What Is Cameo? The Celebrity Personal Video Message Platform Is Here
What Is Cameo? The custom video website is a bit different from the likes of YouTube and Venmo.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve all gotten used to video calling with friends and family. And if there’s a major event coming up – like a birthday or anniversary, many of us have pre-recorded a video message so our loved ones could play it on the day.
But let’s face it: a video message from you is one thing. But what if, for example, you could give your dad a video birthday message of not you – but his favorite NFL star on his birthday?
That’s exactly what the Cameo platform is for. Cameo lets people pay celebrities to create custom video messages for them or their loved ones. Here’s what you need to know.
What Is Cameo?
At its most basic, Cameo is a video platform site that lets you buy custom short video messages from your favorite celebrity – or your loved one’s favorite celebrity. The company was founded in 2016 with the idea that celebrities would be able to send personalized video messages to fans.
But 2017, the official Cameo website launched, marking a new era of video content sharing. Cameo’s whole idea can be summed up in the way one of the creators described the personalized messages from celebrities the platform offers. That creator explains that the whole idea behind Cameo was that a personalized video message from a celebrity is the equivalent of a new type autograph.
Yep, a scratch of ink on a piece of paper from a celeb is nice and all – but a video of that celebrity wishing you a happy new year is even better. It should also be noted that instead of videos, you can buy a direct message from a celebrity too. Direct messages are generally cheaper than video messages.
Cameo is both a website and a free Android and iOS app, which is how you access the service. It also runs a service that allows companies to buy video endorsements from celebrities.
What Celebrities Are On Cameo?
As of the time of this writing, there are thousands of celebrities on Cameo. This include personalities from athletes to musicians to YouTubers and social media influencers, and even directors and actors.
While it may be apparent that an athlete or a movie star is considered a celebrity, how does Cameo decide if certain YouTubers or social media influencers are celebrities? Or, what are the requirements to join Cameo’s platform to hawk your messages?
Cameo considers anyone who has over 20,000 Instagram followers a celebrity/star, which means they can join the platform. The company also takes referrals for people from celebrities who are already on the platform.
As of 2020, Cameo boasted 15,000 celebrities on the platform, who have send 275,000 personal greetings.
As for what celebrities are on the platform, here’s a sample:
- Lindsay Lohan
- Lena Heady
- Caitlyn Jenner
- Mike Tyson
- Snoop Dog
- Denise Richards
- Paula Abdule
- Nick Lachey
- David Hasselhoff
- Kenny G
- Ben Stein
- Felicia Day
- Dean Cain
- Brent Spiner
- Bob Saget
- Jerry Springer
- Gary Busey
- James Van Der Beek
- Freddie Prinze Jr
And the list goes on…
How Much Does Cameo Cost?
Cameo is free for the user to join. You can create a free account on the website or via the app.
As for how much it costs for a DM of video from your favorite celeb – prices begin at $5. But the average price for a video is in the hundreds of dollars range. For example, Lindsay Lohan charges $500 for a video message and $19.99 for a direct message.
The most expensive video message on the platform was one made by Caitlyn Jenner, which cost $2,500.
You can find out more about Cameo here.
Michael Grothaus
Apple expert and novelist, Michael Grothaus has been covering tech on KnowYourMobile for the best part of 10 years. Prior to this, he worked at Apple. And before that, he was a film journalist. Michael is a published author; his book Epiphany Jones was voted as one of the best novels about Hollywood by Entertainment Weekly. Michael is also a writer at other publications including VICE and Fast Company.-
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