Make Your Zoom Hangout Memorable: Host a Cameo Potluck

Zoom burnout is a real thing but, as COVID rages, Zoom is still one of the best tools we have for connecting with people we care about. Here’s an idea to mix things up and make things fun for everyone at your next hangout.

I feel like I’ve tried every Zoom trick in the books, and maybe you feel the same.

I’ve introduced everyone to Jackbox games like Quiplash. I’ve tried to host watch parties with various movies and TV shows, to varying degrees of success. I’ve even hosted a work event where we each did our finest MTV Cribs impression while showing off our houses. However, for some reason, none of that ended the pandemic and here we are on the 247th of March with more Zoom hangouts on the horizon and the ideas are drying up.

Well, I’m here to tell ya, there’s an extremely fun idea you need to try with your crew: The Cameo Potluck.

We all know tradish potlucks. Everyone agrees to bring a dish to share and one-by-one a feast comes together.

Most people know about Cameo by this point. It’s the website where, for a fee, you can have celebrities record and send individualized videos as birthday presents, thank yous, congrats, or otherwise.

A Cameo Potluck brings both of these things together in one super fun and simple event. Everyone goes onto the site and orders a video to then bring and share with the crowd. It’s Pop Culture Show and Tell!

Here’s how it works:

1. Agree on a budget: You can literally find people willing to make Cameos on the site for $1, and bigger celebrities, like say Drew Brees or Fetty Wap, go for several hundred dollars. Find a happy medium that works with everyone and agree to stick to it.
2. Set a deadline: You’ll definitely want to plan this before the actual potluck takes place. It can sometimes take the celebrities a few days to deliver.
3. Decide on the stakes of the potluck: Is this a contest? Figure out what a winner looks like. My friends and I went with “Funniest Cameo” which can look a few different ways but is fun to vote on. “Biggest Celeb For the Money” is another great category. Discuss it with your group so everyone is on the same page.
4. Order your Cameo: Everyone, including the host, should browse through the site in the various categories and pick the celebrity you’d like to receive a message from. Take a moment and consider what message you’d like from them. If you’re aiming for a funny moment or something heartfelt, make sure you indicate that in the request.
5. Prep the video: When the day of the event comes, you’ll want to have everyone either share their screen and audio in Zoom to show off their video or download the Cameo and send it to you as the host to show off from one A/V source. It honestly works either way and you should do whichever tech option you’re the most comfy with.
6. Gather together on Zoom: You can make the event extra fun by prepping a drink recipe for everyone to try together or telling everyone to dress like a celebrity themselves. It’s a great excuse for everyone to try giving themselves Kylie Jenner's lips.
7. Share the Cameos, laugh, and vote! You can do prizes for winners or just give out bragging rights. Either way, you’re in for a good time.

I recently had a Cameo potluck as a segment on my talk show and it was a blast. If you’d like to see how funny and fun it can be, check out the video below:

Bring famous people to your parties!

Also, I do a weekly newsletter full of fun ideas like this to help social people find creative ideas and digital tools to connect with their loved ones during this crazy time. You can join Something to Celebrate and receive an email every Tuesday by signing up here.

Have fun!