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Steven Galanis      

Founder & CEO of Cameo

Steven Galanis is an American entrepreneur passionate about building strong lasting relationships predicated on integrity, respect, and mutual trust. His passion for connecting people led him to found Cameo, a marketplace where fans can book personalized video shoutouts from their favorite people, with Martin Blencowe & Devon Townsend. Recognized as one of “Hollywood’s Top Innovators” by THR (The Hollywood Reporter), Galanis has been named “40 under 40” by Crain’s Chicago Business and “Innovator of the Year (B2C)” by Chicago Inno.

Cameo has forever altered the way fans can interact with their favorite celebrities. In 2020, Cameo topped Fast Company’s list of the “World’s Most Innovative Social Media Companies” and was named one of the “World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies.” In 2019, Cameo took home the prestigious Momentum Award given annually by 1871 & the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center. Cameo was named one of the "50 Most Genius Companies" by Time Magazine in 2018.

To date, Cameo has raised over $65M in venture capital from some of the world’s top investors including Seed (Starting Line, Chicago Ventures, & Origin Ventures), Series A (Lightspeed Venture Partners, Bedrock, Pritzker Group), & Series B (Kleiner Perkins, The Chernin Group, Bain Capital Ventures, & Spark Capital).

Outside of Cameo, Galanis is an active member of the YPO Chicago Chapter and the Economic Club of Chicago. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity Chicago and on Duke University's Young Alumni Development Committee. He is LinkedIn alum who previously worked as a trader on the floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange and founder of two film investment companies where he produced movies featuring stars such as Bruce Willis and Robert De Niro. Galanis is a 2010 graduate of Duke University where he majored in History.

News


Cameo CEO Steven Galanis on the New Game of Fame
Social media completely changed how celebrities interact with their fans. But until recently, that relationship was still largely a one-way street. Enter Cameo. This four-year-old company lets fans commission videos from their favorite influencers. Now, Gilbert Gottfried can roast your bff. Kevin from The Office can wish your mom a happy birthday. Snoop Dogg can order your students to read their syllabus.
Cameo CEO Steven Galanis on building a $1 billion start-up: ‘I’m doing this for first time’
As the co-founder and CEO of the popular app Cameo — which allows fans to pay celebrities to make personalized video messages for them — Steven Galanis has big plans. “Our goal at Cameo is to become a publicly traded company most likely in the next 18 to 36 months,” Galanis tells CNBC Make It. Business has exploded amid the Covid-19 pandemic, he says.
What is a celebrity worth? | The Economist
The writer of this piece deserves a big raise,” says Bret “The Hitman” Hart, a professional wrestler from the 1990s. “He is the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be,” he adds, echoing his old catchphrase. Your correspondent paid Mr Hart $150 to sing his praises. Mr Hart is one of over 10,000 celebrities on Cameo, an online service where anyone can commission famous people to film short messages. Its popularity has surged as celebrities seek new sources of income and confined consumers look for ways to spend money. Last year they paid some $100m for 1.3m videos, more than in the previous three years combined.
How Cameo Generated $100 Million Last Year From Celebrity Shout-Out Videos
Social media provides an unprecedented way for stars to connect with their fans — but only the upper echelons of celebrities have been able to convert their online presence into cold, hard cash. Steven Galanis, co-founder and CEO of Cameo, says his company is part of a rising wave of direct-to-fan platforms that is changing that, by letting a much broader range of talent make money online.

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