Breaking up with the boyfriend over coffee is so, well, post-Cameo. Get Charlie Sheen — if he is free — to spew a few words on your behalf. Or get funnyman Gilbert Gottfried to do the dirty job in a way your boyfriend will never forget.
American video-sharing platform Cameo has come a long way in the last few years, with celebrities by the dozen sharing their time to get that congratulatory message, break-up lines or oh-that-idiot-boss moment across, for a fee, needless to say.
Getting the details straight
Cameo is home to thousands of celebrities spread across a number of verticals — TV, movies, sports, fashion and business. The user — basically you and I — have to sign up on the platform via desktop or mobile phone, a process that incurs zero cost. Thereafter, the meter begins to roll.
You have a message to be put across, like “Happy anniversary, sweetheart.” Ya, it sounds lame, especially when it’s the tenth or more. Or, “Congratulations on the promotion!” Sure, chances are your boss will acknowledge that with a smile but not memorable enough, right?
You can choose a celebrity to do the same on your behalf. Fill out a request form and then allow a fee to be collected — upwards of $1. Once the request is accepted, which can take a few days, the celebrity will record a video and Cameo will send you a link to the video, which you can download and share however you like. If the talent refuses your request, all charges are restored to your wallet.
You have the option to keep your Cameo-requested videos private or choose to have it out there for the entire world. Now who wouldn’t like to keep a fourteenth anniversary wish from Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men fame out there, for everyone to see?
Besides video messages, there is also the option of direct messaging, which entails a lower price tag.
Let’s talk stature
Like we mentioned, there are plenty of celebrities to choose from. Some of the random names we saw were Floyd Mayweather Jr. ($999), Alice Cooper ($300), David Hasselhoff ($499) and Harshvardhan Kapoor ($95).
Some of the videos have become sensational, like the one from Mark McGrath, the Sugar Ray frontman. He helped a certain Cheyanne make it clear that she was having “difficulty staying in this long-distance relationship” with someone called Bradyn.
Even someone like former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci has a place on Cameo. “The Mooch” usually responds with two days. His Cameo charge is $55 and the DM charge is $2.99.
Harshvardhan Kapoor wants to “have some fun” and is “excited to interact with you”. Price tag? For Cameo video $95 and $12.99 for DM.
The origins
The service has had amazing traction during the pandemic as a large number of celebrities suddenly had their schedules cleared up. For example, musician Mark McGrath has announced 15 break-ups since his original viral video. But not all celebrities want to offer their services for separations.
Matthew Perry of Friends fame joined the service in October. In his intro video he says: “Happy birthdays, marriage requests, divorce requests, if you are nervous about calling that girl about the first date and asking her out, I will do it for you.” His response time is three days but he is unavailable at the moment. “So excited to connect with all of you! It’s like a virtual postcard. One in which I don’t have to wear pants,” reads his bio. If that interests you, check out Snoop Dogg’s intro video. The rapper has plenty of videos in his showcase reel.
Sounds like a, well, fun and unique platform. It was started in 2017 by Martin Blencowe, Devon Townsend and Steven Galanis to connect with celebrities. A year before that, Blencowe was attending Galanis’s grandmother’s funeral in Chicago. On the way back, Blencowe talked about his new career as an NFL agent and showed Galanis a congratulatory video he had asked one of his clients — Seattle Seahawks player Cassius Marsh — to record for a friend who had recently had a baby, according to Wired. Though there were early hiccups, the two of them along with Microsoft manager-turned-Vine star Devon Townsend, who soon joined, had a lot of industry connections.
Cameo is not the first platform where fans can pay for celebrity video greetings. CelebVM.com arrived in 2013. Entrepreneur Angus Lancaster was inspired to develop his site after supplying giant inflatable balls for a One Direction music video.
(L-R) Steven Galanis, Devon Townsend and Martin Blencowe are the people behind Cameo. Picture: Cameo
Marking his moves
Facebook man Mark Zuckerberg obviously doesn’t want one more social media platform out there. In case a group of users grow fond of a new option, they will obviously be spending less time on FB and its other sites.
According to a Bloomberg report, Facebook Inc. is building a new video product that will let people pay content creators or celebrities for the chance to interact with them during a live broadcast. Called Super, the tool will let creators, entrepreneurs or celebrities host live, interactive video events.
Facebook’s rise to dominance cannot be separated from the successful acquisitions it has made over the years, like Instagram and WhatsApp. But with the US Federal Trade Commission on its tail, it’s becoming difficult for Facebook to buy new companies.
The tool Super is being developed within Facebook’s New Product Experimentation (NPE) team, which was unveiled in July 2019, and the company describes it as “an internal community of entrepreneurs testing new standalone experiences”. Some of their other efforts have been Whale (meme app), Venue (live events app) and Tuned (for couples).
Zuckerberg’s push into the video space is paying off as the company’s group chat feature called Rooms — launched in April to compete with Zoom Video Communications — has found traction.
Ready to Cameo?
Valentine’s Day is not far away. Break-ups in a pandemic world are happening all the time. Birthdays will always continue to have a space. Fingers crossed, promotions may fall on your laps in the next financial. Why not get a celebrity to get the message out? After all, celebrity shout-outs can be fun.
They are on Cameo and willing to be your video messenger for...
Floyd Mayweather Jr. — $999
Alice Cooper — $300
David Hasselhoff — $499
Denise Richards — $250
Harshvardhan Kapoor — $95
Ice-T — $450
Tom Felton — $599
Lindsay Lohan — $415