The Fame Game: A Superstar's Guide to Getting Rich and Famous

by Sergey Knazev, Perez Hilton (Foreword by)

Overview

Hollywood is where even the wildest dreams can come true no matter who you are, where you come from, or even what you know. In Hollywood, everyone is a potential star and newsstands overflow with gossip about the latest celebrity mishaps, conflicts, and achievements so that millions can live vicariously through the lives of their favorite movie stars. Starting today, you no longer have to live through the gossip news of your favorite celebrities because you can turn your own life into the same star-driven celebrity marketing machine through The Fame Game.    Seen through the eyes of an experienced Hollywood talent manager, The Fame Game will guide readers past the carefully crafted public relations images splashed across the pages of their favorite gossip magazines to reveal how today's hottest celebrities live, thrive, and flourish in the glamorous world of show business where the cameras are always on, the fans' gossip ricochets through all the popular social media networks, and the money flows in multi-million dollar deals based on nothing more than notoriety instead of talent.     If you want to learn how Hollywood really works and how you can use the techniques of show business to market yourself into the next Hollywood sensation or just to promote yourself within your own line of work, you need to learn the secrets told in The Fame Game.     This book will rip away the mystery behind the glitzy world of celebrities and expose the deliberate strategic planning designed to maximize the social and cultural impact of celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson, Angelina Jolie, Charlie Sheen, the Kardashians, the Hiltons, the Olsen twins, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, along with The Situation and Snooki from Jersey Shore. The authors of The Fame Game know how many of these stars turned their fame into fortune because the authors are the masterminds behind some of today's biggest celebrity brands and business empires in the history of show business.     The Fame Game will reveal the carefully constructed scaffolding behind celebrity branding and show how the public lives and images of today's top celebrities are a deliberate strategy and intricate dance between celebrities, the media, the general public, and the big business interests directing the ultimate movie called Life in the Spotlight.     While the huge fan base of celebrities will enjoy reading The Fame Game for its fascinating stories about their favorite and most hated celebrities, entrepreneurs, marketing professionals, and business students will enjoy The Fame Game as a unique textbook, survival guide into the new world of digital media and social networks. Most importantly, kids with their own big dreams of conquering Hollywood will find The Fame Game a book of empowerment that provides concrete steps they can take to turn their own dreams of fame and fortune into reality.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590791257
Publisher:	SelectBooks
Publication date:	11/16/2015
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Sergey Knazev has worked with some of the largest brands, including Forever 21, Perfumania, Palms Resort and Casino, and Toyota, and some of the largest tabloid names, such as the Hiltons, the Kardashians, Snooki, Manny Pacquiao, and many others. His entertainment and brand management company, 360 EMA, represents leading lifestyle and talent brands. Prior to establishing 360 EMA, Knazev launched and sold a number of major projects, including VOIP wholesaler Concent Telecom and its retail B2B and B2C division IT Headquarters. Later he cofounded and held positions in StarzLife Media. Starzlife specialized in celebrity news content production to 240 major TV channels and magazines in 24 countries, including CNN, ABC, NBC, Time Warner, Wenner Media, Hearst Publishing, Bauer Publishing, ACP Publishing, and many others.

Perez Hilton is an American blogger, columnist and television personality. His blog, PerezHilton.com (formerly PageSixSixSix.com) is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities. He is also known for posting tabloid photographs over which he has added his own captions or "doodles". His blog has garnered negative attention for its attitude, its former outing of alleged closeted celebrities and its role in the increasing coverage of celebrities in all forms of media.

Read an Excerpt

Perez Hilton's foreword to The Fame Game

Fame. It’s something many people search for and few find, because—let’s be honest—being famous takes hard work! There’s still A LOT more to it than that, though!

Sometimes you need money, and sometimes you need luck, but when it comes down to being famous, you always need to be smart and know how to play the game. In Sergey Knazev’s book, The Fame Game, the rules to becoming one of the Glitteratti are laid out plain and simple, and trust me, there are definitely rules to winning! However, sometimes breaking those rules can be the difference between the big time and fifteen seconds of fame. But you can’t break rules the right way until you know what they are!

Over the years, the world of fame has evolved, and so have the people who have attained celeb status. When Elizabeth Taylor became the first nearly fully accessible star in Hollywood, people were obsessed with her life and relationships. Fast forward a few decades later, when Old Hollywood elegance no longer reigned supreme. Instead, scandalous sex tapes like Kim Kardashian’s and Paris Hilton’s took over, launching entire families to stardom. Even though their rise to fame wasn’t so long ago, in the fast moving Internet age, we’ve already moved on from sex tapes (although obviously we all still love a good sex tape!) to a world where YouTube stars and viral videos sit atop the totem pole.

In today’s world, fame is a completely different animal, and it’s a high- maintenance animal too!The Fame Game will give you the recipe to help you find your inner star’s spirit animal, using tools like branding, self-promotion, and figuring out why it is that you should be famous. Just having a pretty face or bunz of steel won’t get you to the top. You need to learn the art of the publicity stunt, how to get the paparazzi to work for you, the best ways to make social media your bestie, how to establish a fanbase, and of course there’s always understanding the business side of things. Will advertisers want to work with you? Why? What can you bring to the table? You’ll need a website to promote yourself, a portfolio, and good contacts. Do you have any idea how much all of that will cost? It’s a lot to think about, but you’ll find all of these answers right inside this info-packed, yet wildly entertaining book.

My own journey followed many of these guidelines. I went from blogging daily at a coffee shop, to having one of the largest, most successful entertainment and celeb websites in the world. And I did it by working very hard—not only at creating content people engaged with, promoting work I’m proud of—but also by putting myself out there as a personality and an authority in the world of Hollywood! I befriended the celebs I love, which helped me gain a celebrity following, boosting my fandom even more! And fans are a big key to your success in this game.

If you’re reading this, and you want to be as famous as Snooki, you CAN! Take a look at the tools Knazev gives you in this book, put them in your bedazzled toolbox, and get to work making your dreams come true!And remember, even making the worst dressed list is a good thing, because at least people are talking about you!

Editorial Reviews

When you are so dedicated and focused on achieving your goal that, at times, you forget to eat,you forget to sleep, you forget to do things unrelated to that goal, then success will come quicker;whether it is success in entertainment or in anything else, the formula is still the same.

Reading The Fame Game is a premiere source of motivation that will give you insight on how to achieve your success sooner, rather than later

Matt Smith

It's okay to think outside the box but don't let it get too far from who you are and where you want to be.Sergey Knazev’s Fame Game is a unique and invaluable guide to making it big on and off line.

Alonzo Lerone

The internet really leveled the playing field for people outside the exclusive world of Hollywood. But now everyone wants a piece of it.The Fame Game is an insightful, informative, and utterly irreverent crash course to getting an edge in the race to internet stardom.

Chad Neidt

09/01/2015
Debut author Knazev (PR & marketing specialist) guides burgeoning superstars by describing how current celebrities play the fame game. He begins with a story about Elizabeth Taylor, who, according to the author, was the first to manipulate publicity in order to stay in the public's eye. Taylor's multiple marriages and media stunts kept her name in the tabloids and people talking, continuing her popularity. Knazev asserts that the most visible celebrities know how to self-promote, brand themselves, get the tabloids to pay for their exploits and pictures, and how to work social media outlets to their best advantage. The "Digital Age" chapter has useful information and tips for anyone to help create and manage their social media presence. The book is slightly humorous; however, it's mostly a lengthy satirical soapbox regarding today's celebrity culture. Knazev's endless analogies and cringe-worthy insults can distract from the beneficial knowledge he imparts. Also, he doesn't provide sources for his quotes and facts. VERDICT For readers who truly want to be famous and just need a jump start. Others would be better served reading a business book.—Melissa Keegan, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, IL

Library Journal