This April, we continue our Alumni Spotlight Series highlighting Gabby LeGendre (Camper ‘05, ‘06, ‘07; Staff ‘15), who has been working as a showrunner’s assistant in Hollywood, most recently working at Netflix. We had a great catch-up with Gabby and got to hear about her journey and the lessons she took away from Wawenock!
Read on to learn more about her work and how her time at Camp impacted her.
Gabby! Tell us about what you’re up to these days. 
I’ve been on the West Coast since 2017 and currently live in Los Angeles, but spend a lot of time in San Diego with my soon-to-be husband! I moved out to work in Hollywood and be in the entertainment industry having been a film major in college.
My most recent position was as a showrunner’s assistant on two Netflix series – Big Mouth, and its spinoff Human Resources. They’re adult animated comedies, written and performed by adults for an adult audience. I was part of the team for two years, working on seasons 1 and 2 of Human Resources and seasons 6 and 7 of Big Mouth.
A showrunner is the head writer and executive producer – if you think of a television show like a company, the showrunner is the CEO- and has a say in every aspect of production from art to editorial to publicity. I was assisting the showrunner on both shows.
How did you get into this line of work? Did you know that you wanted to do this?
Growing up I was always very creative and loved to watch animation. I wanted to work in television, specifically adult animation, so I was able to get this job after four years in LA – it took a long time. I met a writer on the show through a networking program and stayed in touch with her and that’s how I got this job.
Did you always want to work in animation or ever prefer live-action?
I grew up watching Family Guy, and I always liked animation more than live-action. The comedy felt more expressive than live action. It was this concept of ‘If you can draw it – you can write it.’ I watch live-action comedy and drama, and I like those shows, but animation has always been my passion and suits me and my humor is pretty quirky.
What’s a day in the life of being a showrunner’s assistant?
A showrunner is always writing or rewriting. For example, on a rewrite day, we would often start the day in the Netflix theater screening an episode of something that’s been written and already animated. Then the writers watch it, write their notes, go into the writer’s room and start rewriting it. For my role, my day never looked the same. Sometimes I would be asked to sit in and cover all the changes in the writer’s room. On other days, I wouldn’t be in the room but might be prepping for other meetings, responding to the editorial team or production team, or submitting paper deliverables to our studio, Netflix. It’s like being the right hand to the showrunner, because the majority of their time is in the writer’s room. I can handle everything else while they’re doing that.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced and how have you navigated those?
The hardest part in entertainment is stability – everyone is freelance. No show runs forever – eventually, it goes off the air. I’m always making sure that I’m doing the best job on the job to help me get the next job. I’m often thinking, ‘What am I going to do when this ends?’ even when I love the show. I’ve dealt with that by being on my toes; networking even when I have a job; making sure my resume is up to date; and making as many friends as I can on the show. I know that the staff on that show will get another job and they could help me get my next job too.
What’s it like being in between shows and managing the freelance nature of your work?
I think a lot of people don’t realize that jobs in writers’ rooms, you can’t apply for online. It’s only word of mouth and that’s for jobs as a writer and support staff. ‘Networking’ is going out and having coffee, but that is also me applying for a job. I won’t find the type of job I want on Indeed or LinkedIn. It’s an exhausting search and throwing stuff out to see what sticks, but it’s also a way of making friends and reconnecting with people I haven’t talked to in a couple of years.
What’s something you feel great about? An achievement, a milestone, something you’re proud of?
Yes. Season 7 of Big Mouth – which is coming this fall – has a character named Gabrielle! She’s not me, but she’s made in my image and likeness. One of the writers created that character after getting to know me. When I read that in the script I almost dropped my computer! I was like ‘Oh my gosh, that’s me!’
The script goes through so many rewrites – I could get cut, they could change the name of the character, but they didn’t. Even though I’m no longer working with that team, my contribution to the show lives on in this side character! I’ll never forget the moment when I read that script. It was such a great feeling of being recognized and appreciated.
What advice do you wish you knew when you were just starting out this journey or what you may want others to know?
When I was in college, I focused so much on academics – which is important, of course, you want to graduate with good grades – I poured a lot into the campus network show I was producing and my own scripts and didn’t focus as much on making friends. When it was time for me to move to LA when I was 23, my network was not as strong as it could have been.
I didn’t have a group of friends that I could lean on for support – I had this great work but no avenue to share it. I wish I had put more emphasis on building relationships as opposed to the work itself when I was starting out. The entertainment industry is entirely relationship based.
I’ve really got those relationships now. I’ve got my tribe and my people whether that’s to read my work or use as a reference. I didn’t have that when I started. It’s so important to have allies and community.
What elements from Camp have helped you in your role?
I have a great one for this, I was thinking about it earlier. I am 100% confident that I got the ability to network and chat with people from Camp. We had sit-down meals and everyone at the table had to sit down and speak. My first summer as a camper, I always waited until someone asked me questions and I was a bit more shy. As an older camper and counselor, I had to lead the conversation and it became so natural to have a conversation over a meal. Now, I can’t sit down and eat dinner in silence.
Being able to naturally carry a conversation and showing general interest in other people and what they do has helped me to be good at networking. Especially at networking events, you have to go up and introduce yourself with ‘the firm handshake’ and the elevator pitch. I got all that from camp. I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that without Camp. Feeling comfortable and confident talking to people I don’t know or haven’t spoken to in a while or people who I don’t have a lot in common with other than TV – I can naturally have a nice, memorable conversation. It’s why I’ve gotten some of my jobs.
People always compliment me that I have a firm handshake!
Who was someone at Camp that impacted you?
June. She was so encouraging to me and always had such great energy. I’ve tried to carry that into my adult life. I remember being a kid and not being the friendliest in the morning, and being grumpy going up the hill to breakfast, and then June comes up and greets everyone with her positive energy and calls me by name. I just remember that energy and enthusiasm, and that’s how I try to be now. Coffee definitely helps, but even when I don’t have my coffee – I think about her, and she had so much life and joy and stamina and I just thought ‘I want to be like that’. She was inspirational to me in that way.
Any favorite memory or activity from camp?
I loved performing at Usher Lodge! Pre-Camp I was very shy, so doing the Music and Drama performances or dance, or when we did Program Night with our unit and being on that stage and knowing that was a safe space and no one would judge me and everyone was just there to have fun, and we were goofy and carefree – I loved that. My really good memories come from that stage and making people laugh.
What are you watching right now?
An adult animated show called The Great North, it’s on Fox and also Hulu. It’s about a family in Alaska and the shenanigans they get into every day. In some ways, the setting reminds me of Camp! It’s funny and cute, and it’s family oriented but they have some mature themes as well. It’s my happy show when I have nothing else to do and I just want to sit on the couch and laugh. I recommend it if you haven’t seen it!
What might we find you doing outside of work?
I make the most out of living in Southern California. I’m outside every day and I love going to the beach and hiking. I bought a stand-up paddle board so I’m one of those people now! I’ve also gotten really into rollerblading, like from the 90s. I grew up on the East Coast with snow half the year, so I don’t take the warm weather for granted.
I’m also planning a wedding and getting married next month which is exciting!
Any last thoughts?
Overall, as I get older, I have this posture of gratitude, and I’m just so grateful that my parents sent me to Wawenock. It’s such a unique experience, and I wish every kid could go to sleepaway camp. It helped me develop into the friendly, outgoing, and adventurous person that I am. School helped me figure out what I wanted to do, while Camp showed me who I could be. Wawenock helped me develop into the friendly, outgoing, and adventurous person that I am today. I was able to figure that out at Camp. Especially being there in the years when you’re figuring out who you are and what you like – I was so glad I went to camp. I appreciated it then, but I really appreciate it now!
To connect with Gabby about her work or if you’re in the San Diego/LA Area, reach out to Camp and we can connect you directly!
The Alumni Spotlight Series is a chance to highlight alumni achievements in ‘the real world’ (as we say at Camp). We also hope that this will open up pathways to connect alumnae with one another. We want to celebrate alumnae that are doing amazing things in the world – this could be anything from running a marathon to operating a small business to being a parent to being a CEO. Achievements and success take different shapes and forms, and we look forward to highlighting alums at all stages of their journeys.