Celebrity, Inc.: How Famous People Make Money [Kindle Edition]

Jo Piazza (Author)

Book Description

From $10,000 tweets to making money in the afterlife, a recovering gossip columnist explores the business lessons that power the Hollywood Industrial Complex

Why do celebrities get paid so much more than regular people to do a job that seems to afford them the same amount of leisure time as most retirees? What do Bush-era economics have to do with the rise of Kim Kardashian? How do the laws of supply and demand explain why the stars of Teen Mom are on the cover of Us Weekly? And how was the sale of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s baby pictures a little like a street drug deal? After a decade spent toiling as an entertainment journalist and gossip columnist, Jo Piazza asks the hard questions about the business behind celebrity.

 

Make no mistake: Celebrity is an industry. Never in the course of human history has the market for celebrities been as saturated as it is today. Nearly every day most Americans will consume something a celebrity is selling—a fragrance, a sneaker, a song, a movie, a show, a tweet, or a photo in a magazine.

 

With the benefits of Piazza’s unique access to the celebrity market, Celebrity, Inc. explains in detail what generates cash for the industry and what drains value faster than a starlet downs champagne—in twelve fascinating case studies that tackle celebrities the way industry analysts would dissect any consumer brand.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An economist at heart, Jo Piazza has consistently dug deeper to try to figure out why celebrities behave the way they do and what the consequences of their behavior will be. This book puts celebrities in context, but it also puts the consumer of celebrity in context. No one should feel bad about enjoying pop culture, but they should understand how it is being marketed to them. [Celebrity, Inc.] gives the reader the tools to do exactly that.”
—Bonnie Fuller, President of HollywoodLife.com

About the Author

Jo Piazza began her career as a staff writer at the New York Daily News after receiving a degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's in journalism from Columbia University. Millions of people have enjoyed her “Celebenomics” column on AOL’s PopEater site, and her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Daily Beast, and Slate. Jo has also appeared as a commentator on CNN, Fox News,MSNBC, and NPR.

Product Details

• File Size: 1166 KB
• Print Length: 232 pages
• Publisher: Open Road Media E-riginal (November 15, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005VWK9K8
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,935 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A delicious & insightful read November 17, 2011

By Manisha Thakor

Format:Paperback

Once I started reading this book, I could hardly put it down. With chapter titles such as #scandal & #diets you may guess there are some juicy bits. But what may really surprise you is the degree to which this book can help YOU live a saner life. By holding up a mirror to the world of celebrity Jo gives us a intimate backdrop against which to assess the 24/7/365 images of the "lifestyles of the rich and famous" we are exposed to in modern digital life. If you enjoy reading about entertainment, business, entrepreneurship, and/or personal finance - you'll love CELEBRITY, INC. It's got all that - and more - in there. Highly recommend.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening book about the business of celebrity August 30, 2012

By Book Nympho

Format:Paperback

I'm absolutely fascinated with behind-the-scenes Hollywood. You can read all about celebrities in magazines but everything that happens backstage has always seemed so mysterious to me. I'd rather hear about how movies get made, what producers and agents do, how deals are made and films are written. So when I heard about this book, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

I think a lot of people think that being famous automatically equals being wealthy without wondering how celebrities actually get their money. In Celebrity, Inc. the author covers different ways celebs can get paid. There are chapters on:

*Baby pictures: how celebrities pit magazines against one another to bid for photos of their children
*Reality TV: how it works, what it takes to get on a show, how much of it is really real, etc.
*Weight loss: can you believe some people gain weight just so they can get paid to lose it in the spotlight?
*Celebutantes: people who are famous for being famous and how to turn fame into a career
*Perfume: ever wondered why there are so many celebrity perfumes out there and why they're marketed the way they are?
*Feuds: how launching a fight (even a fake one) with another celebrity can mean you both make more money
*Internet: how Ashton Kutcher pioneered on Twitter and how celebrities are getting paid to advertise online
*American Idol: all about the show and how it was created to make money, as well as the fame of those who do (and don't) win
*Charities: how celebrities use charities to boost their image
*Consistency: the importance of maintaining a consistent and reliable image to Hollywood success
*Fame after death: some deceased stars are making more money decades after their death than living ones.

It's easy to become somewhat disillusioned with Hollywood after reading this book. The overall impression is that being a celebrity is a job just like any other but it's also big business. I was surprised at some of the things celebrities do in order to make money or become famous, like marrying someone just because it's good for your "brand." This book will be a fascinating and eye-opening read for just about anyone.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Marketing Book December 10, 2011

By SagCynthia

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book for my sister because she loves Kim Kardashian. Kim is just a small portion of this book. As a marketer myself, I love this book. If you (or anyone you know) is looking to become "famous" (obviously no talent needed based on some of the 'celebs' the media has created), this is the book for you. Yes, it's a bit dry in a textbook sort of way (with it's graphs & charts), but it's quite instructional. I'm giving my sister her copy & buying a copy for myself to add to my marketing library.