Sarah Crosthwaite is at the threshold of her screenwriting career and as passionate as ever about reaching her dream.
“I would love to be a comedy writer and performer. That's the end goal,” Crosthwaite says.
To get there, the 23-year-old is working towards the finish line by rising through the ranks. So far, it’s been a successful climb. Crosthwaite was hired as a Writer’s PA on the CBS comedy, Carol’s Second Act, in the beginning of June. Before that, she was an Office PA and coordinator at Will Ferrell’s internet company, Funny or Die.
“I interned there before graduating from UCLA in 2018,” Crosthwaite says. “They hired me full time after I graduated.”
As an Office PA, Crosthwaite was scheduling, coordinating calls and meetings, and conducting a lot of back office support. Nine months into her time at Funny or Die, she was promoted to Office Coordinator, which allowed her to have a little more authority and to focus on more than one project.
“I was much more in charge of the production end of things,” Crosthwaite says. “They have a stage and shoot sketches there all the time, so I was coordinating the trucks that came in, making sure it was okay with the lot, dealing with facilities issues like the air conditioning, making sure talent was taken care of, etc.”
This ultimately led to her role on Carol’s Second Act. “I was talking to one of my friends from college and told her I wanted to transition to be on a show,” Crosthwaite says. “She’d been hired on at Carol’s Second Act, so when they were looking for a Writer’s PA, she thought of me.”
For this aspiring comedy writer, working on a comedic show has been exciting.
“Most of my duties entail making sure everyone is fed, taking lunch orders, making sure lunch is there at the same time, that there are snacks in the writers’ room, coffee runs, etc.” Crosthwaite says.
“I’m meeting a lot of people who are doing what I want to do, and I get to watch them write and break stories all the time,” Crosthwaite says. “It feels like an environment where all of the things are happening.”
Crosthwaite is beaming from all of the opportunities already presented to her by working on this show.
“The showrunners are so great and so supportive,” Crosthwaite says. “They’ve invited me to pitch things and have helped me write the first draft of an outline, so already there have been a lot of opportunities.”
Crosthwaite is hoping she can move up to be a Writer’s Assistant or Showrunner’s Assistant one day, but for now, she is thankful for this opportunity.
“Being a Writers’ PA is exciting,” Crosthwaite says. “You get to hear what's going on in the room, and if you’re lucky enough to get supportive showrunners, it's a really good time.”
Carol’s Second Act is set to premiere September 26th on CBS at 9:30p.m.