Call-a-celebrity app launches in Oz

Using celebrity power for good is the idea behind the Sociabl app, which allows fans to chat to their idols through video calls.

Pay for a video call with your favourite celebrity and half of the funds will be donated to charity.

That's the concept behind Sociabl, a new Australian app that connects fans to their idols for a few hundred or thousand dollars.

Dreamt up by Sydney-based entrepreneurs Brandon Reynolds, 21, and Jarrad Hrotek, 22, Sociabl boasts a solid line-up of sporting stars, entertainers and online luminaries including teen rock band At Sunset and contestants from The Bachelor and Bachelorette.

Fans purchase video chats with a celebrity through the app and then wait for them to get in touch.

Calls range from two to five minutes, with costs starting at $500 and going up to $100,000.

A chinwag with Richard Branson will cost $100,000 and it's a similar six-figure amount for the other A-listers Sociabl is chasing.

With the app officially launching in Australia on Monday and due to debut in the United States in April, its makers are hoping to add the Kardashian family, Justin Bieber and even Barack Obama onto the call list.

However smaller stars like New Zealand YouTube teen blogger Jamie Curry are also fetching high fees, with calls for the vlogger costing $3,000.

Half of the proceeds will be donated to a charity of the celebrity's choice, including White Ribbon Australia, RSPCA and BeyondBlue.

"Now it's about finding out how the sales will go, if it will work," Mr Reynolds told AAP.

"If we're able to sell 100 calls at $500 a pop, then that's a solid amount in the bank."

A trial in May last year using AFL players drew 35 call sales, while two rounds of private equity funding has raised $250,000 for the business and given it a market value of $9 million.


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2 min read
Published 18 January 2016 3:07pm
Updated 18 January 2016 3:10pm
Source: AAP


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