Become a Celebrity Personal Assistant

Celebrity Personal Assistants earn a lot of money and have an incredible lifestyle that most people can only dream about. In return for screening fan mail, answering phones, and planning parties, celebrity personal assistants are allowed to enter an exclusive world and live like a star.

Steps

  1. Choose a Type of Celebrity
    • Actors and rock stars are not the only ones who need personal assistants. You could decide to assist professional athletes, politicians, directors, bestselling authors, wealthy families, motivational speakers, dot-com millionaires… basically anyone with enough money can hire someone to be a personal assistant. It's probably best to work for someone in a field you're interested in, because the more you know, the more you have to offer. Potential employers will find you more appealing as a new hire.
  2. Develop Your Skills
    • CPAs need to know a little bit about everything, and know where to find out more. Celebrities are currently looking for internet-savvy, technologically competent employees who can show them how to transfer information from their palm pilot to the computer, send an e-greeting to Mom, or keep track of their personal finances.
    • Most celebrities are also interested in your typing skills, etiquette knowledge, and party planning or gift buying ability. Above all, celebrities need to know that you will not reveal their intimate secrets to the National Enquirer, so make sure you get used to practicing the art of discretion as well.
  3. Get Some Training
    • There is currently no formal long-term education program to become a personal assistant, but you can develop many of the necessary skills in related programs, such as computer courses, household management courses (for butlers and household managers) and event planning courses offered by community colleges. Find some good information sources on the internet that provide free how-to information, resources and useful links for Executive Personal Assistants - do a search on personal assistant tips and advice. Beware of "consultants" who claim to have celebrity personal assistant experience. Be sure to browse their website to look for proof that they are who they say.
  4. Get Some Experience
    • One great way to learn the skills of being a celebrity personal assistant is to be a non-celebrity PA first. You may even discover that being a personal assistant to a non-celebrity is more your speed if you really enjoy organizing but don’t like the stress of the celebrity lifestyle.
  5. Find a Job Opening
    • Networking is an important first step: let everyone know that you are a CPA who is looking for work. Think about all of the people you know, family and friends alike. In that vast network, is there anyone who is closer to a celebrity than you are? You can also meet celebrities through volunteering, working as a production assistant on a movie set, and job listings.
  6. Contact a Celebrity
    • Although you may not speak with the celebrities themselves, you can usually get in touch with their publicist, agent or even their current personal assistant. Even if they aren't looking for an assistant immediately, they may have an opening in the future or know someone who does. There are many books and websites available that list addresses and contact information for celebrities.
  7. Avoid Common Mistakes
    • It would be great if you could just strike up a conversation with someone like an agent and get an immediate referral to a celebrity. However, most people who are starting out don’t find it easy to say the right things off the top of their head. This is when having a script can be a tremendous help. A script is simply an outline of what you want to say. To sound like a professional avoid disclosing too much personal information about yourself, sounding too eager, or mentioning that you are hoping to launch your own showbiz career. Instead, focus on what you have to offer the celebrity.
  8. Join an Agency
    • Most CPAs agree that this is a great inroad into the industry. Once you’ve located one (more than a dozen agencies are listed in the FabJob Guide to Become a Celebrity Personal Assistant), send a brief email query asking who you should contact about becoming a CPA for one of their clients. Sign up with as many agencies as possible. According to Brian Daniel, owner of www.findcelebrityjobs.com, an agency can't help you all that much. You have a better chance of landing a job on your own because employers don't like paying the huge placement fees that agencies charge.
  9. Ace the Interview
    • According to Jonathan Holiff, former personal assistant to several celebrities, "Assuming you have the skills and the temperament, it really comes down to a personality match." You will more than likely have to go through a number of interviews before you get to meet your celebrity. Don’t let it faze you; just be honest and direct with everyone you meet. And when you meet your celebrity? Don't gush. Concentrate on being professional and establishing an immediate rapport with them.
  10. Join Professional Organizations
    • There are professional organizations that assist celebrity personal assistants with their career development. Once you start working as a CPA, you will be able to join these organizations and they will become an invaluable source of support and information.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  • This article is a slightly edited version of the article "10 Steps to a Fab Job as a Celebrity Personal Assistant," originally published in 2001.
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