Cameo Offers Actors a Lifeline During a Prolonged Industry Strike

My first experience with Cameo was during my wife’s birthday several years ago. In the midst of the pandemic, we were unable to host a proper party, so I turned to Cameo and enlisted a handful of her favorite actors from the (then) hit show This Is Us, including Mandy Moore and Chris Sullivan, to record birthday greetings for her. It was a time when many actors found themselves unable to do their usual work, so the idea of recording short videos for fans and getting paid was appealing.

Now, as we enter the fifth month of the Hollywood writers strike, even more actors are turning to Cameo as a lifeline. Not only to make a bit of money on the side, but more importantly to keep their health and pension benefits, thanks to a timely move from Cameo to ensure that actors can count their earnings on the platform toward those existing benefits. It’s a great startup story of both being in the right place at the perfect time, and ensuring that you push through a benefit that really matters to your partners (the actors).