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☆ These 16 creator startups raised millions of dollars in 2023 despite a 'brutal' fundraising landscape
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Dan Whateley | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It's been a challenging fundraising year for creator-economy startups. Some creator upstarts have still managed to raise millions of dollars in 2023 despite constraining macroeconomic conditions. Link-in-bio upstart Hype in April announced it had raised a $10 million Series A. "We knew going into it that we are fundraising in arguably the most challenging fundraising environment in recent times," said Arthur Leopold, cofounder of the creator-marketing platform Agentio and a former president at Cameo. The funding ranged from a few million dollars to as much as $70 million for one startup.

Persons: It's, upstarts, Andreessen Horowitz, VCs, Kara Burney, Arthur Leopold, Leopold, Agentio, Steven Galanis, YouTuber Cody Ko, PitchBook Organizations: PitchBook, Business, Abstract Ventures, Founders Fund, Silicon Valley Bank, Craft Ventures, AlleyCorp Locations: Web3, Silicon, North America

And when Robert Van Winkle, better known as Vanilla Ice, sang his 1990 hit “Ice Ice Baby,” flanked by 10-foot sparklers, he pulled the Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath onstage. This was Cameopalooza 2021, a company retreat celebrating the meteoric rise of Cameo, an app and website where regular people could buy personalized videos from minor celebrities for as little as $1. Three hundred Cameo employees danced, took videos and basked in their good fortune to be a part of the Cameo “Fameo” — the company’s nickname for its employees and community of celebrities. A former collegiate party promoter, he shared the lifestyle of Cameo’s celebrity talent, jet setting between parties, sporting events and luxury homes in Miami, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Cameo had just raised $100 million on the audacious ambition to pioneer the “connection economy,” landing a $1 billion “unicorn” valuation just a few years into its existence.

Persons: Kenny G, Paula Abdul, Hamilton, Lance Bass, Robert Van Winkle, Ray, Mark McGrath, Jack Harlow, Steven Galanis, Cameo Organizations: Chicago, Hilton Locations: American, partied, Miami , Los Angeles, Chicago

☆ The SAG-AFTRA strike is the best thing to happen to Cameo, the short-video app where celebs get paid to make clips for fans, since the lockdowns
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Over 2,400 celebrities flocked to Cameo amid the SAG-AFTRA strike. AdvertisementAdvertisementShort-video request app Cameo has seen over 2,400 celebrities starting or reactivating their accounts since the actors' strike began in July, the company's CEO told CNN on Sunday. Cameo is an app where users can pay celebrities to make personalized short clips. Despite the recent influx of celebrities, Cameo has grappled with layoffs, axing 80 of its workforce in July and leaving the company with less than 50 employees, the Information reported. Galanis said at the time Cameo hired too many workers too quickly to "support both fan and talent demand during the pandemic lockdowns."

Persons: Fran Drescher, Alyssa Milano, Steven Galanis, Galanis, —, Cameo, Cheyenne Jackson, Milano, Raymond, Fred Stoller, Elijah Wood Organizations: SAG, Actors, Morning, CNN, Screen Actors, New York Times Locations: Hollywood

☆ Celebrity video site sees a surge of actor sign-ups in the wake of the strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Others film short videos for fans on Cameo, fetching anywhere up to $1 to $1,500. CameoThe reality of actors’ livelihoods has come into full focus since the SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14. Seeking extra cash, many out-of-work thespians have flocked to Cameo, a site where they can earn income from fans who buy personalized celebrity videos. The average price for Cameo for Business, which allows the video to be used for commercial purposes, is $1,700. ‘The Pope’s blessing’Despite the influx of actors this summer, it’s been a slow season for the site since Father’s Day.

Persons: Steven Galanis, ” Galanis, Fran Drescher, ”, Cameo, Drescher, Alyssa Milano, Cheyenne Jackson, Chris Wood, China McClain, Melissa Benoist, Brian Cox, Santa Claus, Galanis, Fred Stoller, Gerard, Raymond ”, Fred the, who’ve, ” Stoller, Stoller, he’s, we’re, it’s, AFTRA Organizations: New, New York CNN, SAG, CNN Business, CNN, for, “, “ The Penguins, Fantasy Football, Business Locations: New York, Hollywood, China, Santa, “ The, Madagascar

☆ Cameo launches Cameo Kids personalized videos with Candle Media
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Dec 8 (Reuters) - Celebrity video messaging service Cameo said Thursday it has partnered with Candle Media to launch a new feature aimed at the playground set -- Cameo Kids. The service will offer personalized birthday and holiday video greetings from animated children's characters, including popular figures from Candle Media's Moonbug Entertainment's franchises "Blippi" and "CoComelon." Personalized messages for children expand the potential market for Cameo, which launched five years ago and allows athletes, celebrities and musicians to sell personalized videos to their fans. Cameo had experimented with offering children's content about a year ago, working with Mattel Inc's (MAT.O) 'Thomas the Tank Engine,' but its partnership with Candle Media helped elevate the experience, Galanis said. Blackstone-backed Candle Media spent months figuring out how to use its animated characters to deliver personalized video at scale.

☆ Another tech bubble bursts: 2022 has been brutal for Silicon Valley workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Covers Tech For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +28 min

Gem: 100A maker of recruiting software, the startup cut a third of its workforce Nov. 1, The Information reported. HealthCare.com: 149The health insurance marketplace announced the job cuts Aug. 3, Miami Inno reported, citing state regulatory filings. Fabric: 120The robotics startup said July 13 that it was layoffing off 40% of them, TechCrunch reported, citing company confirmation. It affected about 300 people, the Silicon Valley Business Journal reported, citing company confirmation. Policygenius: 170The online insurance company cut about 25% of its staff, Axios reported June 6, citing company confirmation.

To see how much jobs in the creator economy pay, Insider analyzed salary data from 142 work-visa applications filed with the US government and decided on between October 2020 and June 2022. The pay data includes salaries ranging from a data scientist position that offers $170,000 per year at Discord to a staff engineer role that earns $250,000 or more at Patreon. At Cameo, a principal software engineer would make $230,000Steven Galanis, CEO of Cameo. Senior Manager, DevOps : $140,000: $140,000 Statistician: $116,979 to $170,000 (Spotter said it internally calls this position "Data Analyst.") At Teachable, a senior software engineer would make $150,000Teachable is a platform where creators can build and sell online courses and coaching programs.

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