Ask An Assistant: Rebecca Mazouz (Assistant to Head of TV, Colin Jost's Plan C Productions)

Rebecca Mazouz,

Assistant to Head of TV, Colin Jost's Plan C Productions

Hi Rebecca! Thanks for joining us. Tell us about your day-to-day at Colin Jost’s new production company, Plan C.

I’m excited and honored to be joining The Hollywood Assistant! My day-to-day varies depending on our workload and timelines for each project. My primary responsibilities are to assist our head of company managing his schedule and our company schedule, take meeting notes, and lots and lots of reading. My role is just as creative as it is administrative. I create every pitch deck used when taking projects out to market and/or sharing with creators or executives, I provide creative feedback for pitches and projects in development in addition to sourcing new, upcoming talent and brainstorming ways to partner. 

What originally attracted you to this role? What’s your favorite part of the job?

I wasn’t actively applying to jobs when the opportunity presented itself, but when a friend shared the job posting knowing I wanted to work in comedy, I couldn’t pass it up. When going through the interview process, I met my boss and our team's creative executive via Zoom. The minute they shared Colin’s vision and hopes for the company, I was sold and wanted the job. It was exciting to hear about the opportunity to be an integral part of a small team and help build a company and brand from the ground up. I couldn’t be more grateful to be learning from such experienced mentors who are as caring and passionate about the work they do.

Another draw was working on the Universal lot. It’s such an iconic studio, home to so many classics and working on the lot is a dream come true. I also love being on set, so it’s great to see different projects in production everyday. 

Plan C initially launched in January 2023. What is it like working for a newer company and building the brand from "the ground up," as you mentioned? Do you feel you have more freedom to develop the scope of your role as the first assistant on the team?

My experience at Plan C so far has been nothing but positive. Since we are such a small team, there is a clear all-hands-on-deck mentality and an obvious synergy when working together. As the only assistant at the company, I’ve been encouraged to take on various creative responsibilities which has definitely expanded the scope of my role and my skillset. Being really involved is more of a personal investment and stakes feel much greater. It's such a payoff to see projects come to fruition, and it hits even harder when they don’t make it to the finish line. All in all, it’s a learning experience!

Prior to your current role, you worked as a Literary Assistant, eventually being promoted to Coordinator at Thruline Entertainment. Notably, you took a technical demotion in title to work at Plan C. Can you speak more to this decision?

Yes! When I was at Thruline, I really enjoyed working on the literary side of the business. Prior to my promotion, I supported and organized two managers’ day-to-day businesses and as well as their client agendas. After I was promoted, I continued my duties as an assistant in addition to developing projects with clients, setting up client general meetings, and running the company’s literary meetings while servicing the company’s overall literary needs. I was drawn to development, which was a fraction of what I did on a day-to-day basis. When interviewing for Plan C, I was excited about the opportunity to work in development all day. I’m learning so much that the title change doesn’t feel like a demotion; actually, it feels like quite the opposite as I’ve partly defined my role and responsibilities when taking on creative tasks, an opportunity that some assistants don’t have. Backing up a bit further, you graduated from UC Santa Barbara in the notorious year of 2020. How did that affect your career trajectory?It definitely wasn’t an ideal time to jump into the workforce because nobody was hiring, but I was grateful that I didn’t feel the postgraduate pressure of having to figure out life goals right away.

I’ve always had an interest in the entertainment industry and because things were slow that year, I had the time to make the confident decision to explore a career in the business. While job searching, I spent my time writing, editing, and researching while nannying and tutoring. I was fortunate enough to get a job shortly after graduating working on The L Word: Generation Q S2 as the Executive Assistant to Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey, and Kate Moennig. I really enjoyed my time on the show and all that I learned. 

In college, you studied International and Global Studies. How has that background helped you in your career?

It’s helped in more ways than I give it credit. My studies were centered around learning other peoples' stories through language, history, current events and international politics. It’s made me a worldlier human, deepening my curiosity in learning about different peoples and cultures, peaking an interest in storytelling. My major encouraged students to live abroad—when I was supposed to be in Granada, Spain for 90 days, I loved my time there so much that I took a leave of absence from school and stayed for the year. One of my biggest takeaways from that experience is that discomfort with the unknown will pass so long as you grant yourself the freedom and lack of judgment to overcome it. I moved to a country I’d never been to before, didn’t speak the language as well as I thought, and I didn’t have any connections or friends. Fast forward to now, it’s my home away from home, having recently become a Spanish citizen. I’ve learned to never underestimate my ability to learn and grow.

Wow—very cool you lived in Spain for a year! Your background as an actor has also influenced you. Can you speak more to how acting has shaped your role in the entertainment industry?

Acting at an early age instilled some great life lessons that I still carry with me. It helped me understand how to self-discipline and stay committed to a craft that I’m passionate to pursue. It has given me the confidence to walk into a room full of strangers, just like many of the acting classes I used to take, and leave knowing a few new friends. Acting was the open door that introduced me to the business world of entertainment. Had it not been for that, I wouldn’t have known about the different industry jobs that exist. I wanted to try it all and did so through internships every year spanning from beginning of high school to the end of college. 

And now that you're here, how do you continue to aactively work on your career development outside of your day-to-day duties?

I’m always looking to expand my network and love meeting new people. In addition to striking up casual coffee shop conversations with strangers, I attend lots of networking events, meet with executives, talent, and assistants as well as see lots of live entertainment. I also host small curated monthly work drinks for women in the business called #CircleBack. Beyond networking, I love to read and listen to podcasts looking for a great piece of IP [intellectual property] or find a source of inspiration for development. When not working, I engage in activities that feed my creative and curious side to feel inspired. It’s so easy to get consumed by the business side of entertainment so I make it a priority to keep my creative wheels greased. 

Finally, what’s the best advice you’ve received in your career?

Best advice I’ve gotten has been to always take the meeting. Whether it's a general meeting, a work drink meeting, or an interview, it's important to continue making connections regardless of where you are in your career. This business is not just about your skillset or drive, but also about your network. I genuinely enjoy meeting new people any which way I can and doing so exposes me to different perspectives and thoughts. It keeps me on my toes and continues to challenge me.