How do I contact celebrities for interviews?

August 15, 2007 8:46 PM

Where do I find the contact information for the press people/managers of celebrities (actors and the like) to interview them?

I've searched high-and-low, but most actors (as opposed to musicians) seem to be completely incognito when it comes to ways of contacting their managers or press people. I'm needing to contact a few celebrities to schedule interviews about a specific hobby they have for a local niche magazine, but I can't seem to find any way to do so! Lots of musicians seem to be represented by managers or booking companies through which you can contact them. But when it comes to actors and such, I'm having a much harder time. Any ideas? Is there some secret society of press people that only people who are "legitimate" journalists know of, or something?

posted by PandemicSoul to society & culture (7 comments total)

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posted by typewriter at 9:18 PM on August 15, 2007

Who Represents (it used to be free a few years ago but now you have to pay up to get access)

Seriously, this is exactly what you want. I used this as an intern at a TV show and this is what the booker told me to use.
posted by spec80 at 9:21 PM on August 15, 2007

Thanks!
posted by PandemicSoul at 5:41 AM on August 16, 2007

HA. The website: http://www.whorepresents.com/ reads like WHORE PRESENTS not Who Represents.

My cheap thrill for the day.
posted by HeyAllie at 12:01 PM on August 16, 2007

I manage the website and incoming email for a friend who's a local celebrity. We have a contact form on our website for people to send in email, and we accept work and interview requests. I veto the emails and send relevant ones (i.e. stuff that needs her reply) to my friend, and I also respond on her behalf. She checks the rest of the emails on her own time and sometimes responds to them.

A lot of people ask for her "management company" or her "manager" - she manages herself and I'm pretty much the closest person she has to a manager or secretary (though all I do is check and forward email and write occasional blog entries). Some people don't seem to understand that though. I'd write back asking for more information and a lot of them say "can I have her manager" - dude, she ain't got one. Also it's kinda rude to me because I feel like they think I'm some sort of lackey or sub-sub-subordinate. (She occasionally takes how they treat ME into consideration when accepting or declining requests...hint hint)

So check out the websites of the celebrities you're after and see if they already have some way to contact them. And be nice to their contact person.
posted by divabat at 7:45 PM on August 18, 2007

Thanks divabat!
posted by PandemicSoul at 11:11 AM on August 19, 2007

In the UK, if you phone Equity (the Actors' Union) they'll give you the contact number for any actor's agent. Maybe a similar system exists in the US?

Generally speaking, if a celebrity has something to promote (eg TV show, book, music) they'll be hitting the publicity trail. So it's just a matter of contacting the relevant press person and stating your case. How do you find the press person? erm... call around the publisher / record company and find out.

it's a lot of hitting the phones!
posted by electriccynic at 7:55 AM on August 20, 2007