Meghan Grimm would be Hollywood’s best winner.
In addition to being Jennifer Lawrence’s personal executive assistant, Grimm is the founder and CEO of . Clyde Staffing, a first-in-its-kind agency led by a seasoned personal assistant dedicated to vetting and matching assistants with top prospective talent. But unlike other institutions, where the extent of involvement may end after placement, Grimm prides itself on providing continuous support in a network of helpers — whether through hands-on training or in the form of drop-in groups where the helpers are. she can reach out to each other for tips on things like making reservations at Nobu, accompanying A-listers on high-profile press tours and finding contacts for the best florists in New York.
Since launching in 2020, Clyde’s clients have included Anne Hathaway, Brian Tyree Henry, Uma Thurman, Dakota Johnson, Benicio del Toro, Finn O’Connell, Mandy Moore and Tommy Dorfman, as well as corporate clients such as Lighthouse Management and Entertainment Media and Entertainment. Henry, who recently joined Lawrence on Apple TV+s. appeared embankmentto quickly sing the praises of Clyde: “You are getting the highest interest in what you need and also what you don’t know you need,” says the actor THR over email “Meghan does her job with such care and attention that you can absolutely trust that she will do the same every time she sends you her way. … I am very grateful to Meghan for making my dream job possible.”
To connect with Clyde, past clients have reached out to Grimm or even DM’d @clydestaffing Asking for an Instagram account (eg, “Please find me an assistant who will stay with me for two to three years and I’m happy to promote them within the production company” or “Please find me a life assistant”). Grimm will then connect with the client or team to determine their priorities and needs.
Going to @clydestaffing because, Grimm will post open jobs on Monday mornings as usual, making sure to keep the details of the client confidential: “Bad actor looking for an assistant in LA” or “Actress in NYC needs a new PA.” From there, Grimm — with the help of four interns — will go through resumes, which can be submitted through Clyde’s website or by email, check references and narrow the pool to find a match. Potential assistant candidates also fill out questionnaires that help determine Clyde’s personality and fit with questions like “What are you looking for? Where’d it grow? Do you have siblings? What are your goals?
And then there’s the round of interviews, where Grimm will hop on a zoom call in person or sit down with the candidate, and look for the green and red flags, as he describes them. “If someone tells me that they have grown up nannying, that’s a green flag for me, because they already know that they are integrated into someone’s family. They know the importance of family time. They know when to be visible, but invisible,” Grimm says. “That’s probably better for me than someone with a traditional corporate background because a personal assistant is such an intimate job.”
Depending on the client, the primary candidate will then be contacted by someone on their team (such as an assistant, manager or publicist) before reaching the talent. Sometimes, a client will be happy to hop on FaceTime directly with a prospective assistant, which also helps them get a sense of how formal or casual their potential new boss is.
The entire vetting and placement process through Clyde typically takes between one and two months. Grimm says there are no upfront fees; for clients, Clyde will pay a one-time fee of up to 20 percent of the assistant’s annual salary. The fee is refundable within 90 days if the placement does not work out and, if so, Clyde will look for a new assistant.
Grimm says his background as a personal assistant allows him to know who will and won’t be a successful assistant, giving him a leg up on recruiting or staffing agencies from other organizations where he’s likely never done an assistant job. And at the heart of Clyde Grimm is the personal and professional network across LA and New York, which she has carefully cultivated since she started to help Madonna.
Assistants coming into the Clyde network also appreciate Grimm’s attention to making a good fit. “He understands not only how the job can be demanding, but how a successful company requires both parties to be a good fit for credit,” says Sara Dolan, Kaia Gerber’s personal assistant. “Meghan not only helps at work, but at home. The support she gave me both during and after the process was immense and I will be grateful for that.”
Helen Joel, executive assistant to Mandy Moore, agrees. “I was looking for the perfect job when I came to Clyde,” says Joel. “[Grimm’s] My years of experience and personal connections put me in a seamless role. It was really the perfect job for me.”
Grimm, who grew up in Manhasset, New York, and graduated from Georgetown University, started his first career at Ralph Lauren, doing freelance gigs doing celebrity speaking and PR into a full-time opportunity with the brand. He used to interact on stage with the assistants of the actors and musicians, primarily pursuing his interest in this type of work. As it happened, Grimm’s boss at Ralph Lauren knew Madonna’s stylist and, when he got access to the joint position, Grimm went for him and got the job.
Madonna’s year assistant, who simply stands for “M”, will later help bring inspiration to Clyde. “I was spending time with his children and his family, and I walked away from the job thinking, ‘I really want them to have good people around,’” Grimm recalls. He would stay with Grimm to work with producer Casey Patterson and later Jennifer Lawrence — who Grimm says was incredibly supportive of Clyde’s casting.
She also credits Shavawn Rissman and Sara Zambreno from the Madonna team and Justina Ciarrocchi from the Lawrence team for their invaluable memories. “[These] the women helped me learn everything and always remember me and I am grateful to them,” Grimm says, looking at Clyde to give way to more assistants in her dress.
As of now, Clyde — a name inspired by Bonnie & Clyde — is mainly based in LA and New York, with a few clients in Nashville, Georgia and the UK. But Grimm has set his sights on expansion and hopes for Clyde to “pave the way for other people to work in the entertainment business” and see that there is a career assistant for more than just running errands or picking up coffee.
“When people hear that I’m a personal assistant, the first thing I often ask is, ‘How do you get started?’ to me after months of placement and they say, ‘I just want you to know that I’ve never been happier at work’ – so I feel good. And it’s incredibly rewarding.’
Version This story first appeared in the March 29 issue of Hollywood magazine. Click here to subscribe.
