Interview with Jordan McAuley, Author of Secrets to Contacting Celebrities

We’ve got a giveaway this week courtesy of Jordan McAuley, author of Secrets to Contacting Celebrities: 101 Ways to Reach the Rich and Famous .

Wouldn’t we all know how to contact our favorite celeb? While I had Jordan handy I had to ask a few questions about how he came to the business of celebrity information. Here’s our interview:

Who are some of the more popular celebs that people are trying to track down?

Right now the most popular celebrities are the teen stars: Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron, Hilary Duff, the cast of Gossip Girl, etc. Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Oprah, and Michael Jackson are still tops among adult stars. Last year we named Zac Efron the “Most Wanted Celebrity.”

Do you think fans are more or less interested in celebrities personal lives than a few years ago. And why?

Definitely, because the culture of celebrity coverage has changed so much. This year the Associated Press — a serious news organization –hired 17 staffers just to cover celebrity news! Celebrity magazines like Us Weekly and InStyle outsell Time and Newsweek. Blogs are able to bring us paparazzi photos and details of celebrities’ lives on a nearly real-time basis, and the star’s publicists can’t stop it. In the past, publicists would have some time to intervene and stop unflattering photos and stories, but not anymore. Celebrities are no longer held up on an unreachable pedestal — we feel as if we know them.

Have you had any personal encounters yourself with celebrities. Details!

I’ve met many stars — Tim Gunn from Project Runway, Gene Simmons from KISS, Cher, Perez Hilton, Annie Leibovitz, many reality TV stars, and more. One of my favorite stories is when I was at a nightclub in Las Vegas at 3 AM. Suddenly a body guard came through pushing everyone out of the way — literally — with Britney Spears right behind him. I have never seen a more chaotic — and almost dangerous — scene with a celebrity in tow before. The whole thing was just insane. Britney was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, and when she walked by I waved. She looked up, waved back and said “Hi, honey!” That was about two weeks
before she shaved her head.

What made you want to write a book about how to contact celebrities?

I founded the online service Contact Any Celebrity in 1996 to help fans, businesses, and nonprofits reach the stars. Our online database contains the best mailing address, agent, manager, publicist, etc. for over 55,000 celebrities and public figures all over the world. I also have another book called the Celebrity Black Book that contains the best mailing addresses for over 55,000 celebrities. All you have to do is write a short letter to the star asking for an autograph, and most will send you one back in the mail for free. For the best response it helps to include a prepaid self-addressed-stamped envelope.

Which celebrities interest you the most and why?

My favorite celebrity is Madonna because of the way she has managed to stay current at almost 50 years old! I admire celebrities like her who have enough money and could retire but their work is more important to them so they continue creating.

Which celebrity would you like to meet the most and why?

My favorite celebrities to meet are the icons — I met Annie Leibovitz this past year which was huge. I met Whoopie Goldberg the other night after seeing her in Xanadu on Broadway. Once you meet them you realize they are regular people. Annie Leibovitz was so down to earth, not at all what you would expect her to be like. I’d love to meet Andy Warhol, but he’s no longer alive.

Jordan McAuley is the Founder and President of Contact Any Celebrity, a service that helps businesses, nonprofits, and the media get in touch with over 54,000 celebrities worldwide. After graduating from film school at the University of Miami, Jordan moved to Hollywood where he worked at a movie production company and a large Beverly Hills talent agency as an agent’s assistant. These experiences–combined with working at Wilhelmina Models in South Beach during college plus internships at CNN and Turner Entertainment–have provided him with insider knowledge on the best ways to contact celebrities.

Today, Contact Any Celebrity is known worldwide as the most accurate source of celebrity contact information due to Jordan’s extensive experience and personal entertainment industry contacts. Jordan is the author of four other books including the best-selling Celebrity Black Book . The book is available from Amazon.com.