Celebrities are like hothouse flowers: beautiful, exotic, and in need of a great deal of devotion. Without someone to care for them, nurture their reputations, and present them to the public, they might never bloom or expand their fanbase. Celebrity Public Relations Agencies act as these caretakers, presenting their clients in the most favorable light, keeping them in the public eye, and setting them up with the most advantageous publicity and marketing deals. At these firms, celebrity care becomes an art form in itself as agents strive to showcase their clients in the best ways possible.
Celebrity Personal Assistants, Inc. (CPAI), for example, promises that their “savvy staff possess the ability to make a client… a real standout in today’s competitive environment” (www.celebritypersonalassistants.com/image.html). CPAI, which specializes in clients who work in sports and entertainment, has an Image Division dedicated to shaping and disseminating celebrity images in a variety of ways, including branding and endorsements. At Lizzie Grubman Public Relations, agents rely on their “expertise and success in ‘niche branding’” (www.grubmanpr.com) to assist clients in marketing themselves as product. Lizzie Grubman PR handles celebrities in film, beauty/fashion, food, and society, and specializes in New York-based clientele; Grubman herself is a strong celebrity presence in the NYC social scene. West-coast based clients can seek out the Garis PR & Media Group, which works with celebrities in literature and business, as well as athletics and entertainment. The firm, a family business, has been representing celebrities for over sixty years, and is currently directed by PR expert Dr. R. J. Garis. Finally, the All-American Talent & Celebrity Network (AAS) represents a stable of celebrities from a variety of fields, connecting them to a variety of spokesperson and PR opportunities with other clients. AAS has a comprehensive, detailed list of celebrities they represent, in categories ranging from “Green Celebrities” to “Celebrity Circus.” Each of these firms boasts a strong client list and, while for the most part the firms themselves are not as well-known to the general public, their handiwork is visible in celebrity promotions and advertisements everywhere.