Make a Fortune as a Paparazzi

Okay, okay, so I am not making any celebrity friends by writing this article, but the paps are entrepreneurs, and the good ones make some pretty good bank.  So, if you are not offended by this article, and think you have what it takes to be a stalker….I mean a paparazzi, then read on.

Great businesses are built on supply and demand, if there is a demand for something, then success comes from being able to supply the need.  Well for some crazy reason, our world has a great demand for on the minute celebrity news.  They want to know who so and so is hooking up with or what color underwear they’re wearing, and they’re are willing to pay top dollar to find out (why, I don’t know).  Anytime there is a demand that high for anything, finding a way to supply it will usually make you a very wealthy individual.

On the outside looking in, one might not realize why all of these guys are chasing celebrities off of roads, and stalking Brad Pitt like prey, but let me give you a little break down of how much money has been payed for single pictures in the past.

• Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore’s wedding picture was sold to OK! Magazine for somewhere in the ballpark of $3 million dollars. (I know, right)
• In Touch payed $400k for a picture of Anna Nichole Smith with her son right before he died.
• Pictures of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie just simply walking down a beach brought in $500k from US Weekly.
• And last but certainly not least, People Magazine reportedly payed $4 million (yeah, you read that right….million) for the first pictures of Brad and Angelina’s baby.

So as you can see, this is a lucrative business, and with one great shot you could easily retire for good, and be a permanent quitter.

How to get started: Of all of the business ideas I have written about, this one has got to be the simplest.  You will want to obtain a great camera with a lens that has great zoom capabilities for getting far away shots.  You will also want also want a laptop with a Internet connection so you can upload, edit, and submit your photos.  Having the Internet right there with you in your vehicle will literally double your earnings.  Entertainment news sources pay top dollar for “Exclusive rights” to a story, and they want to be the first company to break the news, so if you are the 18th photographer to submit a picture, even if it is a great one, your millions will turn into pennies.  Time is of the essence!   You will also want a small point and shoot camera that you can use to sneak shots when pictures aren’t supposed to be taken.  ****Warning, I am not telling you to do this, I am just telling you what the successful paps do.****

How to get the shot: Being in the right place at the right time has a lot to do with the success of a lot of the paparazzi, but the big ones have many people on their payroll.  They will pay commissions to hotel and restaurant staff, and in turn the staff will call them and tip them off to a celebrity sighting.  With social media being what it is today, it is fairly easy to find celebrities.  Just about every major celebrity has a Twitter account, and they love to post where they are and what they are doing, so follow every celebrity you can on Twitter, and wait for a….”Oh my gosh, security is crazy at JFK”, and boom, get in your car and head there.

Marketing: Okay, now you have a great shot of your state’s senator walking out of a porn shop….what do you do.  Well you market it.  Upload it it your computer, put the picture in a editing program like Adobe Elements and add your logo right over the front of the picture.  Yeah, you read that right.  Paste your name right over the front of the picture.  This will give you the opportunity to show your photo to potential buyers with out worrying about them using it with out forking over the cash!  Photography is considered an art, and art is automatically copyrighted as long as you can prove that it originally belonged to you, your name plastered over the picture should be a pretty good indicator.

Now, let the bidding begin.  Submit your picture by email to all of the major news networks, and entertainment websites.  Make sure you let everyone know that you have already submitted your photo to their competitors, this should drive up your offers.  Once you get an offer that you like, accept the funds, remover your name from the picture, and send it on it’s way!

Shake it up a little bit:  Now, if you really wanted to make a good living, and make great friendships with some major celebrities, you could really shake things up a bit.  Start a website or blog called the papbuster, or something along those lines.  Turn the camera on the paparazzi.  Follow people like Harvey Levin of TMZ, around and photograph them with their families all day.  Post personal pics of them picking their noses, and tripping at the airport.  I bet they wouldn’t enjoy it all that much, but you would have major support from ALL of the A-listers, and with support from celebrities, comes support from sponsors……Major sponsors.  So, if you are close to all the action, why not throw a fun little blog together.  Once you get up and running, and are getting major advertising dollars from all of those sponsors, and are partying with the stars, don’t forget about me sitting at my laptop up here in Ohio!!!

Summary: This is a business for the very aggressive person.  Every picture you take is not going to be worth a half a million dollars, but if your in the right place at the right time, you could just find your retirement fund!

Please don’t think that I in anyway support what the paparazzi do.  I think they are very rude and intrusive, but I would be lying to you if I didn’t say that they are incredible entrepreneurs.  They have found a niche, that they can work their own hours, decide their own pay, and be very successful at it.  Like I said earlier, business is based on supply and demand, and as long as there is a demand, there will be someone willing to supply it!

Success Stories:

• Darryn Lyons: This guy has become so successful, that he has his own website called Mr. Paparazzi, and has a small army working for him.
• Harvey Levin: Harvey is a lawyer, but has made a killing by starting the blog; TMZ.  He has many photographers working under him, and he purchases photos also.