Breaking Into Film: From PA to AD on Marvel’s Captain America [Episode 1]
Meaghan Gillenwater, AKA Gillie, started as a Production Assistant, hustling on major sets. Now, she’s a 2nd 2nd Assistant Director with credits on blockbuster films like Captain America: Brave New World—and she’s just getting started.
Video courtesy of Marvel Entertainment via YouTube.
It’s 11:30 AM, coffee in hand. I’m staring at my screen, waiting for the little "connecting" icon to disappear. Any second now, Meaghan Gillenwater will pop into our Google Meet. She’s on hiatus today—fresh off a long stretch of production on Captain America: Brave New World.
Meaghan isn’t a household name. Not yet. But if you’ve worked in this industry long enough, you know: names don’t matter. Work does. And Meaghan? She’s been putting in the work.
Her love for film wasn’t just about watching movies—it was studying them. While other kids rewatched Harry Potter for fun, she was clocking continuity errors, breaking down lighting choices, figuring out why a scene felt a certain way. Her parents called it an obsession. She called it preparation.
But let’s be real—passion alone doesn’t pay rent. Meaghan had no Hollywood connections, no insider guidebook. Just grit. The first time she realized film could actually be a career? A college rep visited her high school, talking about a mass media program. That moment changed everything.
She made the leap—film school, internships, networking like her future depended on it (because it did). Then came Stranger Things Season 1. Her first set job with Netflix. PA work is a grind—long hours, no sleep, moving a million miles an hour. A lot of people burn out. But Meaghan? She locked in.
“I really learned a lot and credit being in the Production Office.
I think a lot of people should start there, honestly!”
Video courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment via YouTube.
That grind led to Marvel’s Spider-Man: No way Home. Bigger sets. Bigger responsibilities. But here’s the thing: one big break doesn’t make a career. Consistency does. Showing up, learning, adapting. She kept doing that. And that’s why she’s here—making her mark, one project at a time.
Now, Meaghan holds the role of 2nd 2nd Assistant Director—working behind the scenes to keep things moving on some of the biggest sets in Hollywood. She’s been the glue between departments on Captain America: Brave New World, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Coming 2 America, Just Mercy, and more. But what sets Meaghan apart isn’t just her impressive credits; it’s her leadership—sis runs a positive, efficient set!
In this three-part series of Conversations on Channel 2, Meaghan will break down her journey from production assistant to a key player in massive productions. She’ll also share exclusive insights into her role on the set of Captain America: Brave New World, including the challenges and triumphs of managing a high-energy, high-pressure production.
🎧 Listen to Conversations on Channel 2—our YouTube channel. Clever, right? If you know, you know—Channel 2 is where the real talk happens on walkies.
