Remote work leads to surprise celebrity encounters online
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The rise of remote work has created unexpected opportunities for virtual workers to cross paths with A-list celebrities, as demonstrated by a recent viral encounter between a Filipino virtual assistant and Hollywood star Zac Efron.
The unexpected meeting
Gilliane Azuro, a virtual assistant from Davao, was conducting a routine video call with her client, digital marketing influencer Caleb Davidge when Efron unexpectedly joined the conversation. “This is Gilliane, my assistant from the Philippines. She’s the best,” Davidge introduced.
Efron greeted her warmly, “Hi Gilliane! How are you?” leaving her starstruck and nearly speechless.
Azuro shared her disbelief on Facebook, describing a whirlwind of emotions with a string of expressive emojis.
“Literally have no idea what I said back, because na keratin na sowk (I was so shocked),” she wrote, managing to ask Efron for a screenshot, to which he happily obliged with a peace sign.
Her post, complete with a screenshot of Efron, quickly went viral, amassing 11,000 likes, 2,700 shares, and hundreds of comments from equally amused and envious netizens.
Virtual workers share celebrity encounters
The incident has sparked a wave of similar stories from other remote workers.
Ash Limquiaco Rosatase shared in the comments section, “My client’s business is about tutoring services. One of the students enrolled is Hilary Duff’s son from Mike Comrie, Luca.”
Another netizen, Charl Stephen Inutan, recalled, “Mine was Tony [Parker] from Spurs with the [B2B Alibaba] client while working as a multi-media editor.”
These stories highlight the unique and sometimes surreal experiences of virtual assistants whose remote work can lead to unexpected brushes with celebrities.
