NEW YORK CITY — He's spent months nannying for "high profile" clients and hanging out with their celebrity friends, and now John Brandon has shot into the spotlight too — for spearheading a "manny" movement.
NYC Mannies — Brandon's new agency that matches families with male nannies according to their children's needs — has gained international recognition since it was first publicized by DNAinfo New York three weeks ago, he said.
Global media outlets have featured the business and he's seen an upsurge in clients, leaving him astonished by the overnight success.
CNN International plans to air a segment on the agency, NBC Universal has interviewed Brandon and one of his mannies for its Spanish station Telemundo, and a number of other outlets have written about or contacted Brandon, he said.
Plus the agency now has more than 8,000 Facebook followers and 5,000 Twitter followers, and the number of clients has shot up from 20 to 50 since the beginning of July.
"We had no idea what to expect. We thought it was a great idea but didn't know that it would get so much media attention," said Brandon, 28, who started the company last winter.
"We are in the process of figuring out how to send au pair mannies abroad to families in other countries who want an NYC Manny. So we are already thinking about branching outside of New York, but keeping New York the focus."
Brandon, a former opera singer who lives on the Upper East Side, said he's also been contacted by Nanny Magazine (which is launching in 2014) to write a regular column for them on male nannying.
"We [didn't] think it would have been this popular five years ago when people started really talking about mannies. It's just the right time," said Brandon, who said he was even contacted by CNN in light of this week's discussions about what kind of nanny the newborn British royal, George Alexander Louis, should have.
"I believe the success has to do with not only the idea of the company, but it brings up gender roles and is starting debate and dialogue."
