Hackett grad: The life of a celebrity assistant has perks, and headaches

Aside from changing her first name to Morgan, Martha McNally said she is the same woman who left Kalamazoo in 1981 for Los Angeles, where she has been working as a personal assistant to the rich and famous

"I thought Morgan McNally had a lovely ring to it for Hollywood," she said.

McNally, 48, talked with the Kalamazoo Gazette about her life in Tinseltown during a recent trip back to town for a 30th class reunion at Hackett Catholic Central High School.  

She recalled how her parents, now both deceased, taught her the importance of good customer service while she worked for them at McNally Elevators, which was started by them and is now being run by McNally's siblings. "My mom always answered the telephone within two rings," McNally said.

That attention to detail has helped McNally, the youngest of eight children, succeed as a personal assistant to celebrities including hairstylist Jose Eber, actor Stephen Collins, musician Rod Stewart and former "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul.

"This is not a 9-5 job and you have to be available if there's a problem," McNally said.
Drei Donnelly, president of the Association of Celebrity Personal Assistants based in Hollywood, said clients, mostly celebrities and high-level executives, rely on personal assistants to complete assignments and be an ambassador.

"The PA must be discreet, friendly, trustworthy, protective, knowledgeable and represent the client, all while taking care of daily business," Donnelly said.

Been to Taylor's home

McNally was introduced to Eber by a mutual friend who staged "meet-and-greet" events at the Los Angeles International Airport. Prior to working with the stars, McNally was a tour guide for a wholesale travel group, a job which took her all over the world.

When that company relocated to Chicago, McNally decided to stay in Los Angeles.

Even though she had no idea what a personal assistant did, she interviewed with Eber, for whom she said she enjoyed working most. She said Collins was very down-to-earth and Abdul was hard to please.

During her five-year tenure with Eber, McNally said she handled all of the contract negotiations for his hair shows, made travel arrangements and made sure his celebrity clients, such as actress Elizabeth Taylor, were taken care of.  Eber traveled to Taylor's home to style her hair, and McNally went with him on several occasions.

He also styled the late Farrah Fawcett's hair and she was the one who gave Eber the cowboy hat which would become his trademark, McNally said.

"My job was making sure his life ran seamlessly so he could run a million dollar enterprise," McNally said. "I was able to run interference for him."

McNally said she left Eber because she wanted to experience something other than the hair industry. Her job with Abdul, who she describes as "high maintenance," lasted one week and she remained with actor James Garner's wife, Lois, for 18 months, serving as an estate manager. She has also worked with comedienne Phyllis Diller.

Changing gears

Movies such as "The Devil Wears Prada" have glamorized the personal assistant profession and lead to an increased interest in it, said Donnelly, from the personal assistants' group. Depending on the city, a personal assistant may make anywhere between $50,000 and $150,000 annually.

Donnelly said assistants who get along with their clients have the greatest chance for success and job satisfaction.

"Sounds easy but it is rare to find personalities that work together on the personal assistant level of business," said Donnelly, whose clients have musicians Bobby Brown, Lenny Kravitz and Meat Loaf. "A PA crosses over the normal office job and into the personal areas of private lives."

McNally cautions against anyone thinking that the life of a personal assistant is all glamor and glitz and rubbing elbows with the rich and famous. Yes, there are perks such as gifts of jewelry and trips to exotic locales.

But "you're not just taking care of one person, you're also taking care of their children, wives and ex-wives, while also running interference with housekeepers and gardeners and hangers-on who think they have power, too," McNally said.

McNally said she has drawn the line at requests to procure illegal drugs, among other things. She said the faith foundation instilled in her by her parents and her family has helped her to set boundaries with her clients.

"Sometimes people have asked me to do things that are not morally right," she said. "It's one thing to work for someone 24-hours-a-day, but there's a point where you have to be true to yourself and your beliefs."

This is what prompted her to recently embark on a new career as a professional organizer.  Her business called "Morganizing" will cater to a similar clientele without as much of the drama.

"I'm using all the skills I learned as a personal assistant to make sure someone else's life runs seamlessly," McNally said.