Volunteering, The Foundation to Networking..

Hey Everyone, Sorry I have been away for a bit but I have been getting my Networking ON. In the last week and a half I have signed up to work my 2nd Peachtree International Film Festival and Dragon Con both are here in Atlanta. I am also looking into applying to work Taste Of Atlanta which is in October.
Today I want to go over the importance of getting yourself out there and networking and I believe the best way to do that is by volunteering. I have been volunteering for over 10 years and I have to say it has been my foundation. When you volunteer you get to meet so many people that you may not get the opportunity to meet in your everyday travels. Volunteering is awesome because you also get to help out and that makes you feel good. If you have never done it but are curious to know where to start I suggest you Google your local volunteer center, They will have you fill out some info to see what services best fit you. I also like to look and see what events are coming up that I may want to attend and then I call or email them and inquire about volunteering. This is my favorite way of finding out about opportunities because it's a lot of fun and it's exciting to see what events you may be involved with.
Now when you get chosen to volunteer and you want to do some networking there are definitely some Do's and Dont's. If you decide to volunteer make sure that it is something that you like and that you will be able to complete, don't take on a task if your not going to put your all into it. You have to know that you will be watched and people are going to take note of how good or bad you are. If you are great at what you do then most of the time they will ask you back, which is awesome because that is how you build your relationships. I have volunteered for some of the same events multiple times because the person who liked me asked me to come back and that is the greatest feeling. It is also cool because most times you return they usually move you up to a better position than when you started. Perfect example of this is last year when I worked the Peachtree Film Festival I did registration and this year when I attended the meeting I was told that I would have an assisting position.
Ok this is very important.. if you are working an event where celebrities are involved DO NOT harass them, treat them like a regular Joe and do your job that you are assigned to. If you want to network with them then wait to you feel is the right opportunity to approach them. I say use your better judgment and follow your gut feeling. Also when you approach make it short and sweet and have a business card in hand ready to go. If you happen to see a celeb that you have met before try to refer back to something that will help them remember you, this will make that conversation go smoother. Always try to make a good impression and don't talk a lot, try to use what great personality traits you have to make them remember you, be it a smile, humor or a nice compliment. Also make sure that your business cards are very professional and that the email address your using on your card is short and to the point Ex: (Parkeragency@gmail.com) Not (bigBOOTYBelinda@gmail.com) that is a NO BUENO...LOL  I know it sounds crazy but some people have no etiquette. So now since I have given you some helpful tips I will pass on the links to the events I am working this year and this way if you want to try please feel free to follow the simple steps I did.

Peachtree International Film Festival
http://pviff.com/


Dragon Con
http://dragoncon.org/

Taste Of Atlanta(registration for volunteers start in August)
http://tasteofatlanta.com/

Great Volunteer Site
www.volunteermatch.org/

Who I've Worked For...

When people find out that I am a Personal Assistant I get asked that infamous question.. So "Who have you worked for?"  and this post will be the answer to that question. First I will start off with what made me go into Personal Assisting and why I love organizing peoples lives and helping them to what they love be it acting, comedy or music...  What got me started into this business was volunteering for all kinds of events, meeting and networking with any and everybody that I met at these events. I realized that by watching some of these people that they were pretty much all over the place and didn't really seem organized and the ones that did look organized usually had someone following behind them with a phone in one hand and a bunch of stuff in the other. I always thought that the person following seemed to look much busier and sharper than the person that they were following. So that intrigued me and I started to do some research on assisting celebrities and what it consisted of and most of all what they made. I was like WHAT!! I can do that with my eyes closed and that is what started me into wanting to do what I now LOVE..

The first person to give me a chance at assisting was Comedian Wil Sylvince, Wil started NBC Short Cuts Film Festival in 2005 and that is when he incorporated me to help hand out fliers and promote the festival at colleges in NYC. Well I took him up on his offer because he was always a nice guy and u know me "Miss always ready to help" so I jumped at the opportunity. I have to say it was hard but by myself I went to as many colleges as I could get to without having a car and dealing with the NYC subway system which is crazy. I talked to students, I hung up fliers in the student hang out places and talked to a bunch of staff but it sure paid off because before you knew it Wil was getting a bunch of submissions.. Now 7 years later The Short Cuts Film Festival is owned by NBC Universal.. U BETTA GO WIL!! Here is a link to check it out: http://www.nbcshortcuts.com/about-us.html

Thanks Wil for giving me a chance.

Next was my awesome friend and one of the funniest bosses I have ever had Comedian Capone AKA the Gangsta of Comedy..
Capone and I met years ago through some other comedians but I would always would just wave and smile because he always looked mean...LOL But by no means was he. Anyway some years after we met I went to a local comedy spot and saw that he had a weekly night there. I sat and watched his performance and couldn't stop laughing , he was awesome and his energy was very positive. At the end of the show I went up to him and say hello, he knew my face but didn't know my name so I reintroduced myself and told him I was a personal assistant and if he ever needed help with anything to give me a ring and I handed him my card(ALWAYS HAVE YOUR CARDS AVAILABLE).  Well it just so happened that a few weeks later he took me up on my offer and I helped him out and that was the beginning I worked for him off and on for 4 years. Capone has been a MAJOR part of my career and I want to thank him for that, he has given me words of wisdom that I have kept with me and implemented in some major decisions that I have had to make. Also if it was not for Capone I would have not met my angel Belinda Moss( I will introduce her in a few). Capone is a veteran in the comedy world he is an actor and a phenomenal business man. Capone was the host of Showtime At The Apollo, he appeared on Def Comedy Jam, Bad Boys of Comedy and a host of other shows he has also been in movies and TV shows such as Zane's Sex Chronicals, Paper Soilders and Death Of A Dynasty, currently he is on the Shaq All Start Comedy Tour.  I thank you Capone for all your Wisdom and all the funny times Oh and for helping me build up this thick skin which is needed in this business.. Love ya MAN..

Like I mentioned earlier through Capone I met my angel Mrs Belinda Moss (Super awesome make up artist) Belinda was the person that did Capone's makeup for Showtime At The Apollo. She is this trendy, earthy, quirky, beautiful redheaded lady who I immediately loved. Belinda liked my personality and she thought I was great at what I did for Capone so one day she asked me would I like to come to an event with her and help out it was called "Rip the Runway".. WELL I almost passed out because I saw the advertisements and wanted to go so bad. But because of my Angel I was now apart of the action. I know you guys are wondering why I refer to Belinda as my Angel, I call het that because when she took me to the show I met my babies Day26 and that is how I got the job with them. belinda is also the reason for me working "The Tony Awards and Hip Hop Honors 3 years in a row. She also put me on for VH1 Divas and got me to be a seat filler at Celebrity Apprentice. She is the reason that my name was in credits. ( even though the Tony's spelled it wrong...LOL)

Belinda Your THE BEST!!

Ok people hang in there with me I have a few more... My next awesome FRIEND who turned boss for a short time is Comedian James "Talent" Harris.. I have known Talent for over 16 years and he has ALWAYS been a great friend and mentor. I worked for Talent a short time but he and his business partner Quincey Morris of Robinhood Entertainment continue to use me for events if they need me. They gave me a chance to work The NAACP Annual Convention 2 years in a row which was amazing. One of the best events I have ever worked in my life and Talent & Quincey always have provided a fun and comfortable work environment and a great compensation package.. Who wouldn't want to work for them..

GREAT TEAM..

OK Here they are MY babies DAY 26..

Wow I don't know where to start, this was the most fun I think I had working for someone. The work was hard but I learned SO MUCH working for those 5 young men. I always say if I can take care of 5 grown men with all different types of personalities I can do anything...LOL. My story with Day 26 is a little long so I will do a seperate blog with just them but I just want to put them in here now because they helped make me AWESOME...

I love you guys ..

So I have told you guys about all the people so far that have paved my way in this business and allowed me to work for these awesome people I am about to tell u about, and here they are. Dennis L.A White from the movie Notorious and The Brave One,  Cheri Dennis from Bad Boy , Benny Ninja from America's Next Top Model, and last but not least my current client whom I have grown to love so much this woman is AMAZING.. Comedienne Cocoa Brown from Tyler Perry's "For Better For Worse" Which airs this Friday July, 13th on TBS.. Make sure you check it out..

Thank you all

Well this is just the beginning, I believe God has so many more surprises for me.. I want to say to all of you thank you for giving me a chance and I admire you all and have learned something special from each and everyone of you.

A New Page in the Book of Life..

Hey Everyone my name is Athena Parker and I am a Social Butterfly.. I say that because I have been blessed with a god given talent to be able to talk to people anytime and anywhere. I am not shy and have been told I have a great personality, With this gift that I have I am able to network at all types of events and experience some pretty fun things. I am great at giving advice and helping people make some great business and life decisions. This talent has also helped me follow my dream of becoming a Personal Assistant and has allowed me to work with and for some pretty awesome people. I have always loved to share whatever info I have and that is what my Blog will be about. I will share Networking Tips, Personal Assisting Tips and just plain old fun stuff... So if you want to have a ball Come on and JOIN A. SOCIAL BUTTA FLY...