Cameo (website)

Cameo is an American video-sharing website headquartered in Chicago. Created in 2016 by Steven Galanis, Martin Blencowe, and Devon Spinnler Townsend, the site allows celebrities to send personalized video messages to fans.[1][2] As of May 2020, more than 30,000 celebrities have joined the platform.[3] The company employs 33 people as of 2023, down from a peak of 400.[4] Popularity surged due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, with over 2,400 actors joining or rejoining the site.[5]

For other uses, see Cameo (disambiguation).

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

Overview

Steven Galanis and Martin Blencowe conceived Cameo after leaving Galanis's grandmother's funeral.[6] 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.[1] The duo realized that "the selfie was the new autograph".[7] Marsh tweeted a photo introducing his fans to the site and it was launched on March 15, 2017.[1] Since then, celebrities with more than 20,000 Instagram followers are eligible to set up an account with Cameo.[8]

Cameo has been named #19 of America's Best Startup Employers by Forbes[9] and #17 by LinkedIn.[10]

The site grew during the COVID-19 pandemic as it accommodates social distance restrictions.[11] In July 2020 the site launched Promotional Cameos, a premium priced service for businesses to buy celebrity endorsements.[12][13]

Following the end of the pandemic and federal interest rate hikes, the website laid off 87 people in May 2022.[4] A further 80 people were laid off in November 2022 and a third round occurred in 2023, bringing their number of employees to 33, down from nearly 400 at its peak.[14][4][15]

Reception

Chicago Magazine called Cameo "The Most American Startup Ever".[16] In 2020, Cameo topped Fast Company's list of the "World's Most Innovative Social Media Companies"[17] and was listed as one of the "World's 50 Most Innovative Companies".[18] In 2019, Cameo received the Momentum Award given annually by 1871 and the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center.[19] Cameo was named one of the "50 Most Genius Companies" by Time magazine in 2018.[20] Galanis was named one of "Hollywood's Top Innovators" by The Hollywood Reporter.[21] Co-founder Townsend was included in a "Forbes 30 Under 30" list.[22]

See also

References
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. "Cameo website connecting athletes, celebrities with fans". Newsday. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  4. Maheshwari, Sapna; Griffith, Erin (October 20, 2023). "Cameo to the Moon, and Back". The New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  5. Maruf, Ramishah (August 27, 2023). "Celebrity video site sees a surge of actor sign-ups in the wake of the strike | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  6. "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. August 9, 2019. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  7. Pasarow, Anabel. "Everyone Is Suddenly Obsessed With Cameo — Here's Why". Refinery29. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  8. "Cameo Raises $50 Million In Series B, Has Hosted 275,000 Video Shoutouts In 2 Years". Tubefilter.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  9. "America's Best Startups Employers 2020". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  10. "LinkedIn Top Startups 2021: The 50 U.S. companies on the rise". LinkedIn. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  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. 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.
  13. Ifeanyi, K. C. (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.
  14. Yurieff, Kaya (November 9, 2022). "Briefing: Cameo Lays Off Staff for Second Time This Year". The Information. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  15. Clark, Kate; Mascarenhas, Natasha; Yurieff, Kaya (July 21, 2023). "At Cameo, Deep Layoffs Followed a Dash for Cash". The Information. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  16. Caro, Mark. "The Most American Startup Ever". Chicago magazine. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  17. "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.
  18. Ifeanyi, K. C. (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.
  19. "Cameo, Avail Win Big at 1871's Momentum Awards". americaninno.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  20. "The 50 Most Genius Companies of 2018". Time. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  21. "A Text From Post Malone? New Apps Are Transforming the Fan Experience". The Hollywood Reporter. May 6, 2020. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  22. "Devon Townsend, 29". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
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