Autograph sports and celebrity memorabilia is a $1 billion/year business in the U.S. alone. The problem is, up to 90% of it is counterfeit.
Enter Los Angeles based LiveAutographs, a site that sells celebrity autographs that are guaranteed to be authentic – because they take a video of the celebrity writing the autograph and message and post it on their website. I am a huge William Shatner fan (who isn’t?), so I paid $149 to get him to sign a photo with the message “I Love TechCrunch.” Given that Shatner is just an awesome actor, I’m hoping the video shows an authentic level of love for our site.
Hey, I’m testing software. This is a writeoff.
The site has a handful of celebrities signed up to participate, including Hulk Hogan, Carmen Electra, Slash and, of course, William Shatner.
Denny Crane.
God, I hate mainstream American pop-culture.
Best Shatner Acting Job Ever: http://WWW.KHAAAN.COM
Thats actually a really unique (and intersting) concept. Way to go
Mike, are you going to go on that site and sign stuff? Can you do a “I love ReadBurner” one?
You forget how he vocalizes when he acts Michael. You should have had he sign: “I. Love. TechCrunch.”
Oh wait, Steve Ballmer signing something like “This is going to be totally awesome and way better than the iphone” would be so money.
We need a tech version of this!!!!
Hm, Shatner is so Web -5.0.
Peter
do you follow me @ http://twitter.com/peterurban
Now the only problem is making those 100% scripted welcome videos look 90% even 90% authentic. What size is that telepromted? Some of them had to turn their heads to read it.
This is gay….
This gives me a day to launch “fakeautographs.com” with a video posting of random people signing things.
For a Shatner lookalike, it’s only 15 bucks.
For anyone else, they pay YOU 15 bucks.
@7
Peter, just like you shouldn’t hassle the hoff, please don’t shit on the shat. He’s awesome. Dude.
LOVE the idea – absolutely awesome…
Wonderful geek stuff
http://www.live...aphed-item.aspx
Could you ask Danica Patrick to say: “Godaddy sucks” ??
damn…. i swear i had this idea a few years ago. no. really. I’m suing.
So many celebs! Collect them all!!!
But really, are we looking at the demise of humanity or just the edge of Webomb 2.0?
@10 — that is funny man.
I wonder if he’ll negotiate the price with you. Priceline made him a negotiation expert.
Retarded.
Cap’n Kirk is Americas greatest media whore…my idol!
Good Idea, be interesting to see if they expand on their celebs, seems extensively limited at the moment.
Hmm…per their 2-post blog they launched in October 2007, and it’s now May 2008 & they only have 6 celebs (not including the “coming soon” folks)?
I like the idea for getting something personalized for someone’s birthday, but if they only have a handful of celebrities I don’t know how well it’s going to do.
Then again, I applaud them for getting *any* celebs to sign up … it’s probably a tough sell to get any currently-working celeb to join in.
MY bad, their blog has more than 2 posts … I need to learn to scroll more. ;/
LiveAutographs is definitely one of the more fun clients that use our PermissionTV platform, and we enjoy working with them. As Director of the Delivery team here, I’ve often wanted to pay to get video of Captain Kirk saying that PermissionTV is “boldly going where no online video platform has ever gone before.”
Better yet, Mike – when you get your LiveAutograph video – You can say it!
This is cool – I just wish they had more celebs to choose from.
#7 has a great idea to get Tech stars to participate.
The economy must be in shambles if the price of Captain Kirk selling out is only $150. That’s a steal. I got an email from ‘William Shatner’ (followed up with a phone call from a ‘producer’) last November saying that some show “The Heartbeat of America Award” wanted to do a half-hour profile on my agency—with Billy Boy as the host and some sort of affiliation with ABC.
I asked a few questions and quickly came up with a price tag to me of $16,000 for this honor!
Here’s the text of the email I got (the images no longer load and the link in the email now just goes to information.com)
<== clip
From: William Shatner
Date: November 21, 2007 7:07:18 AM PST
To: xxx
Subject: Business Opportunity
A Unique Social Networking Platform Rapidly Monetizing Your New Business
We Build Micro-Empires!This unique, absolutely free business opportunity is proven, and established with ABC News coverage, directly supported radio talk shows and winning an award from legendary actor and humanitarian, William Shatner, in a special 30 minute TV documentary that aired on 9/11/07, “The Heartbeat of America Award.”
What’s so unique about this opportunity?
A social networking platform that rapidly monetizes your business.
Open door policy of free membership.
Entrepreneurs with established communities right now growing micro-empires from basements and spare bedrooms globally.
Information available at your fingertips guiding you to growing your business.
Cooperative advertising program.
Award winning products being called the most significant advancement in science and health in 50 years.
Press, radio and TV coverage.
Become a member free and see for yourself all that we have waiting for you!
You’ve been looking for an honest opportunity with a proven track record for a long time. With free membership, experienced guidance, coop advertising, rapidly monetizing your business, award winning products backed by media validation, it’s all here in one package – as you’ll soon.
Warm regards…
Lois Smithers & Debra Morgan
Sea-Based Health, LLC
PS – Look at the package! Advanced coop advertising, free membership, experienced guidance, rapid monetizing of your business, press coverage, unique award winning products – your Search Is Over!
== >
So, congrats. You’ve got yourself a bargain!
OMG Screech has a job again! This is, quite simply, totally brilliant.
Dude, that is great??
HEY I just bought a ton of LOST stuff and got the code CH77 to get 10% off anything on the site.. feel free to use it