At the start of this year, I was standing in the kitchen discussing life with my eldest daughter, Marnie. I was telling her about my vision for founding my own PA and admin support agency specialising in the creative industries. She turned around and said “Mum, don’t let this idea be another should have, could have or would have - just go do it”. And so, I did!
I always wanted to start my own brand and be a solo founder, using my many years’ experience in the entertainment industry. But going it alone can be daunting. I knew I had to be brave to make my dreams a reality. And so, Crucial PA was born. Tailored to the needs of creatives, Crucial is a global PA and lifestyle concierge service that helps creative minds focus on what they do best. We take care of the crucial personal, business and lifestyle tasks behind the scenes, so our clients are free to focus on making music, writing screenplays, directing films, acting, performing or doing whatever it is they do in the entertainment world.
“Tanya helps me keep on track with all my personal admin. From Airbnb management, to holiday bookings, to keeping all my utilities up to date. It’s all handled with the utmost discretion and genuine care.”
James Gay-Rees, Producer and Co-Founder, Box to Box Films
As well as providing a personal, business and lifestyle PA service, we also offer a talent handling service for red carpet and junket support, and a relocation concierge service for talent filming or touring in London. Under this one umbrella, we serve our clients with 360-degree support wherever they need us, whether it’s at home, in the office, at an event, on a film set, or on tour.
We work in a unique way at Crucial PA, and really are an agency with a heart. We genuinely care about our clients and always go above and beyond to get the job done for them. At the same time, we genuinely care about our amazing network of talented freelance entertainment industry specialist PAs who deliver reliable and discreet support to meet our clients’ individual needs’. Collectively, we have over 40 years’ experience in entertainment, working in film PR, music management and talent handling.
I love to collaborate and build teams, and that was one of my main reasons behind setting up Crucial PA. I wanted to bring together a network of freelance entertainment industry specialists and create a community where we could reach out to each other for advice or to share concerns, and to support each other during busy periods. Working freelance gives lots of flexibility, but it can also mean encountering loneliness sometimes. It’s no one’s fault, just the nature of how we work. When I first started working as a remote PA running my own roster, I missed the office dynamics and feeling connected to others. I was in Film PR for many years, working for Pathe Distribution, Freud Communication and Vertigo Releasing, whilst also putting my hand into unit PR which I adored - It was so much fun! The endless banter, the learning, the camaraderie, the sweet bowl, being able to turn your out of office on to go on holiday, the hand wrapped around my shoulder when it all got too much. The shared ideas, the seriousness and also the silliness, I missed it, I missed all of it.
And so Crucial PA came out of a yearning to create a team who had support whilst remaining freelance and flexible. A team to share ideas, to offer a helping hand, and to collaborate with fellow PAs who understand the entertainment industry. To be on hand to take a meeting if the school run gets delayed, or simply have a few days off when you need it, or more importantly switch off when it’s holiday. Working together as a network allows us to be there for each other, while delivering excellence for our clients.
Collaborating on this journey I will always be inspired by my family. My eldest daughter, Marnie Evans, who holds nothing back; my youngest, Blythe Evans who does not understand why I would hold this back; my partner Nick Evans, who has patiently, let me talk about nothing else this year - can I do this, will I crush it, I can’t do it, ok let’s do this - and never once let me be unheard. Also want to give my Dad, Rudi Moser a shout out, these past few years we’ve become very close again, and his few but almighty words of wisdom, during our weekly WhatsApp chats, always give me a little boost. I’ve also worked with collaborators to bring the Crucial PA brand to life, working with web designer, Elise Brooks, who has created the most wonderful website for me, beyond my expectations and whose calm approach helped everything run smoothly. I also worked with Sarah Green, who helped me build the most amazing copy, and translate ideas and thousands of words into something beautiful and succinct.
I hope you enjoy exploring Crucial PA’s brand-new website. We’ll be posting new blog articles monthly, so check back to stay up to date with all the latest insights. And if there is any PA or admin support we can help you with, or if you’re a freelance PA looking to build your roster, please contact me to say hello.
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