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I'm honestly surprised Cameo is doing as well as it is. To me, I personally find it sort of cheesy. I didn't purchase a Cameo or anything, but I did sign up on

I'm honestly surprised Cameo is doing as well as it is. To me, I personally find it sort of cheesy. I didn't purchase a Cameo or anything, but I did sign up on the service to see what it was like, and who all was on it. It seemed to be filled with quite a range of actors/actresses/celebs/etc. but since each of them were basically just reading a cliché "happy birthday" type script with insert {blank} name into the Cameo, it just felt disingenuous to me. A lot of actors also seemed to really "phone it in" for it. I was surprised how much people were paying for these, to be frank. If I received one from a friend, I just don't think I'd see the value, and I'm even a big tv/movie fan. "So, you just paid a celeb to say a few lines? Okay, neat, I guess?" I feel like it was probably more unique at the start when X friend didn't realize you had easy access to the celeb, so it felt like "OMG, how did you get them to do/say that?!" But now that it's getting more popular, it seems to me the value of it being unique would get washed out fast. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I think the best way for Cameo to actually expand would be to open it up to allow you to book a celeb for more than just a quick little video blurb. Like being able to invite them to parties, or events, and pay them for an actual true "cameo." It would obviously come with a price, but to me, that would be much more innovative.

CyrusL 7y ago
In my experience as a Cameo customer, the videos are received very well as a gag gift. "OMG, I can't believe you got them to make me a video!" To me, the open question is if the novelty factor will wear off. I don't think I would ever get the same person a second Cameo. I'm not even sure if I would keep buying Cameos if the service was well-known. A big part of the gag is "How did you pull that off?!" Maybe there are enough birthdays that it just doesn't matter.
- jaredsohn 7y ago
  Also wondering if deepfake could eventually disrupt them
  - mc32 7y ago
    Without an explicit license from the celebrity that likely would infringe on image or likeness of the celebrity and not be protected by fair use.
    - toomuchtodo 7y ago
      Which will matter to absolutely no one, just as music is remixed and memes made with no recourse.
      - mc32 7y ago
        For individuals doing it on their own, sure, but if it’s a service (like this but with “deepfake”) it wouldn’t last long before the lawsuits come in.
        toomuchtodo 7y ago
        The component that generates would be distinct from the model used. You make the model freely available, but charge to generate. Highly unlikely we’re going to outlaw math distributed online. Given enough time, assume you’ll be able to run this on a phone eventually.
        JetSpiegel 7y ago
        No chance in hell this isn't nuked into oblivion by the most amateur lawyer. Money is changing hands, legal figleafs won't cut it.
  - giobox 7y ago
    Surely no one actually cares all that much about the video itself? The novelty is the fact the actual celebrity took some time to do something involving you or someone you know. You can already happily Photoshop a hugely convincing signed celebrity photo, I don't see people who want such things affected by this or feeling the real thing is worth any less. Giving someone a deep fake as a gift or novelty would feel somewhat strange/hollow.
- sonnyblarney 7y ago
  The more disconcerting problem is, even if it's a trend and not a fad ... there are still valuation problems with this.
  - mi100hael 7y ago
    Based on what? Celebs & pop stars are already getting paid millions per year to speak/play at private events. Commoditizing that market and making it accessible on a variety of platforms at a variety of pricing tiers is going to bring in a ton of money.
    - sonnyblarney 7y ago
      How much is a 'ton'? 5 Million? 10 million? 100 million? How big really is the market for a celeb sending a custom 10 second video talking about something, and can this entity really control that market? How do they maintain their margins. Take Social Media for example, it'd seem there doesn't seem to be a massive player that controls how the sponsorship money flows into influencers, and not for a lack of trying.
- chris11 7y ago
  I think Cameo a really cool business idea.For me it would mostly be a gag gift, but I definitely think it's sustainable. It gets creators in front of their fans, and lets their fans send money directly to them. I see comparisons between Cameo, YouTube, Patreon, and Twitch.
moorhosj 7y ago
==But now that it's getting more popular, it seems to me the value of it being unique would get washed out fast.== Or, the prices will rise and Cameo revenue will increase. Each celeb has only so many hours in a day, so there is an upper-bound on the number of Cameo's they can realistically record. From Crain's Chicago [1]: "On average, customers are paying $62 per video, nearly triple the amount just 12 months ago. Cameo keeps 25 percent." ==Like being able to invite them to parties, or events, and pay them for an actual true "cameo." It would obviously come with a price, but to me, that would be much more innovative.== Isn't this idea basically the Fyre app? It seems like Cameo took a solid route, it will be interesting to see where this round takes them. [1] https://www.chicagobusiness.com/john-pletz-technology/cameo-lands-50-million-deal-led-kleiner-perkins https://www.chicagobusiness.com/john-pletz-technology/cameo-...
bsder 7y ago
> Like being able to invite them to parties, or events, and pay them for an actual true "cameo." It would obviously come with a price, but to me, that would be much more innovative. This so much. I would never pay for a VIP session with a guitarist I like, but I would pay quite a bit for a couple of actual guitar lessons.
onion2k 7y ago
You frame this as sensible business advice that would move Cameo from where they are now to being a business that could capture your money, but really what you're saying is that you aren't Cameo's target market. There's no reason for Cameo to change if they're doing well. They don't need to pivot simply because they don't appeal to you or me.

CyrusL 7y ago

In my experience as a Cameo customer, the videos are received very well as a gag gift. "OMG, I can't believe you got them to make me a video!" To me, the open question is if the novelty factor will wear off. I don't think I would ever get the same person a second Cameo. I'm not even sure if I would keep buying Cameos if the service was well-known. A big part of the gag is "How did you pull that off?!" Maybe there are enough birthdays that it just doesn't matter.

jaredsohn 7y ago
Also wondering if deepfake could eventually disrupt them
- mc32 7y ago
  Without an explicit license from the celebrity that likely would infringe on image or likeness of the celebrity and not be protected by fair use.
  - toomuchtodo 7y ago
    Which will matter to absolutely no one, just as music is remixed and memes made with no recourse.
    - mc32 7y ago
      For individuals doing it on their own, sure, but if it’s a service (like this but with “deepfake”) it wouldn’t last long before the lawsuits come in.
      - toomuchtodo 7y ago
        The component that generates would be distinct from the model used. You make the model freely available, but charge to generate. Highly unlikely we’re going to outlaw math distributed online. Given enough time, assume you’ll be able to run this on a phone eventually.
        JetSpiegel 7y ago
        No chance in hell this isn't nuked into oblivion by the most amateur lawyer. Money is changing hands, legal figleafs won't cut it.
- giobox 7y ago
  Surely no one actually cares all that much about the video itself? The novelty is the fact the actual celebrity took some time to do something involving you or someone you know. You can already happily Photoshop a hugely convincing signed celebrity photo, I don't see people who want such things affected by this or feeling the real thing is worth any less. Giving someone a deep fake as a gift or novelty would feel somewhat strange/hollow.
sonnyblarney 7y ago
The more disconcerting problem is, even if it's a trend and not a fad ... there are still valuation problems with this.
- mi100hael 7y ago
  Based on what? Celebs & pop stars are already getting paid millions per year to speak/play at private events. Commoditizing that market and making it accessible on a variety of platforms at a variety of pricing tiers is going to bring in a ton of money.
  - sonnyblarney 7y ago
    How much is a 'ton'? 5 Million? 10 million? 100 million? How big really is the market for a celeb sending a custom 10 second video talking about something, and can this entity really control that market? How do they maintain their margins. Take Social Media for example, it'd seem there doesn't seem to be a massive player that controls how the sponsorship money flows into influencers, and not for a lack of trying.
chris11 7y ago
I think Cameo a really cool business idea.For me it would mostly be a gag gift, but I definitely think it's sustainable. It gets creators in front of their fans, and lets their fans send money directly to them. I see comparisons between Cameo, YouTube, Patreon, and Twitch.

moorhosj 7y ago

==But now that it's getting more popular, it seems to me the value of it being unique would get washed out fast.== Or, the prices will rise and Cameo revenue will increase. Each celeb has only so many hours in a day, so there is an upper-bound on the number of Cameo's they can realistically record. From Crain's Chicago [1]: "On average, customers are paying $62 per video, nearly triple the amount just 12 months ago. Cameo keeps 25 percent." ==Like being able to invite them to parties, or events, and pay them for an actual true "cameo." It would obviously come with a price, but to me, that would be much more innovative.== Isn't this idea basically the Fyre app? It seems like Cameo took a solid route, it will be interesting to see where this round takes them. [1] https://www.chicagobusiness.com/john-pletz-technology/cameo-lands-50-million-deal-led-kleiner-perkins https://www.chicagobusiness.com/john-pletz-technology/cameo-...

bsder 7y ago

> Like being able to invite them to parties, or events, and pay them for an actual true "cameo." It would obviously come with a price, but to me, that would be much more innovative. This so much. I would never pay for a VIP session with a guitarist I like, but I would pay quite a bit for a couple of actual guitar lessons.

onion2k 7y ago

You frame this as sensible business advice that would move Cameo from where they are now to being a business that could capture your money, but really what you're saying is that you aren't Cameo's target market. There's no reason for Cameo to change if they're doing well. They don't need to pivot simply because they don't appeal to you or me.