By Max Mogensen
Special Correspondent

When we watch a television show or a movie, we don’t always realize how many people it takes to bring such productions to life. Dozens of people, for example, labor to create Late Night Republic, often working far from the spotlight. I connected with Vi Ramon, executive assistant to host and executive producer Jake Sasseville, to discuss her role in the organization.

“It’s odd,” says Vi, “I’m not very organized in my own life, but I’m super organized when it comes to other people’s lives.”

When Vi was a girl, she used to organize her grandparents’ junk drawer for fun. And if you ask her, not much has changed since she was a girl. Vi’s job is to give her boss all the information he needs exactly when he needs it, to make connections, to record meetings, to handle multiple schedules. Her job, in effect, is to organize the junk drawer that is Jake’s work life.

I met Vi in Maine, where she currently lives and works remotely. Vi has just moved back home after spending six months living in New York City. “I wanted the big city experience since I was thirteen,” she says. In late 2009, she moved to the Big Apple, quite capriciously, she admits. “I just wanted to go.”

In New York, Vi quickly met up with a long-time and long-distance friend, Jake. “Jake and I went to grade school together,” she tells me. “Jake introduces me as the girl he made out with in fourth grade.”

I ask Vi about how her relationship with Jake transitioned from personal to professional. “Quite randomly,” she says. “We’d kept in touch through social networking. I would see things from Jake on Facebook, like ‘I need help with this,’ or ‘Can someone do this for me?’ And I just started helping him out, and then it kind of clicked.”

She had long wanted to work in television and entertainment, and although she was moving back to Maine, she and Jake thought that they might still make something work.

“I was in a movie and I got a text from him saying ‘I have an idea, call me when you’re armed.’ I called when I got out and he asked if I wanted to start working.”

Having known Jake for many years, this reporter can attest to his penchant for odd hires. He spots talent and offers jobs accordingly, whether it be to friends, acquaintances, or complete strangers. And those who sign up are often baffled by the speed and diversity of the work they’re assigned to.

In Jake’s industry, and particularly in his company, almost everyone wears a dozen hats. The assistants are also attending meetings, pitching ideas and products, and working creatively. Vi smiles knowingly.

“Well I’m definitely not a salesperson,” she says. “I had to tell that to Jake, that I couldn’t pitch anything. I used to sell insurance door-to-door, years ago. I was horrible at it. I’m here to bring order.”

But that can be a difficult task when you’re 300 miles away from the office. There’s a gap that develops in terms of communication, Vi says, when you work remotely. She is almost constantly in touch with Jake or other coworkers, yet nonetheless changes occur by surprise “It’s difficult,” she says, “sometimes I’ll set something up or try to talk of something, and then find out that someone in New York has already done it.”

When I ask Vi if she and Jake are in touch all the time, she laughs. “God, yes.” Jake is an early riser, which means Vi is also an early riser. “On my longest days,” she says, “I start at 7 a.m. and go till very late… sometimes 2 in the morning.”

To add to this, the volume of work that LNR Studios is undertaking has been increasing. As an executive assistant to the CEO of the company, it is Vi’s job to stay on top of this increasing workload, to simplify it for Jake and his employees. “I usually send Jake an email in the morning, between 7 and 9, with a list of things we need to do that morning… [And] Jake and I are usually the last to call it a day. We’re discussing things back and forth way into the night.”

But there are always perks. “It is incredible,” says Vi, “like when I email the head of a company or some executive officer. It’s always kind of wild.” She pauses for a second. “Oh and being interviewed,” she says, “Definitely a perk. I’ve never been interviewed.”

Another perk is the ability to influence the direction and work of LNR Studios. As an executive assistant, Vi works closely with Jake and the other chiefs of the company, an interesting position to occupy. She works on all of the company’s properties, including its program that builds schools in Asia and the Pringles Xtreme Campus Tour. “I know that [Jake] values my input and feelings on things,” she says.

When I ask if Vi is happy to be working in the industry, and whether she has long term plans, she thinks for a moment. “It’s too soon to tell,” she says. “But I like being a part of something where you can have a direct impact. Late Night Republic, the idea behind it, and also our work with the schools, are both examples of that. I like working on projects that have a social consciousness.”

I ask if Vi has had any major realizations since beginning employment under her one-time smooching partner. “The only realization I’ve had is that it’s not that different from having any other friend. Except that with your friends, you just spitball these crazy ideas. Jake turns them into reality.”

Before we say goodbye, I ask how many calls, texts, or emails Vi has received since we started. (After all, she had received 247 emails in her first two weeks.) She looks at her phone. “Well, none,” she says, “but I warned people not to call me during the interview.”

Keep ‘em in line, Vi. It’s what you’re paid for.

Journalist Max Mogensen is a special correspondent for “The Shake,” a 24/7 internal news site going behind-the-curtain of “Late Night Republic.”