Nationality American Occupation businesswoman | Name Rita Tateel | |
Born c. 1951 Fontana, California Known for matching celebrities with companies and charities | ||
Rita Tateel (born c. 1951) is an American businesswoman. She is the founder and CEO of The Celebrity Source, a celebrity booking agency that matches celebrities with corporate and non-profit clients for public relations, marketing and advertising campaigns, and special events. She has also taught classes at UCLA Extension.
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Early life and education
Tateel was born in Fontana, California; her parents were Holocaust survivors. She grew up in Los Angeles. She has a bachelor's degree in child development and a master's degree in social work. She worked for nonprofit organizations for 15 years.
The Celebrity Source
Through her work in nonprofit organizations, she became aware that celebrities can be very important to a charity, because they provide visibility and credibility as well as influencing others to contribute. She decided to go into the business of helping organizations to recruit celebrity sponsors, headliners, and participants in events. She incorporated The Celebrity Source, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, on April 7, 1988. Her company finds celebrities willing to work in "cause-related marketing and public relations”. She has been described as "a matchmaker, Hollywood style".
The business maintains a database of more than 5,000 celebrities, with information about their biographies, tastes, and charitable interests. "For example, if we need to identify a golfer who's from the Midwest, a supporter of the American Cancer Society and is African American, we can do that." In addition to linking stars to non-profits, she helps corporations to find celebrity endorsers or spokespeople, who receive compensation of at least six figures.
Sample celebrity matches
Memberships
Tateel is a member of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the Entertainment Publicists Professional Society (EPPS). She is a founding member and advisor to the Association of Celebrity Personal Assistants (ACPA). She also helped organize the New York chapter of the ACPA, which is now the independent organization, New York Celebrity Assistants (NYCA).
The Celebrity Source is a member of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board and California/Nevada Festivals & Events Association (CalFest).