Sona Movsesian

Sona Movsesian
Sona Movsesian speaking into a microphone on stage at the Alberta Rose Theater in Portland, Oregon in September 2022.
Movsesian in September 2022
Born
Talin Sona Movsesian

(1982-10-13) October 13, 1982 (age 42)
Montebello, California, U.S.[1]
Alma materMt. San Antonio College[2]
University of Southern California
OccupationAssistant[3][4]
Years active2009–present
Notable work
Spouse
Tak Boroyan
​
(m. 2018)​
Children2

Talin Sona Movsesian (Armenian: Տալլին Սոնյա Մովսեսյան; born October 13, 1982) is an American executive assistant, author, and media personality. She has been the personal assistant of late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien since 2009, and has been featured in show segments, including as a guest in 2019.[5][6] Movsesian has co-hosted the podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend since 2018.[7] In 2022, she released a humorous how-to book titled The World's Worst Assistant, which became a New York Times Best Seller.[8]

Early life

Talin Sona Movsesian[9][10] was born on October 13, 1982,[11] in Montebello, California, to Gulbenk and Nadia (née Cakmak) Movsesian,[12] an Armenian family,[1] and grew up in Hacienda Heights, California,[13] where she attended the Armenian Mesrobian School.[14][13][15] At the age of 20, while attending Mt. San Antonio College, Movsesian became National Speech Champion.[16] After transferring out of Mt. SAC,[2] Movsesian graduated from the University of Southern California in 2005 with a degree in communication.[1][13][17]

Career

Movsesian worked at NBC initially as a page and Events and Operations Coordinator.[18] She became O'Brien's assistant in 2009 while he was hosting The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.[19] Movsesian credits Nate Kirtman for helping her get this position.[12] Movsesian appeared in several episodes of The Tonight Show and Conan,[20] and features prominently in the 2011 documentary Conan O'Brien Can't Stop. As an important moment defining her relationship with O'Brien, Movsesian points to a 2014 segment where, after she sent out a company-wide email complaining about her stolen Gigolos mug, Conan brought his camera team to do a full investigation.[21] In 2015, she appeared alongside O'Brien in the television special Conan in Armenia, which revolved around O'Brien taking his assistant to Armenia to connect with her heritage.[22][23] Movsesian and O'Brien's relationship has been described as atypical for a boss and his assistant, with Movsesian reveling in goofing off. This playful laziness and dysfunctional dynamic was often a source of comedy in Movsesian's appearances on the show and on the podcast. Movsesian said, "He saw something in me that was valuable in a different way besides someone who was the perfect assistant, and that was someone who would screw up and give him fodder for comedy. Sometimes for comedians, that's so much more valuable."[24][25]

In 2018, Movsesian began co-hosting the podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend alongside O'Brien and podcaster Matt Gourley.[7][26][27][28]

On July 11, 2019, O'Brien interviewed Movsesian on Conan after scheduled guest Kumail Nanjiani had to cancel at the last minute.[5][6]

She also voices the character of Princess Sugar Salt, a character in Power Players, an American French cartoon.[29][30][better source needed]

She was named 2023 Alumni of the Year by Mt. SAC.[16]

In 2023, Movsesian participated in Armenian Film Society's Armenian Women in Film and Entertainment panel discussion.[31] She returned in 2024 as a moderator. [32]

The World's Worst Assistant

On June 18, 2021, Movsesian announced she was writing a book titled The World's Worst Assistant, a humorous how-to guide. The book was released on July 19, 2022, and includes a foreword written by Conan O'Brien.[33] It was a New York Times Best Seller, debuting at number six in the category of "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous".[8] Chris Kornelis writing for the New York Times characterized the book to be about "how two flawed people who were meant to be together found each other."[34]

Personal life

Movsesian married graphic artist Artak "Tak" Boroyan in 2018.[9] She is an Armenian Orthodox Christian, and she was married at Holy Cross Apostolic Cathedral in Montebello, California.[35] She announced on episode 113 of Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend that the couple was expecting twin boys.[36] She posted on her Instagram account stating she gave birth on July 1, 2021, to her two sons, Mikey and Charlie, one week after Conan's final show. The family also has a dog named Oki.[37]

Movsesian’s grandparents were displaced by the Armenian Genocide, with her great-grandparents being killed and her grandparents eventually migrating from Armenia to the United States as a result. [38]

References

  1. ^ a b c Ohanesian, Liz (May 4, 2016). "How Conan's Assistant became TV's Unofficial Armenian Ambassador". LA Weekly.
  2. ^ a b "Sona Movsesian". February 22, 2023.
  3. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (March 10, 2011). "Conan in the Wilderness". New York Times.
  4. ^ Yahr, Emily (March 3, 2016). "The Constant in Late Night's Chaos". The Washington Post.
  5. ^ a b Evans, Greg (July 12, 2019). "Kumail Nanjiani "Truly Mortified" Over Last-Minute 'Conan' Cancel; O'Brien Interviewed Assistant Instead – Update". Deadline. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Conan Interviews His Assistant Sona Movsesian". TeamCoco.com. July 11, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Gulley, Arielle (November 20, 2019). "Binge Bytes: 'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend'". The Daily Utah Chronicle.
  8. ^ a b "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous Books - Best Sellers - Books - Aug. 7, 2022 - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Sona & Tak Exclusive Interview". Harsanik. October 8, 2018.
  10. ^ "Kieran Culkin". Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend. Episode 159. December 28, 2021. Event occurs at 2:55. Earwolf. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  11. ^ "Rivers Cuomo" (Podcast). Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend. No. 200. Earwolf. October 9, 2022. Event occurs at 59:58 (varies with dynamically inserted ads). Retrieved October 13, 2022. Conan: "Sona's going to be - you're going to be 40. How soon's your birthday? I know I'm supposed to know this." Sona: "October 13th."
  12. ^ a b Movsesian, Sona. The World's Worst Assistant, Acknowledgements chapter. United States: Penguin Publishing Group, 2022.
  13. ^ a b c Arkun, Aram (October 27, 2016). "Sona Movsesian Brings Armenian Flavor to O'Brien 'Tonight Show'". The Armenian Mirror-Spectator.
  14. ^ "Sona Movsesian, Conan's Armenian Ambassador, Returns to Mesrobian". Asbarez. November 25, 2015. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020.
  15. ^ "Over $300,000 Raised as Over 760 People Celebrate Mesrobian's 50th" (PDF). Montebello Reporter. March 2016. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  16. ^ a b "Sona Movsesian". February 22, 2023.
  17. ^ Johnson, Pamela J. (December 1, 2005). "The Chocolate Solution". USC Dornsife Magazine. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  18. ^ "I am Sona Movsesian, Conan O'Brien's assistant. AMA". r/IAmA. July 11, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  19. ^ Movsesian, Sona (July 19, 2022). "Riding With Conan". Vulture. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  20. ^ "Sona Movsesian @ Team Coco". TeamCoco.com. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  21. ^ "I'm Conan O'Brien's assistant of 13 years. I nap on the job, expense things I shouldn't, and talk back — and I'll probably work for him forever". Business Insider.
  22. ^ "Conan in Armenia". teamcoco.com. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  23. ^ Horn, John (November 19, 2015). "Conan O'Brien on Bringing Conan to Armenia, Meeting Syrian Refugees, and Peaking in His 23rd Season". Vulture.
  24. ^ Elias, Naomi (July 19, 2022). "The Case for Meh Ambition". The Cut. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  25. ^ Kornelis, Chris (July 28, 2022). "Sona Movsesian Leans on The Rock, Cher and Mister Rogers". The New York Times. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  26. ^ Lang, Brent (August 20, 2019). "Why Conan O'Brien Moved Beyond Late-Night TV". Variety. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  27. ^ "Sona Movsesian". Podchaser. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  28. ^ Perkins, Dennis (August 21, 2019). "Marc Maron has some thoughts about newbie Conan O'Brien being named a podcasting pioneer". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  29. ^ Rick Glassman (June 1, 2020). "#64: Sona Movsesian (Conan Needs a Friend)". TYSO (Podcast). The Balcony Series. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  30. ^ "Steve Seagle on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022.[user-generated source]
  31. ^ ""In honor of International Women's Day..."". February 21, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  32. ^ "Armenian Film Society announces Armenian Women in Film and Entertainment panel". Armenian Weekly. February 20, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  33. ^ Buschardt, Steph (May 13, 2022). "In on the Joke: PW Talks with Sona Movsesian". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  34. ^ Kornelis, Chris (July 28, 2022). "Sona Movsesian Leans on The Rock, Cher and Mister Rogers". The New York Times. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  35. ^ "Sona & Tak's Wedding". Harsanik. October 8, 2018.
  36. ^ "Dave Grohl". Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend. Episode 113. February 15, 2021. Event occurs at 1:05:37. Team Coco Podcasts. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  37. ^ "Conan Interviews His Assistant Sona Movsesian | CONAN on TBS". YouTube. TeamCoco. July 11, 2019.
  38. ^ Team Coco (November 18, 2015). Sona Visits The Armenian Genocide Memorial | CONAN on TBS. Retrieved December 22, 2024 – via YouTube.