CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Want to send a customized birthday message from Gilbert Gottfried? What about a Superbowl Party invitation from Mike Ditka?
You can choose from 20,000 celebrities on Cameo, but the Chicago-based internet phenomenon began more modestly.
"I was working at LinkedIn and my co-founder Martin was riding in the car with me after my grandmother's funeral. As we were stuck in traffic, he showed me a video from Cassius Marsh, who played for the Seattle Seahawks at the time, who sent a congratulatory message to his buddy Brandon who was becoming a father for the first time," said Steven Galanis, Cameo Co-Founder & CEO. "This guy Brandon worked at Nike. He loved the Seahawks and said it was the best gift he ever got. He put it on Instagram and shared it with his colleagues at Nike and everyone thought it was super cool."
The Glenbrook South graduate knew he was onto something.
"We realized that the selfie is the new autograph. When you see someone famous at Gibson's or at Rush Street, everybody today wants a picture with them. It used to be that you'd pull out the menu or you'd have them sign your hat, but now if you don't have something you can put on Instagram or on Facebook, it didn't happen," Galanis said.
Galanis quit his job at LinkedIn and moved into a space at Chicago's 1871, a tech, entrepreneurial space inside the Merchandise Mart.
"There was a time when we were getting 200 new celebrities a day signed up," he said.
Cameo also has hubs around the world.
"We have people in Chicago, LA, we have an operation in London, one in Australia and four in Argentina," Galanis said.
Cameo's celebrities and athletes are priced accordingly. The most expensive? Caitlyn Jenner. The most popular this year? Gilbert Gottfried, but Galanis said nostalgia is their best seller. Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is their latest celebrity to sign on. Blagojevich is now charging $100 a message.
"More than 20 percent of our business is coming from overseas. It's largely foreigners booking American talent that they follow on Instagram, YouTube or Twitter. If we can crack the Bollywood market, the K-POP market, or European soccer players, there is so much to run. The world is so big and talent and celebrity is such a global game in 2020," he said.
If the selfie remains the new autograph and consumers continue to value experiences over stuff, it's something Galanis is counting on.
"In the digital world, this is an experience not a thing. I think in an age where people prefer experience or things, this was really the perfect product for the times," Galanis said.
