10/23/2026
Tomorrow night in NYC, we will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of New York Celebrity Assistants (NYCA), the organization that changed my life. Here’s what happened.
30 years ago in 1996, I received a “flyer” in the mail at my office in Olympia Dukakis’ New Jersey home. It was an invitation to attend a meeting of a new group forming in New York City called the ACPA – the Association of Celebrity Personal Assistants.
As I read it, I remember my heart beat faster and I just knew I had to attend this gathering at the Ritz Carlton on Central Park South on that freezing February night. My son Adam Kramen, was almost 8 years old at the time and my gut told me that supporting this organization would be 100% worth the time. I was right. Adam will be by my side tomorrow night.
Coming together with other people who work as celebrity assistants is a little like seeing a unicorn with your own eyes and learning that they speak the same language as you. Let’s just say it can be a lonely job. It is a tiny subset of the much larger group of administrative professionals.
I remember feeling a huge wave of relief to meet my “tribe.” These people are still my tribe. I happily wrote my check for $150 and became a founding member of ACPA-NY along with 7 others. Morgan Freeman’s assistant was our first President. A year later, I became the second one.
I know that I would not have had the career I have had without ACPA which a few years later became NYCA – New York Celebrity Assistants. It was actually Olympia who helped rename the group. We were talking about it on a flight and she said, “Get rid of the word personal. You don’t need it.” The Board agreed and we did that. Thanks, Olympia.
Olympia instantly understood the value of ACPA/NYCA. We knew that I had a pretty robust “rolodex,” but the possibilities became exponential when you multiply our contacts by what is now over 200. The feeling is empowering. There was no one we couldn’t get to.
One time she read a script that she liked and her comment was, “You know who else would be right for this? Kevin Bacon. Can we get a hold of him?” Absolutely.
When we needed someone to come take care of our jungle of plants, for example, she said, “Ask your group. They’ll know.” And they did. And when I was asked to be the President, her reaction was immediate and loud. “Do it! Do it! You have to do it!” She was so proud of me and the group. Olympia participated in several events over the years to show her support.
I am filled with gratitude, love, and pride over NYCA’s 30th anniversary. Not many organizations make it that long and in 2026, it is going strong due to the talented and committed Board and members who all see the value as I did back in 1996.
Here’s to the unicorns! I shall be dancing and toasting to another 30 years supporting the fabulous humans who do this very strange animal of a job. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
