Arts & Literature
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The World's Worst Assistant
From Conan O'Brien's longtime assistant and cohost of his podcast, Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, a completely hilarious and irreverent how-to guide for becoming a terrible, yet unfireable employee, spilling her trade secrets for minimizing effort while maximizing the rewards.
Sona Movsesian didn't wake up one day and decide to become the World's Worst Assistant. Achieving such greatness is a gradual process--one that starts with long hours and hard work before it eventually descends into sneaking low-dosage edibles into your lunch and napping on your boss's couch.
With a foreword from Conan O'Brien, The World's Worst Assistant is populated with hysterical black-and-white illustrations, comics, and more. It's a mixture of how-tos (like How to Nap at Work and How to Watch TV at Your Desk), tips for becoming untouchable (like memorizing social security and credit card numbers and endearing yourself to friends and family), and incredible personal stories from Sona's twelve years spent working for Conan that put their adorable closeness and professional dysfunction on display. In these pages, Sona will explain her descent from eager, hard-working, ambitious, detail-orientated assistant to self-awarded title-holder for the worst in history.
This book is irresistible fun you'll want to give to every young professional in your life. For readers of heartfelt humor like that of Phoebe Robinson and Colin Jost, The World's Worst Assistant is a chance for fans, viewers, and listeners of Conan's shows and podcast to fall in love with Sona and Conan all over again.
Sona Movsesian didn't wake up one day and decide to become the World's Worst Assistant. Achieving such greatness is a gradual process--one that starts with long hours and hard work before it eventually descends into sneaking low-dosage edibles into your lunch and napping on your boss's couch.
With a foreword from Conan O'Brien, The World's Worst Assistant is populated with hysterical black-and-white illustrations, comics, and more. It's a mixture of how-tos (like How to Nap at Work and How to Watch TV at Your Desk), tips for becoming untouchable (like memorizing social security and credit card numbers and endearing yourself to friends and family), and incredible personal stories from Sona's twelve years spent working for Conan that put their adorable closeness and professional dysfunction on display. In these pages, Sona will explain her descent from eager, hard-working, ambitious, detail-orientated assistant to self-awarded title-holder for the worst in history.
This book is irresistible fun you'll want to give to every young professional in your life. For readers of heartfelt humor like that of Phoebe Robinson and Colin Jost, The World's Worst Assistant is a chance for fans, viewers, and listeners of Conan's shows and podcast to fall in love with Sona and Conan all over again.
Editorial Reviews
Praise for The World's Worst Assistant
"Movsesian endearingly pulls her...comedic weight in this narrative.... Movsesian truly shines when she discusses her Armenian heritage, her dating life, and winning a college national speech championship. Conan O'Brien fans will find much to love here."-Library Journal (starred)
"[Sona's] narrative offers a refreshing departure from the traditional assistant horror stories of pleasing a tyrant boss.... Brimming with heart and humor, this story of failing upward is a hoot."-Publishers Weekly
"Playfully surreal reading about the comedy of human foibles."-Kirkus
"Charming and amusing...If you've ever wondered how someone as hilariously anti-work as Movsesian got her job and what her whole deal is or wanted to hear day-to-day behind-the-scenes details of O'Brien's various late-night talk shows, this is the book for that along with lots of tips on how to be a bad assistant and how to deal with bosses, both the bad ones and the good ones."-Vulture
"Sona Movsesian is excellent at her job - or rather, not doing it...Now, 13 years into the assistant role for [Conan] O'Brien, Movsesian has turned not doing her job into an art form. And with the release of her new book, The World's Worst Assistant, she offers others a guide to doing as she does (well, doesn't)."-The Cut
"During Sona Movsesian's decade-plus as Conan O'Brien's assistant in the Conan era, she developed a beloved shtick as a sparring partner who binge-watched Friends, did crossword puzzles on the clock, and rarely assisted anyone other than herself...Now she's hawking the bare-minimum work ethic with her memoir, The World's Worst Assistant. With tips on how to nap at work or abuse a corporate card, the book is a tongue-in-cheek entry to the work-life balance conversation."-Vanity Fair
"Movsesian endearingly pulls her...comedic weight in this narrative.... Movsesian truly shines when she discusses her Armenian heritage, her dating life, and winning a college national speech championship. Conan O'Brien fans will find much to love here."-Library Journal (starred)
"[Sona's] narrative offers a refreshing departure from the traditional assistant horror stories of pleasing a tyrant boss.... Brimming with heart and humor, this story of failing upward is a hoot."-Publishers Weekly
"Playfully surreal reading about the comedy of human foibles."-Kirkus
"Charming and amusing...If you've ever wondered how someone as hilariously anti-work as Movsesian got her job and what her whole deal is or wanted to hear day-to-day behind-the-scenes details of O'Brien's various late-night talk shows, this is the book for that along with lots of tips on how to be a bad assistant and how to deal with bosses, both the bad ones and the good ones."-Vulture
"Sona Movsesian is excellent at her job - or rather, not doing it...Now, 13 years into the assistant role for [Conan] O'Brien, Movsesian has turned not doing her job into an art form. And with the release of her new book, The World's Worst Assistant, she offers others a guide to doing as she does (well, doesn't)."-The Cut
"During Sona Movsesian's decade-plus as Conan O'Brien's assistant in the Conan era, she developed a beloved shtick as a sparring partner who binge-watched Friends, did crossword puzzles on the clock, and rarely assisted anyone other than herself...Now she's hawking the bare-minimum work ethic with her memoir, The World's Worst Assistant. With tips on how to nap at work or abuse a corporate card, the book is a tongue-in-cheek entry to the work-life balance conversation."-Vanity Fair
Readers Top Reviews
Nathan DavisP. Lo
This was a blast to read! Who knew that such a dysfunctional work relationship would turn into something so special? Sona's writing style is very much like her personality, quirky, but fun! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her journey and I hope she writes more stuff in the future. Now I can't wait for Conan's book about being The World's Worst Boss! Highly recommend.
EMazNathan DavisP
For anyone who has watched Conan over the years and listened to the Conan Needs a Friend podcast, you should be familiar with Sona Movsesian. In World's Worst Assistant, Sona gives us a look into her backstory, including previous jobs, failed relationships, and her beginnings as an assistant to Conan after making a well-timed joke about a couch during the interview process. What is so endearing about the book are the insights you gain into Conan's personality behind the scenes and that nothing he says about their working relationship is fabricated. Sona really only does her job well enough to not get fired. In exchange, Conan subjects Sona to his gags, bits, and frequently makes her the butt of the joke. It really is a dysfunctional relationship, but one that works very strangely and has led to a wonderful working relationship and personal friendship. Let's all buy this book and help Sona remodel her kitchen!
ValerieValerieGAE
I gotta be honest. I didn't know what to expect when I preordered this. I mean, of course, I watch Team Coco a lot. I know Sona. I'm a fan. But I didn't know how she was gonna put this together. I didn't know what direction she was gonna go. I was so surprised to find myself tearing up a few pages in, where she talks about the lives of assistants and the movie. (I was there, and work was part of why that part of my life was so sad and dark.) I was riveted and just kept reading after that. I love this book. It's entertaining, insightful, touching, smart. I wish shipping to my country weren't so expensive. I'd love to buy the physical book too. Maybe I'll get in touch with some bookstores here. Congratulations, Sona!
ValerieValerie
This book was exactly what I had hoped it would be. Lighthearted, self-deprecating and actually funny all the way through. There’s a self-referential comment in the book about needing filler to meet a word quota, but Sona even makes that entertaining. If you’re a fan of Sona on Conan, this book will scratch all the right spots.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Effort
In this chapter we're going to explore the idea of "effort." What you put into your job can dictate how much you get out of it. So what happens when you put in just enough, but not too much?
When I was first hired, Conan was still in New York in his final season of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. I started working for him in the beginning of January of 2009, but he wouldn't wrap up the show until February. He eventually moved to California in March of that year, and I spent my first three months as his assistant working remotely. I remember finding an empty office at NBC and taking meticulous notes for the ways I could help him and his family transition their lives from New York to California.
The day after I got word that I'd be working for Conan, I met him at a Peet's Coffee in Brentwood with a booklet about Los Angeles that I made myself and a notepad to take notes. I handed the booklet to Conan at our meeting-a lifelong Angeleno handing over all her knowledge to the new kid in town. It was so important to me to make a good impression that I'd spent all day fastidiously putting together essential information about Los Angeles, and then took it to Kinko's to get it laminated and bound. Conan had lived in Los Angeles sixteen years prior, but I thought it would be good to show him how I would go the extra mile.
During our coffee meeting, I remember telling Conan that I wanted to work on something that inspired me and that I was proud to be a part of. His humility and decency were what really struck me. Right after I left, I met up with my brother and sister-in-law at a restaurant in Toluca Lake, and I was noticeably shaken. I'd known that taking this job would change my life forever, but I hadn't realized how nice of a person Conan would be. That first meeting made me want to work harder for him.
A couple days after I got the job, Conan's wife, Liza, wrote me the nicest email introducing herself and telling me a little about their family and sent me a photo of their kids, Neve and Beckett, who at the time were five and three. I have to admit that before I got to know Conan and his lovely wife a little better, I had been most worried about Liza. Was she going to be a trophy wife who would abuse me or be stereotypically awful? Was she going to yell at me if I forgot to tell her about a change in Conan's travel itinerary? Would I be asked to pick up her dry cleaning in the middle of a workday? What I learned very
quickly was that Liza is not only brilliant and kind and decent, but also my most important ally. She became a sounding board whenever I felt like I was having a tough time with Conan. I often say that my favorite thing about Conan is Liza, and that is a sentiment that only gets truer as time goes on.
So why am I saying all this sappy stuff? Because when I first got my job, I wanted to do the best I could. I needed to make sure that this very nice man and his wonderful wife were happy. I was now a part of their lives. Assistants get close to the people they work for, and I knew that over time, the O'Briens would become very important figures in my life. I was right about that.
Reminiscing about those early days-back in a time when I enthusiastically went to Kinko's to bind and laminate a homemade booklet in hopes of being helpful-it's hard to say when my relationship with Conan went from being professional to the dysfunctional mess it is now.
It could've been when, three months into my job, I was speaking Armenian on the phone with my grandmother and Conan asked if I was arguing with Dracula.
It also could've been a year later, when he told Rolling Stone magazine that I floated to this country in a basket while my father was in the midst of a goat attack on the island of Armenia (I was born in Los Angeles, my father is not a goat herder, and Armenia is landlocked).
All I know is that something happened, or gradually happened, to make me go from the girl who makes booklets to the girl who occasionally slips a marijuana edible into her lunch.
Conan became the second older brother I never wanted. The dynamic shifted, and so did my work ethic.
I'm happy to take most of the blame for my gradual decline in any willingness to work. But doesn't my boss deserve some credit? Wouldn't the World's Worst Assistant need to be enabled by the World's Worst Boss?
Neve and Beckett used to always say that Conan melted half my brain. When asked what happened to the other half, they would say that other half was already melted before I met him. I have never heard a better description of me.
Am I proud of what I've become? Yes. I get paid to do the bare minimum. Is this where I saw myself ? No. But then again, everything I've been fortunate enough to experien...
In this chapter we're going to explore the idea of "effort." What you put into your job can dictate how much you get out of it. So what happens when you put in just enough, but not too much?
When I was first hired, Conan was still in New York in his final season of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. I started working for him in the beginning of January of 2009, but he wouldn't wrap up the show until February. He eventually moved to California in March of that year, and I spent my first three months as his assistant working remotely. I remember finding an empty office at NBC and taking meticulous notes for the ways I could help him and his family transition their lives from New York to California.
The day after I got word that I'd be working for Conan, I met him at a Peet's Coffee in Brentwood with a booklet about Los Angeles that I made myself and a notepad to take notes. I handed the booklet to Conan at our meeting-a lifelong Angeleno handing over all her knowledge to the new kid in town. It was so important to me to make a good impression that I'd spent all day fastidiously putting together essential information about Los Angeles, and then took it to Kinko's to get it laminated and bound. Conan had lived in Los Angeles sixteen years prior, but I thought it would be good to show him how I would go the extra mile.
During our coffee meeting, I remember telling Conan that I wanted to work on something that inspired me and that I was proud to be a part of. His humility and decency were what really struck me. Right after I left, I met up with my brother and sister-in-law at a restaurant in Toluca Lake, and I was noticeably shaken. I'd known that taking this job would change my life forever, but I hadn't realized how nice of a person Conan would be. That first meeting made me want to work harder for him.
A couple days after I got the job, Conan's wife, Liza, wrote me the nicest email introducing herself and telling me a little about their family and sent me a photo of their kids, Neve and Beckett, who at the time were five and three. I have to admit that before I got to know Conan and his lovely wife a little better, I had been most worried about Liza. Was she going to be a trophy wife who would abuse me or be stereotypically awful? Was she going to yell at me if I forgot to tell her about a change in Conan's travel itinerary? Would I be asked to pick up her dry cleaning in the middle of a workday? What I learned very
quickly was that Liza is not only brilliant and kind and decent, but also my most important ally. She became a sounding board whenever I felt like I was having a tough time with Conan. I often say that my favorite thing about Conan is Liza, and that is a sentiment that only gets truer as time goes on.
So why am I saying all this sappy stuff? Because when I first got my job, I wanted to do the best I could. I needed to make sure that this very nice man and his wonderful wife were happy. I was now a part of their lives. Assistants get close to the people they work for, and I knew that over time, the O'Briens would become very important figures in my life. I was right about that.
Reminiscing about those early days-back in a time when I enthusiastically went to Kinko's to bind and laminate a homemade booklet in hopes of being helpful-it's hard to say when my relationship with Conan went from being professional to the dysfunctional mess it is now.
It could've been when, three months into my job, I was speaking Armenian on the phone with my grandmother and Conan asked if I was arguing with Dracula.
It also could've been a year later, when he told Rolling Stone magazine that I floated to this country in a basket while my father was in the midst of a goat attack on the island of Armenia (I was born in Los Angeles, my father is not a goat herder, and Armenia is landlocked).
All I know is that something happened, or gradually happened, to make me go from the girl who makes booklets to the girl who occasionally slips a marijuana edible into her lunch.
Conan became the second older brother I never wanted. The dynamic shifted, and so did my work ethic.
I'm happy to take most of the blame for my gradual decline in any willingness to work. But doesn't my boss deserve some credit? Wouldn't the World's Worst Assistant need to be enabled by the World's Worst Boss?
Neve and Beckett used to always say that Conan melted half my brain. When asked what happened to the other half, they would say that other half was already melted before I met him. I have never heard a better description of me.
Am I proud of what I've become? Yes. I get paid to do the bare minimum. Is this where I saw myself ? No. But then again, everything I've been fortunate enough to experien...
