Since its launch in 2017, Cameo has established itself as the leading marketplace for actors, athletes, musicians, and other celebrities to create personalized video messages for their fans. To date, Cameo has generated over $310 million in talent earnings and facilitated more than 8.2 million personalized connections with audiences worldwide. After years of limiting access to select personalities who met specific follower thresholds or were hand-picked, Cameo is now expanding its marketplace to a broader range of talent through a new onboarding policy called CameoX.
The nature of fame is changing, and the number of global creators is growing rapidly. To meet the increasing demands of the supply side of its marketplace, Cameo launched the CameoX pilot in May 2023, making the strategic decision to allow just about anyone with a passion for engaging with fans to join the Cameo community.
The company has spent the last year and a half making significant improvements to the onboarding experience to make it easier than ever for talent to join. In the first quarter of the pilot alone, the initiative doubled the number of new talent joining the platform. Notably, within the first 30 days of the SAG-AFTRA strike of 2023, over 1,550 members self-enrolled on Cameo.
The results: In the last 18 months, CameoX has attracted 31,000 new self-enrolled creators, completing over 155,000 Cameos and collectively earning millions in bookings. That’s a significant new revenue stream for this group of talent as well as a rich catalog of new choices for consumers looking for creative ways to send birthday wishes, holiday greetings, motivational messages and more.
“The nature of fame has changed dramatically. Some of our most successful talent are digitally native creators who aren’t famous in the traditional sense, but have an extremely engaged fan base,” said Cameo CEO Steven Galanis. “The amount of fame in the world is exponentially increasing as new stars are being minted overnight on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, SoundCloud and YouTube. Whether you’re famous, infamous or emerging, there is a place for you on Cameo.”
The vast majority of creators are not able to sustain themselves with the revenue they make directly from platforms alone. Cameo provides an alternative earning stream for talent, built on a best in class direct-to-fan monetization framework. In a world where every Cameo is a commercial for the next one, the CameoX policy has given creators a new channel to generate visibility as well as revenue, enabling them to both leverage and expand their influence.
Historically, talent could join the marketplace in three ways: 1) through outreach from the Cameo team, 2) via referral from another talent or talent manager, or 3) by applying directly. In the past three years alone, Cameo received over 100,000 applications from talent who did not meet the marketplace’s thresholds.
The issue: Cameo was missing a new wave of emerging creators who could benefit from the platform but weren’t allowed on. CameoX removes those barriers and allows talent to become part of the Cameo family in a matter of minutes. Interested talent can now join the marketplace simply by filling out a form with some basic information, downloading the Cameo app, and going through a quick identity verification process. This change in policy is more in line with models like Twitch and YouTube, where anyone can join for free and begin to monetize their personas instantly.
“We realized we had missed out on thousands of talented individuals who could have made meaningful contributions to the marketplace,” said Galanis. “We missed SAG-AFTRA actors who had applied before landing breakout roles in hit Netflix shows. We missed emerging artists before releasing chart-topping singles. We missed creators before their viral moments on TikTok. And we missed pro athletes who applied while in college, prior to NIL rule changes that allowed them to monetize their talent. With CameoX, those days are over.”
Since the change, Cameo has welcomed a diverse range of personalities, including NFL coaches, popular creators such as Anthony Polcari and The Rizzler, top reality stars like Q Burdette, America Lopez, and Plane Jane, actors Melissa Benoist and Ben Starr, former Congressman George Santos, and even Mona Nanalan’, a beloved puppet who has been one of Cameo’s most booked talent for the past few months. Mona alone has completed over $600,000 worth of Cameos since joining last July — just one of many examples illustrating how fans’ enthusiasm for unique and engaging personalities extends beyond the traditional concept of celebrity.
This influx of new talent has fueled the growth of exciting new use cases on Cameo. Fans are now turning to the marketplace for personalized Q&A sessions, astrological chart readings, custom bachelorette or bachelor party invites, fantasy football lineup advice, and even gender reveals, tarot card readings, and relationship guidance. These innovative interactions are enriching the fan experience and showcasing the versatility of the expanding talent roster.
“We’re passionate about helping individuals connect with their fans on a deeper level, especially in an era where people are often more famous than financially secure,” Galanis said. “Our goal is to support talent at every stage of their career, provide them with the tools they need to succeed, and facilitate a marketplace in which they will thrive.”
To join Cameo and start monetizing your fan interactions in a few minutes, visit www.cameo.com/enroll.
