Association of Celebrity Personal Assistants Reaches 25th Anniversary Milestone
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As we head into awards season the pressure cranks up for the most unsung heroes in Hollywood, without whom celebrities would not walk a red carpet, attend an after-party, nor do a late-night show to promote their next project. Celebrity personal assistants literally orchestrate and run the lives of their celebrity employers yet rarely do they get recognized for the skill, dedication and hard work the job requires.
On December 7th the Association of Celebrity Personal Assistants (ACPA) will be making sure its own are duly recognized and feted as the organization celebrates its 25th Silver Anniversary. This time it's the assistants who will be receiving the gifts, gourmet food and expensive wine to enjoy, all donated by sponsors who understand the value of exposure to this unique group of individuals.
ACPA was founded in 1992 by Jonathan Holiff, who was Alan Thicke's assistant at the time, with the assistance of Rita Tateel, president of The Celebrity Source, whose Rolodex helped fuel the first recruits. This ultra-exclusive organization has strict guidelines for inclusion, requiring current employment with a celebrity, full-time for at least one year.
But being a personal assistant to a celebrity is not about the glitz and glamour that most people imagine the job to be. It's hard, stressful work. According to a survey conducted by the ACPA 45% of assistants are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 36% work 10 hours or more a day.
It's also not a job for the uneducated or new college grads. 62% have a Bachelor's degree or higher and 97% are 30 years of age or older -- which according to current ACPA president Wilda Bennett, indicates that "Celebrities want personal assistants with life experience, beyond what most millennials have."
Ask any celebrity about the value their assistant brings, and they will likely say that their assistant is the glue that keeps their lives and careers together. According to television host and author Tavis Smiley, whose assistant Kimberly McFarland is the immediate past president of the ACPA, "A good assistant is like a GPS, they keep you on the right track."
For more information about the ACPA visit https://acpa-la.com/ or email [email protected].
PRESS CONTACT: Rita Tateel, [email protected] M. 213-369-8040
SOURCE ACPA
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