The Life of a Celebrity Personal Assistant: Run now or forever hold your grief

It is 2:30 am and all of sudden you hear, “Can you pick up my dry cleaning, has Pinky been washed yet, can you schedule my colonics appointment, and is Starbuck still open by the way, I need my non-fat latte”? These types of questions are not out of the norm for a celebrity personal assistant to hear (or CPA’s as I would like to call them). Besides, giving Pinky her daily bath doesn’t seem so bad when knowing that night you will have to attend a red carpet event alongside Celebrity X and Pinky right? Britney Spear’s former personal assistant, Felicia Culotta, (picture left) who has worked for Spears for 9 and half years, recently spoke out about her experiences working with her. Culotta wrote a letter to kid Ruben, creator of the World of Britney fan site that expressed her feelings about Britney’s downward spiral. In it, she focused on how saddened she was to see Britney’s life unfold and how, at this point, feels helpless. I guess after years of watching Britney’s crazy antics (ie. flashings, puking in public and baby dropping) it was about time to say something.

As a celebrity personal assistant, many of them are able to attend movie premieres, benefits, parties and plenty more. In some cases the benefits involve relationships and assistants become romantically involved with their boss or boss’ friend. Jessica Simpson’s former personal assistant and best friend, Cacee Cobb was able to steal actor Donald Faison's heart, (pictured right). Yes, the perks of being a celebrity personal assistant sounds amazing, but is it really worth being pushed around or at least having a cell phone thrown at you?

Amanda Brack was Naomi Campbell’s personal assistant for a couple years, but became fed up with Naomi’s anger problems. According to an article in the New York Post, Brack claimed that Campbell (pictured right) “smacked her, spat in her face, whacked her with a BlackBerry, ripped the clothes off her back, took her cash and stranded her in Morocco.” Campbell, 36 denied the accusations. “I have a deep sense of shame for the things I’ve done. I felt very remorseful for having thrown the phone at someone that didn’t deserve it,” said Campbell. Campbell later pled guilty to misdemeanor charges. It may seem tempting to work for a supermodel, especially Naomi Campbell…NOT! Most supermodels get to travel the world, are invited to the best parties and receive the trendiest clothes. I guess it takes a cell phone beating to realize that the job isn’t so great.

What is the fascination with working for a celebrity anyway? Is it an easy way to climb up the Hollywood social latter? Or is it a job people may find effortless to tackle? It doesn’t take a certain type of degree to become a celebrity personal assistant which makes the job a little less competitive. The job does, however require excellent persuasive communication skills and a can-do attitude. According to an article from Jobseekers Advice, CPA’s “need strong skills of persuasion to be able to work the ‘small circles’ stars seem to require on a daily basis. A lot of persuasive communication is psychological, and involves understanding the needs, motivation and drives of others in order to convince them that whatever you’re suggesting is in their best interest.” Being a CPA doesn’t seem to be too bad; there are worse jobs out there. It seems like people who are comfortable being submissive and/or passive are more equipped to do these jobs. I, on the other hand, would prefer hiring my own assistants and sharing my Starbucks with them.