Feel like getting an inside view into The Sopranos set from Johnny Sack (actor Vincent Curatola)? How about rapping about pro hockey with former player, Sean Avery? Or maybe you’d like some perspective from the sports world’s ultimate heel, Shooter McGavin?
You can do all that and more via a new “Live” feature in Cameo, which offers 10-minute chats with your favorite stars. Over the last five years, Cameo has delivered millions of memorable moments with personalized Cameo videos from famous folk. Purchased for birthdays, prom invites, marriage proposals, gender reveals, job offers, and more, Cameo helped to elevate electronic interaction during the pandemic with recorded moments from thousands of celebrities. With Cameo Live on the new Cameo 2.0 platform, these stars will now be available for 10-minute personal conversations.
“What started as a lightbulb moment with a new digital autograph five years ago led us down the path of reinventing the relationship between talent, fans, and brands,” Cameo co-founder and CEO Steven Galanis said in a release. “As the nature of celebrity continues to evolve, we’re on a mission to empower all global talent with a suite of products to connect with their fans whenever and however they wish.”
Noted names continue to be added to a roster thousands deep.
It’s no surprise as Cameo opened a new revenue channel for professional performers when it created the celebrity shout-out video in 2017. As demand eased with pandemic concerns, the video-sharing company has been exploring ways to expand its service in order to generate its own fresh revenue streams. This started with Cameo Calls last year, a live two-minute virtual meet and greet with celebrities. Last October, Cameo purchased Represent, a marketing and merchandising firm that specializes in setting up individual storefronts for celebrities and brands — a perfect fit for the place where celebrities already sell their air time.
This May, Cameo made another complementary addition, this time partnering with Snapchat to create The Snap x Cameo Advertiser Program. This connects Snap’s massive stable of advertisers with 45,000-plus performing professionals — actors, athletes, musicians, reality TV stars, and more. Marketers can hire these celebrities to make custom short-form video ads specifically formatted to run on Snapchat.
And today, as the second iteration of the platform marks its debut, Cameo is upgrading two-minute calls to 10-minute conversations with Cameo Live. The main component of Cameo 2.0 is that “pinch me” feeling when you’re going deep with NFL Legend Drew Brees, sparring with Cobra Kai sensei Martin Kove, or rapping with the actor that plays Jesus himself.
Arriving in response to demand for longer video calls and greater options, the new format expands the Cameo experience. With Cameo Live, you can connect with pop culture personalities in a one-on-one conversation or invite your crew (up to nine friends and family members). You can even propose three date/time options for easier scheduling.
As the service can run from approximately $60 to $660 for a 10-minute talk, Cameo reports that its talent are firmly on board. On top of more money, a larger potential attendance offers the opportunity to network with fans more than ever.
“We’re always looking for new and exciting ways to connect fans and talent on our platform,” Cameo co-founder and chief product officer Devon Townsend said. “With Cameo Live we’re keeping the personalization and fast turnaround we’re known for and making the connection a two-way street.”
Beta tests over the last few months showed overwhelming satisfaction from consumers connecting with celebs in Cameo Live in increasingly inventive ways. The second Cameo iteration evolves customer engagement not only with Cameo Live, Cameo Direct messages, Cameo Pass NFTs, physical merch from Represent, and celebrity video marketing for already over 12,000 unique brand customers through Cameo for Business.
Whether you’re looking for a pep talk from Rudy and Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings) actor Sean Astin before a big job interview, or just want to jam with The Darkness lead singer Justin Hawkins, Cameo’s got you covered.
Users can book through the Cameo website in addition to the just-launched Cameo Live app on the Koji App Store. With the Koji app, fans can book a Cameo Live directly from bio links.
