Ask an Assistant: Luke Canavan (Production Assistant, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon)

Luke Canavan,

Production Assistant

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Hi Luke! We appreciate you joining us! Tell us more about working as a Production Assistant on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. What does an average day for you look like?

Thanks for having me! As a Production Assistant (PA) at The Tonight Show, no two days are the same. Tasks come at a wide range—anything from taking inventory and restocking office supplies, to assisting the remote team on field shoots, going on "runs" for the costume or wardrobe departments, and doing research for the writers for various segments. I also double as the Script PA, so I assist the script department with their daily duties as well. I'm responsible for copying and distributing various documents to the production team throughout the day, helping prepare materials for rehearsal, and distributing finalized air copies before showtime. Things are fast-paced and you can always feel the electricity in the air as soon as you step in the building!

Back in your undergrad days at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, you interned at The Tonight Show (Summer '19). How did you stay in contact with your network there? Any tips for maintaining one’s professional network?

I feel very lucky to have had such great supervisors back when I was an intern. It felt fairly easy to stay connected with them because I enjoyed staying up-to-date on what they were doing in life. They were always willing to help out however they could, so I felt like I was able to reach out when I needed. I think the key to establishing these kinds of relationships is to just be genuine. Find the specific people you really get along with and build a solid foundation from there. Work hard and help them however you can while also being personal and true in every aspect of the job. In turn, they will want to do the same!

What are the unique challenges of growing from intern to employee at the same company/show? Is there a fear that other employees still see you as ‘the intern’?

As an intern, it was my first time in New York and of course my first time at the show. It was a lot more overwhelming than coming back as a PA, and I was really just getting my bearings as far as the city goes (and as far as the professional work world goes (and as far as life goes (I’m still getting my bearings as far as life goes))).

I think the biggest challenge as an intern is just getting to know the people around you and proving yourself as an asset. Once people see who you really are and trust the work you're doing, things become a lot less overwhelming. Coming back as a PA felt different because I already had those established connections with people at the show. There’s more familiarity, and I have more confidence in my work. Of course there’s always still the chance of that feeling coming back—the feeling of being seen as “the intern.” I think that’s just a universal feeling in life, that imposter syndrome we all deal with. The way to get past that is to take pride in your own work and continue to trust in the relationships you build with others. You are here for a reason!

You have a keen interest in the comedy space between your work at The Tonight Show, interning in Talent & Development at Comedy Central, and training in improvisation (Magnet Theatre). What attracts you to the comedy world?

There’s something so incredible about laughter, and the feeling of making someone laugh is always the same for me—fresh and exciting and electrifying and warm. Television, movies, and comedy helped me get through a lot of hard times early on in my life, and it’s for this reason that I want to help create similar kinds of things so I can help others get through similar types of problems. Comedy is often able to act as a buffer and diffuse difficult situations that are otherwise hard to digest or understand. If anything, it can be there to lend a hand and provide a few smiles. I want to help people understand the world a little better and exist a little bit easier. It can be a really tough place out there, especially over the past few years, and comedy somehow manages to carry on and continually find new ways to help people adjust. It’s this sort of magic that never ceases. There’s always more right around the corner.

That's probably the most beautiful reason I've ever heard for loving the comedy space. Was comedy always the plan? Did you ever consider an alternative career path?

I don’t think comedy was always the plan. I did find an early passion for the half-hour sitcom back in high school and began writing TV pilots, but that never seemed like an actual possibility in terms of a career. I went into college thinking that I might teach high school English. I also took a few business/math classes and even toyed with the idea of trying to transfer into the business school at my college. Considering I just combined those very different subjects into something called “business/math,” clearly it wasn’t for me. Ultimately, I landed back on the idea of trying to work in television and comedy because it was the thing I found most exciting. I felt like it was worth taking a chance on something I really enjoyed.

After graduating, you spent two years as an assistant at Innovative Artists Talent & Literary Agency. How was that experience, and would you recommend the agency route to other folks who are hoping to break into the entertainment business?

The agency route is a good path for those starting out because it exposes you to a lot of different areas in the entertainment industry—representation, casting, production offices, etc. You communicate with a lot of different types of people and learn how things work from the inside. It’s very fast-paced and involves a lot of administrative work, which helps develop essential skills that can be used in almost any job or field. Communication, organization, prioritization, time management, the list goes on. These are all skills you pick up very quickly at an agency because of the nature of the work. It’s also a great place to meet other assistants early on in their careers who will end up branching off into different parts of the industry. I found so many great friends there who I stay in touch with regularly.

You’ve had both corporate “desk” experience at a talent agency as well as on-set production experience. Is there one environment you prefer over the other? Why?

Both definitely have their perks. In an ideal world, I’d choose a mix of both. I like the production environment because I'm up on my feet and moving around a lot. There’s always something to do and somewhere to be, and there’s a certain excitement to that. I like the desk environment because of the valuable administrative experience that comes with it, and because of the comradery that comes along with working next to the same people every day (but this comes in any kind of job as well). There's also a lot of exposure to scripts when working at a desk-type agency job. You get to see and read incoming projects, learn what shows are being picked up, and hear which upcoming movies people are buzzing about. I think I’d like a nice mix of both in-the-field-on-my-feet-work and desk-work in the future.

Looking back on your career, is there anything you wish you had done differently or known sooner?

I wish I had known the value of "lateral" networking [networking with folks at your level] earlier on in my career, especially when I was in school. Connecting with other people who have similar interests and who are in a similar stage in their career is a great way to organically make friends and also build your network at the same time. Current assistants and coordinators are the next generation of writers, producers, directors, agents, managers, casting directors, etc. This is also such a collaborative industry in general, and in order to complete projects and achieve goals, you're going to need a lot of people with a lot of different skills on your team. Forming bonds early on with these people benefits both of you in the long run, leads to more collaboration, and ultimately provides more and more good TV shows and movies.

Finally, what’s your parting advice for folks hoping to pursue a career in late-night?

Go for it! Do whatever you can to stick out on your résumé in terms of both production and comedy. Even if you don’t necessarily have traditional experience, you can always find other ways to stand out. This doesn’t just have to be in the professional work world. Want to gain some on-set experience? Grab some friends and shoot a short film. Want to learn more about sketch or stand-up? Take some classes. There are plenty of ways to gain transferable skills outside of typical jobs that can be used to help land that next position.

And also—network! Try to find people who want to do the same kinds of things you do. Once one of you lands that first gig, you can help each other pave the way.