice or words of wisdom you'd like to share with everyone?

Years ago, the first President I worked under, Steve McPherson, told me, “If you can see yourself doing absolutely anything else in this world, go try that first.” Those words have resonated with me for the last 18 years. 

This industry is tough to break into, and it’s just as tough to stay in. But if you have the passion and the drive, don’t let the setbacks scare you away. If you know deep down that you’re meant to be in this business and you have the drive and motivation for a long career, I truly believe you’ll make it. It might not be as fast as you'd like because, let’s face it, we’re all a bit impatient, but if you stick with it, stay persistent, show that passion, and get smart about the business, you’ll be fine.

One key thing is to keep educating yourself. With all the online resources and podcasts available, there's really no excuse not to stay sharp. I still listen to four or five go-to podcasts every week on my walks with my dog. I’m constantly reading Puck News, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Deadline—I absorb entertainment news like nobody’s business. I love listening to podcasts featuring interviews with creatives, writers, directors, producers, and fellow executives. Even after 25 years, there’s not a single day that goes by where I don’t learn something new or discover something I didn’t know before.

That is a perfect note to leave off on. Thank you so much.