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Oct 19, 2009 10:58 pm US/Central
Good Question: What Are 15 Minutes Of Fame Worth?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
Millions watched as a silver balloon floated through the skies of Colorado, hoping that a six-year-old boy was not trapped inside. Investigators said the boy's dad, Richard Heene, staged the whole thing as a publicity stunt in order to help his family get a reality show. But how does that really happen? What's 15 minutes of fame really worth?
"Oh, it can pay off," said Mary Vavrus, Ph.D., a communications studies Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota. Vavrus studies reality television and media.
"Part of it is for fame, part of it is for money. But it is also part of fitting into, I think, today's media culture," said Vavrus.
Today's major celebrities aren't necessarily movie or rock music stars. In many cases, according to Vavrus, they are people who have managed to cash in on their 15 minutes.
"I would say that almost the majority of people who are featured as celebrities in People Magazine now are people who became famous because of reality programming," she said.
Consider Elizabeth Hasselbeck. Now a co-host on ABC's "The View." Hasselbeck hosted a TLC show "The Look For Less." She has written a book, she's a millionaire, and it all started as a contestant on CBS's "Survivor." Elizabeth Filarski didn't even win.
The current example of reality show success is TLC's "John and Kate plus 8." Before John and Kate Gosslein separated, the family drama with their eight children was successful in the ratings, and successful in the pocketbook for the family.
The family reportedly made $75,000 per episode, as well as many gifts and goods from companies who sponsor the show.
Nadia Suleman, the "octomom" who gained fame and created controversy because of her birth of octuplets, has a reality show and a book deal because of the attention.
Heroes can cash in, too. Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger landed a plane in the Hudson, saving all his passengers, and netting a $3 million dollar deal to write two books about his experiences.
But fame doesn't always equal fortune, at least not right away. Adam Bahner recorded "Chocolate Rain" under the name "
Tay Zonday" in his Minneapolis apartment in July 2007. Since that time, he's moved to Los Angeles, but he said his pop culture fame has essentially given him a "head start" on a "long-term" plan.
"Did public attention present me with a career opportunity to transition into self-employment? Certainly," said Zonday
in an e-mail interview. "The challenge is to pursue a successful business every day and that task can be independent of a national spotlight," he wrote.
Corporations have used Zonday's fame to push products. He's done commercials for Diet Dr. Pepper, Intuit, and YouTube, while pursuing a music and voice-over career.
"The ones who break through, they have to ratchet up the level of spectacle to get noticed," said Vavrus.
Even helium balloons don't stay up forever, as the Heene family may be finding out the hard way.
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