Cameo lets you hire celebrities to create personalized videos for any occasion — here's a full breakdown of how the service works

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• Cameo is an online service that lets people hire celebrities to create personalized videos.
• Thousands of actors, musicians, artists, and influencers have joined the platform and set their own rates for a Cameo video appearance.
• Celebrity requests made on Cameo are guaranteed within seven days or all money is refunded — but the talent always has the final say on whether or not they complete a request.
• Cameo video prices range from as low as $1 to as high as $2,500, depending on the celebrity.

Cameo lets everyday people hire actors, athletes, artists, and celebrities of all types to create personalized video messages for any occasion. For example, you can hire American Idol winner Ruben Studdard to sing your partner's favorite song, or hire their favorite actor to leave them a video message as a specific movie character.

A Cameo video that went viral last year showed just how versatile the service can be when Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath helped a woman deliver a break-up message to her boyfriend with an upbeat attitude that turned the bad news into hilarious performance theater. More recently, Carole Baskin, the big-cat rights activist who suddenly rose to fame with the Netflix docuseries "Tiger King," has been seen singing 50 Cent's "In Da Club" as a Cameo request.

Thousands of celebrities and social media influencers are available for Cameo videos — they set their own price and still have final say over whether or not they complete user requests. Prices start as low as $1 to $5 for less recognizable online talent while iconic stars, like Ice Cube, Joe Montana, and Caitlyn Jenner, charge anywhere from $500 to $2,500 for a Cameo video.

For talent big and small, Cameo gives people a way to make money directly from their celebrity, and the service puts fans directly in touch with the artists they appreciate.

How does Cameo work?

To request a Cameo, you'll need to make an account and visit the Cameo Marketplace through the Cameo website or app, where you can sort the thousands of available celebrities based on category. Once you've chosen your celebrity, you'll fill out a request form where you describe what you want your Cameo talent to do, in a maximum of 250 characters. Cameo accepts direct payment via credit card — US residents using iOS can also purchase "Cameo credits" to store in your account and exchange for videos later.

Once the request is completed, the Cameo talent has seven days to accept or deny the project. If accepted, the celebrity will record the video and Cameo will send a link to the video to the phone numbers and email addresses listed with the request. Users can download the video to keep forever and share however they like.

If the hired talent doesn't fulfill the request within a week, all charges will be restored to the buyer's wallet.

Some Cameo celebrities also offer live Zoom calls, though you can expect them to be more expensive than a standard Cameo video with the same talent. The Cameo app gives you the ability to chat with talent via direct messages as well. Chatting is a cheaper option if you just want to ask a celebrity a question or send a quick shout-out.

Promotional Cameos

Cameo offers a separate service for businesses looking to promote a product, but most importantly, promotional videos created with Cameo are only licensed for use for three months after they are created. Cameo says businesses must contact the company directly to extend the license after three months.

Any products being sent to a celebrity for promotional purposes must be cleared through the Cameo request process in advance, and the talent is allowed to provide their honest opinion of any product they're asked to endorse.

Cameo also says that promotional videos cannot be edited, to avoid celebrity videos being used out of context. Unfortunately there are no refunds or reshoots for Promotional Cameo videos if you're unsatisfied with the final result, so be careful before you commit.