Ware woman spends weekends with celebritiesDate: 2/13/2023 WARE – It’s the middle of the week, any week, and Christine Henry checks her calendar to see where she’s going on the weekend and what celebrity will be waiting for her.
“I get to meet some amazing people. I love the celebrities I work with. I’ve become good friends with many of them,” she says.
The Ware woman works for two talent booking agencies — one in Portland, OR, and the other in Los Angeles, CA. She represents celebrities when they appear at fan conventions like Comicon and others with horror or Anime themes.
After working full-time as an office manager in Longmeadow, she jets off 35 weekends a year and joins celebrities at pop culture conventions across the U.S., Canada and Europe. The stars she works with appear in movies, on television and do voice acting in animated films.
“I fly out on a Thursday night right after work and get home Sunday night after the show and then I’m back at work on Monday morning,” she said.
When she arrives in whatever city she’s going to, she meets celebrities like Ice-T, Sean Astin, Coco, Patrick Warburton, Ross Marquand, Rob Paulsen, Dante Basco, Jackson Rathbone, Ashley Greene, members of the Dead Redemption Crew and other fan favorites.
Henry meets her celebrity clients at their hotel and travels with them to the show. She settles them into a waiting room, the so-called Green Room, and then sets up the table where they’ll be signing autographs. She meticulously makes sure everything is in place, getting her celebrities whatever they need. The excitement builds as fans line up to meet their favorite stars.
“I love the fans that come up. Some of them are crying because they’ll tell us a story about what the celebrity means to them. Some feel like the celebrities have saved their lives. Those stories are so amazing and heartfelt it makes every bit of what I do so worth it,” says Henry.
Henry broke into the business nearly a decade ago when she went online and saw organizers of a Walking Dead convention were looking for volunteers to work the show.
“I didn’t even know what Comicons were. I didn’t know this world existed. All the cast members from The Walking Dead were going to be there and I love that show. I like volunteering for things so I decided to work the convention,” she said.
Henry was bitten by the show ‘biz bug and started volunteering at more conventions. She quickly became friends with the stars and their families — even an agent who booked her to start doing conventions all the time.
“The clients I work with are so incredibly special. There are so many great moments with them that I’ll never forget. They’re kind to their fans, and not many people get to see this. They make sure everybody gets as much time and attention as they deserve for being a fan,” said Henry.
Henry may have been star struck once upon a time, but rubbing elbows with the performers is now a central part of her life. She and the celebrities greet each other like old friends, text each other and exchange Christmas cards.
“We’ve grown to become like family. It’s an amazing feeling. It makes me very proud and honored. It’s a wonderful feeling that they can put all their trust in me, and they know I will take great care of them,” she said.
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