If a personalized video message from your favorite celebrity isn't enough, Cameo now lets you pay for a live video call so you can get even closer to stars like Brett Favre and Tony Hawk.
Last weekend, the Chicago startup officially launched a live Zoom calls feature that allows users to book a 10-minute Zoom chat with a select group of Cameo's talent marketplace. CEO Steven Galanis said the startup is starting with a group of 50 celebrities and will expand the offering if it resonates with fans and celebs.
Very exciting to see the early traction of Cameo Zoom calls. We’re currently experimenting with an initial list of 50 talent and will roll out more broadly if we find it to be a high NPS experience for fans & talent. https://t.co/jMY5GCR0M0
— Steven Galanis (@Mr312) June 15, 2020
The Zoom calls, which include you and up to four of your friends, vary in price and are considerably more expensive than a typical Cameo video shoutout. A regular Cameo from NSYNC's Lance Bass costs $249, but a Zoom call will run you $1,250. A Zoom chat with celebrity doctor Dr. Drew will cost you $707, while a 10-minute chat with Brett Favre costs a whopping $5,000.
Other celebrities offering Zoom calls include Sinbad ($250), Andrew Dice Clay ($1,400) and Gilbert Gottfried ($750).
The new feature comes as Americans get more comfortable integrating video calls into their daily routine. While the technology certainly isn't new, the coronavirus crisis has made Zoom a regular feature of business meetings, classroom lessons and family gatherings. Galanis previously said live video was not a priority for Cameo, given the awkwardness and time commitment for talent. But it appears Covid-19 has made one-on-one conversations more appetizing to both sides of its marketplace.
The Zoom call feature also comes as Cameo has been on a tear in 2020. The startup expects to do more than $100 million in bookings this year, and both the talent-side and user-side of Cameo have grown to levels the company wasn’t expecting to reach for another year or more, Galanis previously told Chicago Inno. The startup was also profitable in April, its first such month in company history.
Cameo isn't the only Chicago startup to take a stab at one-on-one video calls with celebrities. Earlier this year Real Talk Live launched an online marketplace for users to find and pay for video calls with famous people like Windy City Live Co-Host Val Warner and YouTuber Adrienne Finch.
