Cameo
Type of site
Entertainment
HeadquartersChicago, Illinois
Owners
  • Steven Galanis
  • Martin Blencowe
  • Devon Spinnler Townsend
Employees33 (2023)
URLwww.cameo.com
LaunchedMarch 15, 2017 (2017-03-15)

Cameo is an American video-sharing website headquartered in Chicago. Created in 2016 by Steven Galanis, Martin Blencowe, and Devon Spinnler Townsend, and launched in March 2017, the site allows fans to send some basic information to celebrities, who then use that to send personalized video messages to fans' friends, loved ones, or to the fans themselves.[1] By May 2020, more than 30,000 celebrities had joined the platform. The company peaked at 400 employees during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, when social distancing during 2020 and 2021 made the service a convenient way to send unique best wishes to friends and family; by July 2023, staff had fallen to 33 people.

Overview

Steven Galanis and Martin Blencowe conceived Cameo in 2016, after leaving Galanis's grandmother's funeral.[2] Blencowe's work included being a film producer and NFL agent. In April 2016, Blencowe got NFL player Cassius Marsh to record himself congratulating his friend on the birth of his son.[3][2] The duo realized that "the selfie was the new autograph".[4]

On March 15, 2017, Marsh tweeted a photo introducing his fans to the launch of the site.[3] Celebrities with more than 20,000 Instagram followers are eligible to set up an account with Cameo.[5]

In 2020, Forbes ranked Cameo at No. 19 on its list of America's 500 Best Startup Employers,[6] falling to No. 49 in 2021,[7] and it was no longer on that list by 2023.[8] In 2021, LinkedIn ranked Cameo at No. 17 on its list of 50 startups "where Americans want to work now",[9] and it was no longer on that shorter (as compared to Forbes) list by 2022.[10]

The site grew during the height (c. 2020 – c. 2021) of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, as it accommodated social distance restrictions, for both clients and celebrities, in place in during that time.[11] By May 2020, more than 30,000 celebrities had joined the platform.[12]

In July 2020 the site launched Promotional Cameos, a premium priced service for businesses to buy celebrity endorsements.[13][14]

In May 2019, an article in Axios estimated a US$300 million (equivalent to $340 million in 2022) valuation for Cameo;[15] in 2021, the SoftBank Vision Fund estimated a valuation for Cameo of US$1 billion (equivalent to $1.1 billion in 2022).[16] and the company increased its staff from 100 to 400 during the pandemic.[17] Following the end of the pandemic, and the associated inflation that led to interest rate hikes, Cameo went through a series of layoffs: it cut 87 people in May 2022;[17] a further 80 people in November 2022;[18] and performed a third round of layoffs in July 2023, bringing their number of employees down to 33.[19] The SoftBank Vision Fund reduced the valuation estimate to $100 million in 2022,[16] and Cameo's own investors estimating that the valuation had fallen to $50 million by 2023.[16]

Popularity resurged due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, with over 2,400 actors joining or rejoining the site, attracting more customers.[20]

Reception

In October 2018, Time magazine named Cameo as one of the "50 Most Genius Companies".[21] In September 2019, Cameo received the Momentum Award, given annually by the digital startup incubator 1871.[22] In December 2019, co-founder Townsend topped the "2020 Forbes 30 under 30: Consumer Technology" list.[23]

In March 2020, Cameo appeared in two lists in Fast Company, topping its list of the "World's Most Innovative Social Media Companies"[24] and appearing on its unranked list of the "World's 50 Most Innovative Companies".[25] A May 2020 article in Chicago called Cameo "The Most American Startup Ever".[15] That same month, Galanis was named one of "Hollywood's Top Innovators" by The Hollywood Reporter.[26]

People noted for their use of Cameo include former US congressman George Santos. Cameo's CEO said that his launch was among the most successful.[27][28][29]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hess, Amanda (August 1, 2018). "Now You Can Just Pay Celebrities to Say Stuff". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Jason Calacanis (August 9, 2019). "E963: Cameo CEO & Co-founder Steven Galanis allows celebrities to monetize their fame by delivering personal messages to fans, shares his unique founding story, new $50m raise by Kleiner Perkins, insights from massive growth, expanding into global markets & leading the future of influencer-fan interaction". This Week in Startups (Podcast). Launch Media, LLC. Event occurs at 2:30. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Swartz, Tracy (April 13, 2018). "Chicago-based company lets you send personalized shout-outs from celebs to your friends". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  4. ↑ Pasarow, Anabel (April 15, 2020). "Everyone Is Suddenly Obsessed With Cameo — Here's Why". Refinery29. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  5. ↑ Weiss, Geoff (June 25, 2019). "Cameo Raises $50 Million In Series B, Has Hosted 275,000 Video Shoutouts In 2 Years". Tubefilter News. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  6. ↑ Valet, Vicky (March 10, 2020). "America's Best Startup Employers". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 10, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  7. ↑ Stoller, Kristin (March 9, 2021). "2021 America's Best Startup Employers". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  8. ↑ Schwarz, Alan (March 7, 2023). "2023 America's Best Startup Employers". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  9. ↑ "LinkedIn Top Startups 2021: The 50 U.S. companies on the rise". LinkedIn. September 22, 2021. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  10. ↑ "LinkedIn Top Startups 2022: The 50 U.S. companies on the rise". LinkedIn. September 28, 2022. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  11. ↑ Kircher, Madison Malone (April 16, 2020). "Cameo Was Made for the Coronavirus". Vulture. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  12. ↑ Best, Neil (May 6, 2020). "Cameo website connecting athletes, celebrities with fans". Newsday. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  13. ↑ Jennings, Rebecca (July 17, 2020). "Want Ice-T, Brett Favre, or a Real Housewife to promote your business? It's cheaper than you think". Vox. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  14. ↑ Ifeanyi, KC (August 17, 2019). "How celebrity shout-out startup Cameo is trying to turn its 15 minutes into full-fledged stardom". Fast Company. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  15. 1 2 Caro, Mark (January 14, 2020). "The Most American Startup Ever". Chicago. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  16. 1 2 3 Clark, Kate; Mascarenhas, Natasha; Yurieff, Kaya (July 21, 2023). "At Cameo, Deep Layoffs Followed a Dash for Cash". The Information. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  17. 1 2 Spangler, Todd (May 4, 2022). "Cameo, Celebrity Video Shout-Out App, Lays Off 25% of Its Employees". Variety. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  18. ↑ Yurieff, Kaya (November 9, 2022). "Briefing: Cameo Lays Off Staff for Second Time This Year". The Information. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  19. ↑ Maheshwari, Sapna; Griffith, Erin (October 20, 2023). "Cameo to the Moon, and Back". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  20. ↑ Maruf, Ramishah (August 27, 2023). "Celebrity video site sees a surge of actor sign-ups in the wake of the strike". CNN Business. Archived from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  21. ↑ "The 50 Most Genius Companies of 2018". Time. October 4, 2018. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  22. ↑ Dallke, Jim (September 20, 2019). "Cameo, Avail Win Big at 1871's Momentum Awards". Chicago Business Journal. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  23. ↑ Barton, Merrilee (December 30, 2019). "Forbes 30 under 30: Consumer Technology | Devon Townsend, 29". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  24. ↑ "The 10 most innovative social media companies of 2020". Fast Company. March 10, 2020. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  25. ↑ Ifeanyi, KC (March 10, 2020). "Want Snoop Dogg to wish you a happy birthday? He can". Fast Company. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  26. ↑ Abramovitch, Seth (May 6, 2020). "A Text From Post Malone? New Apps Are Transforming the Fan Experience". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  27. ↑ MacHardy, Martha (December 12, 2023). "Jimmy Kimmel's perfect response to George Santos' demand for $20,000 over Cameo prank". The Independent. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  28. ↑ Levin, Bess (December 11, 2023). "George Santos Says He's Making Over $80,000 a Day on Cameo". Vanity Fair. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  29. ↑ McCreesh, Shawn (December 15, 2023). "George Santos Knows He Deserves to Be a Star". Intelligencer. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
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