Thibaut Courtois is no exception. On the platform, thousands of stars are ready to take a few seconds of their time for a video. On the official site, we find everything from rapper Snoop Dogg (who asks for the equivalent of 4,300 euros) to actress Bonnie Wright (who plays Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter saga) to Arsenal striker and English champion Gabriel Jesus. In short, the casting is large. Athletes still in activity, former stars, series actors, comedians, reality TV candidates, influencers, sometimes even simply personalities who have become cult for a well-placed phrase.
A nice commission for the “talent”
The American platform Cameo has not really invented a new link between celebrities and their audience. Above all, she put a price on an old fan fantasy, that of a message sent by a specific person. This is where Cameo found its vein. The platform doesn’t really sell a video, it sells the impression of a personal message from an inaccessible person. “Selfies are the new autograph” (understand “Selfies are the new autographs”), summarized Steven Galanis, co-founder and boss of Cameo, in 2018.
But concretely, how does this happen? The personalities set their price, Cameo organizes the order and takes its commission. The star then has seven days to send the video. Financially, according to the conditions presented to the talents, the creators keep 75% of the income, while the platform keeps the remaining 25%. In the case of Thibaut Courtois, a video at 258 euros would therefore bring in around 193.50 euros for the Belgian goalkeeper and 64.50 euros for Cameo, excluding any additional costs.
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A success during Covid, before the debacle
Launched in 2017, you should know that Cameo especially exploded during the pandemic. Concerts were canceled, tours stopped, conventions (events like Comic Con) impossible and meetings with fans suspended. Celebrities were at home, fans too, and the platform stepped into this void with a product adapted to the moment.
A success during Covid which also allowed it to obtain “unicorn” status in 2021, that is to say a company valued at more than a billion dollars.
But since then, the wind has died down. Events resumed, consumers returned to physical experiences and Cameo lost some of its momentum. The company laid off 87 people in 2022, then reduced its workforce further in 2023. Les Echos reports that the company, which had nearly 400 employees at the peak of its activity, today operates with a smaller team of 50 people. But the business is still going strong.
