The Celebrity Source

Presented by Rita Tateel, President and Founder of the Celebrity Source by Amanda Erdman

"Nurture every relationship through contact with the celebrity. It's not knowing the phone number, it's TRUST," said Rita Tateel. Tateel is the president and founder of The Celebrity Source, which primarily focuses on public relations campaigns for celebrities.

During the seminar presented by Tateel, she first described a celebrity. A celebrity is anyone well known and some of the most insecure people on the planet. According to Tateel, this is because strangers who are polite to them may have an alternative motive of niceness and the celebrity does not know whom to trust. As a result, they become controlling and demanding towards others.

Tateel provided an example of when she told an actor, who had just walked the red carpet, that he had something dangling from his nose. She simply said, "Go like this," and motioned with her hand to wipe his nose. When the actor realized he had something dangling from his nose and no one told him he immediately gained Tateel's trust because she had told him.

To be successful in working with celebrities, one must realize what is important to the stars. As with the average person, family and children are their top priority. Event planners should include family anyway they can. Time is also one of their most important commodities. Require as little of their time as possible.

To retain a "Yes, I will help promote your event" from a celebrity, remember the less time from the star the better. Also, the star will ask "What's in it for me?" According to Tateel, people love freebies, even if it's just a T-shirt. A saying commonly used is SWAG - `Shit We All Get.' This is very popular among the PR agents and celebrities.

Additional steps to motivate a celebrity include media exposure. Exposure can be either positive or negative, depending on the status of the celebrity. If the celebrity is up and coming or down and fading, media exposure would be extremely beneficial. Celebrities will most likely help if the event is donating profits to a related charity, cause or issue which pertains to the star in some way; either personally or through a family member. It could also be related to a project the celebrity works on.

Personal interests are extremely motivational factors when weighing the celebrity's answer. If they have an interest, sport or hobby - play on it! Remember the freebies when considering this factor; however, the freebies should be something of interest as well as SWAG. For instance, Woody Harrelson is a bicyclist. When he was wanted for a magazine advertisement that called for a three-to-four-hour shoot, custom made bikes and outfits were ordered and given to him as a thank you from The Celebrity Source. A few months later, Woody Harrelson appeared in the advertisement.

When working with celebrities, some expenses will have to be covered by the PR agency, such as limousines, airfare and hotel arrangements. Superstars are not usually motivated by money. Instead, sizable donations to their favorite charities are admired.

In all instances, Tateel advises directly working with the celebrities and not with agents. This could help gain their trust and convince them that your event is a great event.

Once the celebrity says "yes", put yourself in their position: Get out of the limo:

Take it step-by-step. Think about what the celebrity would like to know and what do they need to know.

The most important technique to get a "yes" is to have a healthy relationship with the star from the beginning. "It's not knowing the phone number, it's TRUST."