Celebrity, Inc.

How Famous People Make Money

By: Jo Piazza

Narrated by: Jean Barrett

Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

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 12 fascinating case studies that tackle celebrities the way industry analysts would dissect any consumer brand.

©2011 Jo Piazza (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"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)

Eye opening!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Celebrity, Inc.?

Who knew Oscars were campaigned for like the presidency? As much money, spin-doctoring, and rhetoric goes into an Oscar campaign as any run for office. I'll never look at the Academy Awards the same way again!

Capitalism and Celebrities

This was an interesting topic, however, I feel like the author was fairly surface level in her telling and didn’t really dig deep enough into any depth. Plus, the tone was really dismissive toward female celebrities, showing the author’s disdain for these people without digging into social biases and cultural norms. This could have been a very insightful and relatable criticism of capitalism as that’s really what this is about.

Great read if interested in the economics of fame'

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/Listened To 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)


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.

A must for critical media consumers

Very informative; this is an excellent title encompassing all aspects of celebrity monetization. Piazza puts celebrity gossip and scandal into a business perspective. I am not a regular follower of celebrities and popular culture, and yet I found this title to be of exceptional interest.

Good stuff

This was a surprisingly interesting book! While it is pretty common knowlege that a lot of the things in the media about celebrities are "staged", this book puts a whole new spin on it and even causes you to see things in a different light. Why do people hate Lindsay Lohan but love Charlie Sheen? Do celebrities really plan thier hook ups and break ups around their careers? Do publicists tip off photographers when thier clients go places? You have to read it to find out but its all in there and you wont look at celebrity headlines the same way.