If you watch WE tv’s popular reality Tv show ‘Braxton Family Values’, then you’ve met Zo, the efficient assistant to superstar Toni Braxton and her sisters Towanda and Trina Braxton.
If you thought Zo was an incompetent assistant who couldn’t get anything right, that’s what the show’s producers wanted you to believe through selective editing. Zo, who won the coveted gig after interviewing with Toni and Towanda last year, was edited out of last season’s episodes.
But Zo takes it all in stride as he prepared to fly back to Los Angeles from Atlanta yesterday to assist Braxton, who’s launching her own makeup line soon. The 22-year-old college grad will be featured in more scenes this season as the show expands to 25 episodes.
Zo had only a year’s experience working as an executive assistant for singer Nivea when he met Braxton in Atlanta.
“I thought the job with Toni would be more progressive for me,” said Zo, explaining that Nivea gave him her blessings when he decided to work for Toni. “Nivea is one of my best friends. I thank her because if I didn’t work for Nivea I never would have met Toni.”
On Working for Toni and her sisters:
“I love it really. I love working for her, I love being around the girls. I look at them as family. For me it’s a lot more than a job.
What he did before working with famous celebrities:
“I was working at K Jewelers at Atlantic Station [in Atlanta]. That’s actually where I met Nivea. I worked there and then I moved to Camp Creek. That’s when I quit and started working for Nivea. I already knew I didn’t want to work a 9-5 job. I didn’t want to clock in every day. I was just an intern at first for Nivea. The title just came. We were out one day, and Nivea was like, ‘Yes, this is Zo, he works for me’, and ever since then I was her assistant.”
On his mom’s support of him:
She supports me AND she’s a big Toni Braxton fan! My whole family really supports me. They love Toni, they’re all fans. What I love about my family is they’re not groupies. They don’t ask me for anything from Ms. Braxton. They don’t ask for an autograph, they don’t say ‘can she call me?, ‘why don’t she?’ — No, that’s what I love about my family.
How his new career changed his friends::
I had so many friends before this, and when I got this [job], I didn’t really have time. And of course when you’re doing something productive and you’re doing something for yourself, there’s always going to be friends that are jealous of you without saying why they’re mad at you. I have friends that are 34, 35 years old that are trying to be [personal] assistants. For me that’s a great accomplishment! For me to break into this [field] at such a young age, I’m just very humbled and gracious. I don’t think I’ve changed at all. I know better now. If you knew better you’d do better, like the saying goes. And I know better now. There’s certain things I won’t do and certain people I won’t associate myself with. Some of my friends get mad if I don’t invite them out to industry events. I look at it as work. This is work, this isn’t a party. I need to come and … be a good representation of myself and … me being on the show, and being Toni’s assistant, I’m now a representation of her. I can’t do, or be seen with certain people. It’s just a professionalism thing.
Follow Zo on Twitter.com! @IamZo
Photos: Twitter.com
