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: #215,496 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. Read more ›

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.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Will Make You Rethink Twitter as a Marketing Venue December 5, 2011

By J. Easton

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've been in the online marketing realm for 10+ years and found this book to be one of the most informative. She got the details (and the how much!). Will make you rethink twitter as a marketing vehicle as well as considering propelling Ashton Kutcher to sainthood status. Really.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great May 31, 2013

By Avril

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

great book, love how it takes about fame, and the chapters are really interesting, needed the book for college and worked well

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Exploration of How Celebrities Stay Relevant and Make Bank December 3, 2012

By Rachel Kramer Bussel VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As an avid reader of celebrity gossip magazines, websites and memoirs, I thought I knew a bit about how celebrity works. At the very least, I knew celebs often court the press and get paid for photo ops. But from reading Jo Piazza's excellent expose Celebrity, Inc., I learned so many more ways celebrities can and do earn money and position their brands in what she calls the Hollywood Industrial Complex. Tackling everything from the rise of the celebrity baby market (and its source, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt), one of the most remarkable chapters in that the numbers are so astronomical, to how Kim Kardashian outdid Paris Hilton in the world of reality TV and its attended much more than fifteen minutes of fame, to Tim McGraw's fragrance line, how rap beefs boost sales, and how celebrities' popularity is measured, Piazza offers up lessons that have stayed with me every time I read a magazine or see a piece of gossip. Piazza also makes it clear that whether it's creating a more charitable image or creating a digital footprint, celebrities must continue to innovate and analyze their own images to stay in the game, lest someone new come along and usurp their role in the power hierarchy. Anyone active online will appreciate her chapter about Ashton Kutcher and his involvement in the tech world, which has both made him plenty of money via various income streams but paved the way for companies to capitalize on celebrity brands online. Definitely worth reading for anyone interested in the inner workings of the financing of celebrity, persona and fame.

4.0 out of 5 stars Makes you think December 3, 2012

By drewski

Format:Paperback

This book was interesting and really makes you stop and look at your life and realize just how everything is for sale.

4.0 out of 5 stars if you are at all interested in learning the 'economics of fame' this is well worth a read. November 25, 2012

By Peter Williams

Format:Paperback

How I Heard About The Book...

This book had been sitting in my Audible wish list for a while before I downloaded it, so I can't recall the exact referal... but I think it might have been mentioned in a Dan Kennedy newsletter a few months back.

The Lesson/Argument in Three Sentences...

There is no real applicable lesson in here, as the book is basically a documentary in print detailing how the quote unquote, famous, actually make their money and play the fame-game. It also talks/reveals a lot about the mechanics of the entertainment business; covering things like how to "buy an oscar win" . I guess if you are trying to be the next Paris Hilton it may help you forecast/project/plan out your income streams, but it's more of a education on 'how the game is played' than a playbook.

Why Read It ...

Maybe you're not obsessed with celebrity like Fleur (my wife) is, but if you are at all interested in learning the 'economics of fame' this is well worth a read.
And if you're not overtly interested in discovering how 'celebrities earn their income', you should! 'Celebrity' is one of the largest, hottest and most in-demand 'industries' ... and as savvy entrepreneurs we should continue to stay abreast of other industries and how they work ... especially if we want to partner with a celebrity on an endorsement deal (and there a are only a few better ways to get attention in this day and age than with a celebrity spokesperson)

Consumption Method [Audio,eBook,Paperback etc] ...

Given it's not a 'how to' style book, that I felt I needed to take notes on, I've opted for the audiobook version.... [There are some really interesting facts, stats and numbers shared in the book that I would have liked to note down though - and some reviews refer to charts and graphs being in the book.]

Other Similar Books Worth Checking Out ...

Celebrity Leverage: Insider Secrets to Getting Celebrity Endorsements, Instant Credibility and Star-Powered Publicity, or How to Make Your Business - Plus Yourself - Rich and Famous - Jordan McAuley [If you want to go down the path of using a celebrity to promote your business, project or charity; Jordan's book covers the 'how-to', that 'Celebrity Inc' left out.]

Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator - Ryan Holiday [Ryan pulls back the curtains on the media and blogosphere in a similar way; but Ryan mixes his own experiences in with the investigator/reporter angle.]

What Was Missing ...

The celebrity industry is so large that this book could become a series, exposing every trick under the sun celebrities use to cash-in on their fame. There isn't one specific 'monetisation' strategy I was left wanting to know more about .. but a sports version of this book is something I would really enjoy. Read more ›