About three years ago, I got the chance to work with a celebrity. I was contacted first surprisingly, and I was contacted directly by this celebrity. Which was strange, but I went for it. Once I replied back, I was speaking directly with his manager, and did so throughout the duration of the project.
And no, I cannot mention who it is 🙁 these darn non-disclosure agreements are no joke.
This particular celebrity wanted his website redesigned. It was old, outdated, and it looked like it was made in 1990. Geez, I though celebrities were supposed to have people to help avoid embarrassing websites like this.
Either way, I was asked if I wanted this project. I took it without even negotiating a price. I didn’t even get a deposit. I had seen this person on TV before, I knew they were good for it. I was more interested in the exposure, but I quickly learned that with working with someone high profile you will not be allowed to showcase your work.
Once I realized that, I thought I would get referrals, but that unfortunately did not happen either.
How I got the client
Since I was contacted directly through my website, I assumed that they found me through the footer of another website I built. I did not reach out to this celebrity, so I cannot help you there.
I know this is disappointing, but in all honest if you do good work you will be found. You may not be found by a celebrity, but if someone sees a website you made and they like it, expect to hear from them. This is
What I did differently
Nothing. I treat all clients the same! I did overthink everything much more than usual, but I realized that if they liked my previous work, I should just keep doing what I’m doing and everything will be fine.
What I learned
- Celebrities are people too
- Celebrities have bad websites
- Their is a bureaucracy going through agents/managers/publicists
- Privacy is very important and taken seriously
- You will have very little contact with the celebrity. They have people for this.
- Payment is done through their managers
- Your work will be checked by lots of different people
- You will not become friends once you are done (sad realization)
How to get a celebrity client
Using what I learned, I would suggest that if you want a celebrity client, it would be easiest to find a celebrity with a website that is sucky and reach out. You will (most likely) not be able to reach them directly. I would recommend to contact their manager instead. They will be the one’s handing the website.