One service didn’t suffer during the coronavirus lockdown – Cameo. Don’t know it? Well, it’s the newest way to get close to your favorite celebrities, especially during quarantine. Read on to find out more!
Cameo’s Unbelievable Popularity
Cameo helps celebrities and their fans connect. For anywhere from $5 to a couple of hundred dollars, users can purchase a short, personalized video message from over 35,000 actors, athletes, and celebrities on the website. That’s right! Just some of the stars on the site include Gary Busey, Krysten Ritter, Charlie Sheen, and Carole Baskin from Netflix’s Tiger King! Then, within a few days, the star delivers the video, wishing the user a happy birthday, answering a question, or whatever the order requested. Now, Cameo even offers the ability for fans to video chat with these famous stars for a fee!
“It has become a financial lifeline for so many celebs, musicians, and athletes during this pandemic. I know firsthand that many are making money that helps cover mortgages, housekeepers, and school bills when many wouldn’t be making any money,” stated an agent in Hollywood, who wished to remain anonymous.
In particular, the service grew quite rapidly during the pandemic, when millions around the world needed pick-me-ups. Cameo videos provided that. Still, even comedian and actor Gilbert Gottfried doesn’t completely understand how some stars make it on the site. “It’s insane that anybody wants me,” Gottfried said. “It doesn’t make sense. You look at some of the people [on the site] and go, ‘Wow, they’re a big name.’ Other people, I look at and go, ‘Okay… tell me who you are?'” Regardless of how the comedian feels, others feel differently. He’s made nearly a million dollars so far on Cameo!
Celebs Earning Cash
Of course, you will not find megastars like Beyonce and Justin Bieber on the app or website. However, many lesser-known celebrities are making big bucks on Cameo. For example, Larry Thomas, who portrayed the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld, and Brian Baumgartner, who starred as Kevin on The Office, both also made a million dollars last year on Cameo.
“The world has changed in the last five years, in that the monolithic, A-list celebrity is becoming less important and people are more drawn to niche people,” said Steven Galanis, the co-founder and CEO of Cameo. “Sometimes just being an iconic bit player in an iconic TV show or film is enough to be on Cameo, even if you don’t have a ton of fame yourself.”
However, that does not mean there are not some A-list celebrities making big bucks on the site. Iconic rapper Snoop Dogg found himself in the news once again quite recently after professor Ryan Briggs from Canada’s University of Guelph asked the rapper to make a video rapping his syllabus. After Snoop Dogg did so, Briggs released the video on Twitter, where it went viral almost instantly. “The whole fun was in making something that all professors could freely use,” explained Briggs.
Of course, Galanis hopes that more A-list celebs will join the movement. “My co-founder Martin is obsessed with Arnold Schwarzenegger,” he said. “So that would be the ultimate for Cameo.”
Sources: Lifestyle Chatter, MSN, The New Yorker.