Events across the country are canceled. The sports world is on hiatus. Concerts and music festivals are being postposed left and right.
Celebrities across the world, as well as their fans, are practicing social distancing in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. So how are celebrities staying connected to their fans? Cameo, of course.
Cameo, a marketplace for celebrity shoutout videos, saw one of its biggest booking days of the year on Monday as celebs turn to the Chicago startup as an outlet for interacting with the public, CEO Steven Galanis said. Big-name celebrities that Cameo has tried to convince to join for years are coming on board, like Mandy Moore and Mike Tyson (Tyson generated $20,000 in bookings on Monday during the first six hours he was on Cameo, Galanis said).
Other top names to join Cameo recently include Lindsay Lohan and NFL star Tyreek Hill. The NBA, with its season currently suspended, has seen new stars like the Orlando Magic's Aaron Gordon join. "We've done well with NBA players lately," Galanis said.
And customers are using the platform in different and unique ways as much of the country settles in to the new normal of social distancing and quarantines.
"This is an unprecedented situation," Galanis said. "You have people quarantined. You have bars and restaurants closed. You have people sitting on their couch that want to connect with their favorite people."
"Over the next week or two, there's an unbelievable roster of talent you’re going to see joining," he added.
Galanis expects business to be up about 30 percent this week compared to the week prior, but he acknowledged how difficult this time is for many Cameo users who are out of work---or could be soon. He sent an email to Cameo talent this week urging them to lower their prices to be more accessible to their fans. Some celebs, like Busy Phillips, are even donating their entire Cameo funds to charity. Phillips' $150 fee is going to No Kid Hungry and World Central Kitchen and she's using the platform "so I can tell your friends and family to stay the fuck home."
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A post shared by Busy Philipps (@busyphilipps) on Mar 16, 2020 at 3:44pm PDT
The ongoing coronavirus crisis has brought other new use cases to Cameo, Galanis said, like hockey legend Mark Messier, who recorded a Cameo for a woman's father on his birthday after she wasn't able to travel and be with him in person. People are also using Cameo for more somber occasions, like couples using Cameo talent to let people know their weddings have been postponed, Galanis said.
The most sought-after celebrity on Cameo in 2020 has been Jerry Harris, one of the stars of Netflix's reality show Cheer. With more people hunkering down, and Netflix usage likely to skyrocket, there could be a wave of new celebrities who grow their followings on Cameo.
"People are going to be watching more Netflix shows right now, so there’s probably new Jerry Harrises that are waiting to get discovered through peoples' Netflix binges," Galanis said.
But even as new celebrities flock to the platform and demand for Cameo is currently high, the coronavirus pandemic still creates an uncertain future for the company, as it does for many startups waiting to see how the global crisis impacts the economy. Cameo has slowed its hiring, putting a pause on a new role in London and the head of its India branch. However, Cameo still has more than a year's worth of runway, Galanis said, after raising raising a $50 million round last June.
"I think a lot of firms are thinking about where to cut costs," he said. "Most CEOs right now that I’ve talked to are thinking about how to navigate these uncharted next four to six months."
Galanis hopes that in these uncertain times Cameo can serve as a place for celebrities who've had meet-and-greets canceled, concerts postponed, and games suspended to reconnect with fans. And for users to find their favorite celebs in ways they otherwise couldn't.
"People don’t stop having birthdays," he said. "People need to smile."
