March
16 VIP Reception, wine tasting, meet-n-greet. 6:30 pm - 9:00pm
March 17 Conference/Workshop 8 am - 4:30 pm
When we see our
most coveted and beloved stars emerge on television – we’re only privileged
to see the flawlessness and graceful persona they project. Internally we ponder
where are their stress-lines? Why do they always have seamless hair and make-
up? And how do they manage to keep it all together? Well, in a world where society
upholds unrealistic expectations for these celebrities there is a common-bond
that keeps these public figure’s lives intact - their personal assistant.
Our company, Celebrity Personal Assistants, Inc, conducts regular
seminars and workshops for college-educated professionals interested in making
the transition from their current positions in Corporate America to working
with our agency’s affluent clients. In recent years, administrative personnel
have faced major changes within their profession. While administrative skills
are still the backbone of most organizations, Personal Assistants working with
affluent individuals are being asked to master and utilize new technologies,
make more autonomous decisions and further develop their interpersonal skills
to become valuable contributors to their employer's complex lifestyle and business
needs. This conference and workshop will emphasize the professional skills needed
to propel these assistants into more managerial functions, to empower them to
become indispensable decision makers that add quantitative value and impact
to their employer's bottom line.
PANELISTS and PRESENTERS
Dionne
M. Muhammad, President and CEO of Celebrity Personal Assistants, Inc. and
author of the forthcoming book, titled "Beyond
the Red Carpet: Keys to becoming a successful celebrity personal assistant,"
will be joined by the following dynamic panelists for this "Beyond the Red Carpet"
Conference and Workshop. Attendees will enjoy a wonderful panel discussion and
Question and Answer Session, Networking and Lunch. Panelists will also talk
with attendees one-on-one in the "Networking Room" as well as exhibit their
products and books:
BONNIE LOW-KRAMEN
has been the Personal Assistant to celebrity couple Olympia Dukakis ("Moonstruck",
"Steel Magnolias") and Louis Zorich ("Mad About You") for the past 17 years.
She is a co-founder and former President of New York Celebrity Assistants (NYCA),
the networking and support organization for NY-based celebrity assistants. Currently,
she serves on NYCA's Board of Directors as Programming Co-Chair and is also
on staff at New York's Learning Annex teaching a class called "Become a Celebrity
Assistant". Ms. Low-Kramen is a passionate spokesperson on issues concerning
celebrity assistants, and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today,
NY Post, Entertainment Tonight, Good Day New York and Vanity Fair, among others.
Ms. Low-Kramen worked to create NYCA in 1996 with seven other celebrity assistants.
It is the only organization of its kind on the East Coast and has grown to over
90 members. Ms. Low-Kramen's work with Olympia Dukakis has included close involvement
with the Academy Award win for "Moonstruck," the Presidential campaign of Michael
Dukakis (Olympia’s brother), travel around the world to places such as Sydney,
London, Juneau, Alaska and Prague and numerous awards shows and benefits. A
New Jersey native, Ms. Low-Kramen holds a B.A. from Rutgers University in English
and Theatre. She worked in Public Relations and Marketing for not-for-profit
theatres in Chicago, Atlanta and Houston before returning to New Jersey where
she became Public Relations Director at Olympia Dukakis' Whole Theatre in Montclair,
NJ. Ms. Low-Kramen's experiences as an administrator, manager, publicist, marketer
and working mother provide many valuable real-life examples of "what it's really
like" which she is eager to share as a professional speaker. She is also author
of the soon to be published book: "In a New York minute: A celebrity assistant's
secrets to success"
BRENDA L.
THOMAS is the author of the national best selling novel, "Threesome Where
Seduction Power and Basketball Collide." People, women mostly, often ask her
how she rose to the position of personal assistant to NBA All-Star, Stephon
X. Marbury. Once she set a goal of working for a celebrity, she claims it was
easy. Brenda came up through the ranks of the business world as a career secretary
and administrator. After spending 12 years at IBM, she began her own administrative
and marketing consulting firm, Admin Ink, through which she continues to provide
support to professionals in various industries. After years in the corporate
sector, she took a position at AND 1 Basketball as its Manager of Product Placement
and Player Relations. In this position, she worked to place AND 1 product on
television sitcoms, movies, celebrities and athletes. She also supported the
needs of their seven NBA players by coordinating appearances, providing game
shoes and other apparel. Once Brenda and her marketing and management skills
were recognized in the league, it wasn’t long before Stephon X. Marbury requested
she be on his team exclusively. After she tired of the frenetic pace of personal
assistance, she endeavored as a marketing professional at one of the 10 largest
global law firms. Throughout her adult life, she has maintained her passion
for writing--it was born from her love of reading as well as her desire to pass
on her life stories and lessons to others. Her novel, Threesome, reflects some
of those experiences. Brenda has now dedicated herself exclusively to writing.
She is currently working on a sequel titled, FOURPLAY. You can usually find
Brenda at home in Philadelphia where she resides with her two children, three
granddaughters and a wealth of family and friends. Buy
her book here
PEGGY DUNCAN
is a "Productivity Trainer" who uses her expertise as a professional organizer,
project manager, and computer trainer to save her clients as much as two man-months
a year in wasted time, labor, and energy. Peggy is an energetic speaker, and
her passion motivates her audience to change how they work and live. Peggy conducts
productivity workshops on land and at sea, and is the author of two books (Just
Show Me Which Button to Click! and Put Time Management to Work); the editor
of an online magazine (C-O-P-E); an adjunct college professor; a writer for
business publications; and a former radio and TV talk show co-host. She is a
professional member of the National Speakers Association and serves on the board
of Women in Technology International (WITI). Peggy received a B.S. degree in
Marketing and a Train the Trainer Certification from Georgia State University,
and was formally trained at IBM (productivity) and Georgia-Pacific (computer
training). For more information and lots of free tips, visit Peggy online at
http://www.peggyduncan.com. Subscribe
to her free, monthly Webzine, COPE, with tips on organization, time management,
and technology.
KAY KIRKMAN
is the personal`assistant to India.Arie. She was recruited for India,
through CPAI's staffing agency. Kay is also an experienced event planner, PR
guru and marketing expert.
CHRIS HILSABECK
began his film and television career with a stint as associate producer for
LOS MINEROS, a Hector Galan film about turn-of-the-century copper miners in
Arizona, which aired in 1990 on the PBS series The American Experience. He also
served as associate producer on THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN (Galan Productions),
a one-hour segment about race relations in the U.S. military, which first aired
on PBS's Frontline in 1991. He went on to produce the 1995 independent feature
DEEP IN THE HEART, a film based on the Southern characters and stories depicted
in a series of Richard Avedon photos. Moving from Los Angeles to Austin to Atlanta,
Chris has produced and directed television promos, commercials and corporate
videos in more than 20 cities in the United States. He has also produced and
directed projects in Australia, Brazil, Colombia and Canada. He is currently
in development on several in-depth documentaries with Atlanta production company
Glass Eye Projects.
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