Ask an Assistant: Madilyn Cook (Writer’s Assistant, Disney Branded Television)

Interviewed by Matthew Threadgill, Assistant at Disney Branded Television & your Executive Editor at THA

Breaking into television writing is no easy feat, and for many aspiring writers, the path starts in the writer’s room—just not as a writer. Enter the writer’s assistant: a crucial but often unsung role that provides administrative, organizational, and sometimes creative support to a show’s writers. It’s a job that has served as a launchpad for some of the industry’s biggest names, from Bryan Cogman (Game of Thrones) to Gloria Calderón Kellett (One Day at a Time).

We had the opportunity to sit down with Madilyn Cook, a writer’s assistant on an upcoming Disney Branded Television comedy series to discuss her career path thus far, the realities of the job, and how it’s helping her carve out her own path in television.

So excited to chat with you, Madilyn! To start, can you take us through your career trajectory from starting out to your current role as a Writer's Assistant with Disney Branded Television?

Absolutely. I went to grad school at Boston University back in 2021, and for the third semester of the program they moved students out to LA for an internship. Through a BU connection, I got an internship with Disney Branded Television on the Development team. I did that internship for about three months, and then an assistant desk opened up on the team. After interviewing, I was offered the role. I worked for two bosses for almost three years, and then, last summer, I stepped away for a few months to work as a Showrunner’s Assistant on a pilot Disney Branded was making. Then, when the series got picked up, I moved on to work on the show as a Writer’s Assistant full time.

As an aspiring writer, it’s such a perfect role for you. Can you tell us a bit about what your day-to-day looks like as a Writer’s Assistant?

So, our room starts around 10am or 10:30am every morning. I usually get there around 9:30am to print any new material. I like to have hard copies for the room, because a lot of the writers prefer to make their notes on paper. For the majority of the day, if I'm not proofreading or helping to distribute pieces of material, I'm taking notes in the writers’ room. In our room, we do a lot of live typing– my computer will be hooked up to a giant flat screen TV, we’ll go through material line by line, and I’ll make edits as the showrunner or the number two showrunner gives me changes to make. I also take general notes for the room, which can be pretty heavy on big brainstorming days.

I’m sure it’s a lot of volume.

It is, especially considering how many iterations each script goes through before it’s finalized. Every script has many different stages. We start with an initial idea, then we write a story document, then an outline, then a script. And with every step, we get notes from the network or our nonwriting producers, so we make changes and write new versions. Things can change so much that by the time you get to a table draft, it feels like you've made seven different episodes of just one story.

I know your ultimate goal is to be a writer. Can you tell us a bit about why the Writer's Assistant role is helpful for aspiring writers?

Honestly, it's probably one of the most helpful roles to be in if you want to write. I get to sit in the writers’ room every single day and learn through osmosis about how to break story and how, and why, the writers decide to make the edits that they do. It’s definitely creatively helpful.

I’m also learning a lot about what changes happen specifically for production reasons, which is super important to know as a writer. For example, say we only have a certain number of guest stars and a script has too many. Cuts will have to be made or characters will have to be combined. The team has to figure this out from a creative standpoint.

It's also really great for building relationships with other writers. We have 10 writers in the room– I’ve met 10 new people, and hopefully can work with these people again. 

As a whole, just being in the writers’ room and taking notes and watching the way the writers approach the episodes and the season has been so helpful. I have learned so much about story just sitting in the room all day. 

Is there anything you’re learning about the writing process that has surprised you?

I didn't know that there was more than one way to write a script. Like, I had no clue. Some shows will send a writer off to write the first draft, the draft will come back to the room, and then the whole room will do a pass on it. Other shows will give different writers different scenes of an episode, and then mash them all together. There's not one way to write a script, which I never thought about before.

Does the showrunner determine how the room approaches scripts, or is it more so the format/genre of the show?

In my experience, it seems a lot of it has been showrunner preference. We just will do whatever the showrunner preference is, unless it's like an AD issue or a script supervisor issue, right? But I would think that some of it is based on genre and format. A comedy room would have to run differently than a drama one.

Right. In a comedy room, you’d have to approach scripts in a way that maximizes the funny, which makes it more collaborative.

For sure. On that note, I will say, one of the great things about working in a multicam comedy writers’ room is that there are some days where the room will just dissolve into chaotic laughter. I started crying while I was live typing about some joke about leg muscles the other day. For all the stress that comes with making a show, it can be a lot of fun.

Going back to your career trajectory, it’s commendable that you were able to transition from an assistant role in development to Writers’ Assistant within the same network. How did you advocate for yourself to your team?

I think it's a lot about timing. I had to prove to myself and my boss that I could handle the job that I was given before I started to express interest in other areas. So, a lot of my time on my assistant desk was spent reading and proving that I could handle the day-to-day of my job, which in turn allowed me to be more creative. I also developed a good relationship with my boss and we eventually got to a point where she was kind enough to advocate for me. She knew what I wanted to do and tried to help me get there. And a lot of people aren't that lucky. Having someone that really cares about your development and cares about what you want to do is a luxury that I don't think a lot of people get.

Relationships are key. Can you tell us a bit about how you’ve nurtured your professional relationships throughout your career?

I think on my development desk specifically it really was all about reading material when it came in, being ready to discuss something at the drop of a hat, and being prepared in every task I was doing. Be ready to make your thoughts known by the people who can potentially help you. 

Outside of that, I'm not a great networker. I'm really not great at it, and it's because I really don't like the whole, “Hi, this is me. What do you do?” transactional thing. For me, it's all about forming genuine relationships and friendships with people. I feel like that has helped me more than any networking mixer. I really try to be intentional with conversations that I have. Just remembering someone goes so far. Then, when you connect with people you genuinely like, you both can help each other.

I don't want to knock networking events. I do think there is value in them. They’re just not my preferred way of building relationships.

So, you're a creative at heart. How do you keep your creative juices flowing while working in a support role?

Well, luckily, as a Writer’s Assistant, I'm not scheduling anything or rolling phone calls. I'm not doing a lot of administrative tasks, which is nice. My primary tasks are taking notes and editing docs, but I’m lucky enough to be in a room that lets me also contribute. I'm in a room where if I have a really funny pitch, I'm allowed to say it. Sometimes it gets taken, and sometimes it doesn't. Outside of work, I make sure to take time to focus on my own writing, the things that I’m creatively fulfilled by. But being in a writers’ room that is cool with support staff pitching has been really nice and allows me to get my creativity flowing on the job.

The thesis of this whole thing is that I just got really lucky! Just title this Madilyn Cook: Really Lucky.

Hey, that’s a TV show idea right there! And to round out our interview, I’m curious what’s inspiring you creatively these days? In TV, music, movies, podcasts, anything.

There's a lot of good TV on right now. Obviously, I’m watching Severance, The White Lotus. I started watching School Spirits, which is interesting. I love my reality stuff, too. I'm watching The Bachelor, Love is Blind, love those.

I’ve also really been into some fantasy noir books. I read this book recently called Even Though I Knew the End, and it was a super short book, but it has a very old Hollywood detective style that I like. The world of old noir detective mysteries is so interesting to me. There is a very clear structure to the genre and it’s fascinating to see the ways that different people do it. There's always a big case that comes up in the beginning. There's always like a conflict that comes in midway through. There's always a big act three twist. There's always a bittersweet ending. How do you play within that rigid structure? I think it's so interesting.