The Rehabilitation Of Cameron Dallas

Enterprise Tech The Rehabilitation Of Cameron Dallas Frederick Daso Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I write about college students and recent graduates founding startups. Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories.

Got it! Sep 21, 2022, 11:21am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Every content creator dreams of online fame. Fame’s light reveals fortune, and fortune’s shadow conceals pride. Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

For an internet celebrity, the fall heralds their end. For Cameron Dallas, it was his beginning. Cameron Dallas.

Madisyn Menchaca With over 24 million followers on Instagram , 17. 5M fans on TikTok , 14. 7M on Twitter and 5.

5M subscribers on YouTube , few can compete with Dallas’s global reach through the Internet. Few can compete with his infamy, either. For all his trials and tribulations early on, his later success shows the allure of a new, universal economy based not in physical production but digital creation.

Cameron Dallas. Sean Zanni The evening was warm. The water was cold.

Outside the Shutters, near the Beach, Cameron and Harry Gestetner, cofounder and co-CEO of Fanfix, sit at a table occupied by one other individual. The two greet the third person. A waiter approaches the table.

Immediately, Cameron introduces himself to Jonathan, the waiter, as if the two were peers. Jonathan customarily asks the three what they would like to drink. The other two place their order for alcoholic beverages.

MORE FOR YOU The 5 Biggest Technology Trends In 2022 ‘Enthusiastic Entrepreneurs’: Pre-IPO Statements On Profitability Prove To Be Larger Than Real Life The 7 Biggest Artificial Intelligence (AI) Trends In 2022 Dallas politely declines, instead opting for a double cappuccino. With drinks settled and appetizers ordered, discourse begins. A riveting, lively discussion ensued about Fanfix’s recent acquisition by SuperOrdinary , the meaning and significance of internet notoriety compared to mainstream celebrity status, and the further mixing of the technology and entertainment industries.

The discussion, while spirited and informal, represented a formal, yet subdued clash of worldviews: clout in the entertainment world versus credentials from academia and industry; the power of individuals potentially rivaling the forces of indomitable, long-standing institutions; and the growing preference to own capital in a digital form as opposed to its physical counterpart. Throughout the meal, the debate revealed that opposition was true friendship. The three participants shared their perspectives alongside portions of their meals.

Those with clout need those with credentials, and vice-versa. Popular individuals depend on acceptance into established institutions for legitimacy. Institutions need rising stars to stay relevant among the masses.

Digital brands become the new basis of physical ownership; branded physical goods affirm one’s ubiquitous digital presence. By the end, both the mind and belly of the three diners were full. Dallas’s perspective reflected one who was more a founder than anything else, but who was he before joining Fanfix? What does his individual journey reveal about our collective future? Before Dallas, the founder, there was Cameron, the creator.

The community college dropout couldn’t sit still in a classroom to save his life. Studying wasn’t his strong suit, but entertaining others was. Dallas had a knack for that at Chino Hills High School, where he graduated with a high school diploma.

His first foray onto social media was on Instagram after a recommendation from his older sister, Sierra. His mother, Gina Bannemer, on the other hand, was initially worried with how social media could impact him. However, she became more open-minded after seeing her son’s early success on the photo-sharing app.

(His father, Dan Dallas, was not present in Cameron’s life then, as Dan and Gina divorced long before. ) Despite the absence of his father, the presence of his mother was enough to give virgin birth to Cameron’s internet ambitions. His incarnation as a creator materialized on our smartphone screens.

With his boyish, charming looks captured in candid selfies, he amassed tens of thousands of likes on his photos in no time. His natural charm and talent for making others laugh translated conveniently on new social media app, Vine. He joined Vine shortly after its launch .

Dallas explains, “I got Vine because my friend showed me Riff Raff and Tyler the Creator on there, and I thought they were funny!” His early Vines showcased an everyday American teenager living life. From filming his dog Jake pooping to cooking carne asada , Dallas was an ordinary kid living an ordinary life. Until he went viral on the internet.

Those early, precious Vines of a teen interested in sharing six-second snippets of his life yielded to elaborate, choreographed collaborations between him and other popular Viners, reflecting his emergence as a growing content creator. As his Loops (views) on the platform grew, so did the opportunities for sponsored posts and brand deals. Despite his smooth acclimation to the online world, he was not always extroverted and outgoing.

As Sierra reveals in Chasing Cameron, “Cameron was super shy all throughout high school. He was bullied quite often, especially in his first two years. He was a bit of a loner.

He had a couple of friends, but once social media came around sophomore year, that’s what Cameron came out of his shell. ” Dallas’s popularity only surged after deciding to commit to Vine and his content creation career full-time. He moved to Los Angeles, California, residing in the coincidentally-eponymous 1600 Vine apartment complex located at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine.

Dallas lived close by other top Viners such as Logan and Jake Paul, Andrew “KingBach” Bachelor, Amanda Cerny, Lele Pons, Randy Mancuso, Hannah Stocking, Ianna Sarkis, Anwar Jibawi, Lance “Lane210” Stewart, Jerry Purpdrank, and many other notable names on the green platform. Dallas was able to grow his following to 8. 1 million on Vine.

He thought about returning to community college and even tried to re-enroll, but the enrollment for classes was so full that he would have to wait for a spot to open up. He didn’t. His education could wait, but stardom on Vine would not.

“At one point, I was not so thrilled you were so passionate about [social media], and now you’re taking off,” Gina Bannemer says to her son, Cameron, in the Netflix series “ Chasing Cameron . ” Bannemer elaborates further in the first episode, “I’m proud of Cameron. He saw something in the beginning that no one could touch on.

He would post pictures and he would start tracking the numbers around them. It started out small, but business-wise, he just knew how to grow his own brand. ” Vine, in its heyday, gave birth to the modern strategy of “collab”-ing with other content creators.

Collaboration was inevitable given the (at the time) six-second video limit. To grow faster, having other popular content creators make a cameo in your Vine was making every second count for the platform’s algorithms. Featuring in one another creator’s Vines was an opportunity to be exposed to an audience different from one’s own, yielding the chance to go viral and build a diversified fanbase.

Dallas and his collaborators’ advantage was that they lived close together, but not immediately with one another, while residing in the same apartment complex. They would “collab” and create content during the day (and night) while still having their own rooms (assuming no roommates) to retire and rest. 1600 Vine was the predecessor to today’s modern content houses , such as the Hype House .

The platform’s algorithm should be credited with normalizing the collaboration strategy between aspiring and established content creators on TikTok and other platforms. Vine walked so TikTok could run. Now, every social media platform has an obsession with short-form videos, such as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.

Different cliques within 1600 Vine developed in the apartment complex amid the race for growth and dominance on the social media app. Dallas took collaboration to a new level with Magcon (short for “Meet and greet convention”) . Magcon was active from 2013 to 2017 and featured the following Instagram and Vine creators: Shawn Mendes, Jack Johnson, Willie Gray, Jack Gilinsky, Matthew Espinosa, Nash Grier, Aaron Carpenter, Taylor Caniff, Mahogany LOX and Carter Reynolds.

Throwing a bunch of teenage stars on a stage to entertain young pre-teen and teenage women was a recipe for drama between Magcon talent, frequent scandals and social media growth. Although Magcon was an eventual failure, its initial success showed the early stages of celebrity status turning from a premium into a commodity. In addition, a young, precocious Dallas recognized the need for equity and ownership in a digital brand.

Dallas, in the first episode of his Netflix series , states, “I ended up doing a deal. I wanted everyone to have equity. ” Today’s social media stars are yesterday’s rock stars.

All one needs is a smartphone and an internet connection to get started. Then, overnight, they can go from filming skits on their couch to touring Europe in a matter of years. The fuel for such overnight success is a creator’s virality, which results in exponential audience growth.

Growth was everything, both for the creators and the platform as a whole. When Vine started to slow down, so did the opportunities. Dallas and his peers saw the writing on the wall.

There was the infamous showdown between the most popular creators on Vine and its executives to save the platform. Yet, many had already started shifting their audiences to Instagram, which had earlier allowed short-form videos to be created and hosted on the platform, as well as YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter. Vine would end, but Dallas and his fellow content creators’ careers would begin to thrive in earnest.

The great migration occurred from Vine to YouTube, where these former Viners would go on to take over the latter. The Paul brothers were the preeminent example of former Viners finding success on other social media websites. Dallas, too, found YouTube success with millions of subscribers to his account, but the platform he thrived most outside of Vine was Instagram, where he originally started.

Cameron Dallas. Cameron Dallas His fame grew, and with fame came opportunity and trouble. The Calvin Klein and Dolce & Gabbana model first ran afoul of the law in 2015 for felony vandalism charges while trying to paint his room for a YouTube video .

The charges were later dropped due to a lack of evidence from the prosecutor’s side . Such a blemish on his “permanent record” did not stop him from getting a deal with Netflix. (He was one of the first digital creators to be the focus of a Netflix series, way before later projects such as the Hype House series .

) Yet that first incident was not isolated. It was a warning signal of the greater fall to come. It wouldn’t be his last encounter with the law; he would be arrested again, nearly three years later, for felony second-degree assault in Aspen, Colorado.

Dallas took a plea deal where he pled guilty to disorderly conduct , and was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation and 20 hours of community service. Vandalism and assault were symptoms of a more pervasive disease controlling Dallas’s life: addiction. He grappled with addiction to alcohol, sex and drugs for years amid his social media fame , as well as depression.

Sin marred the once innocence of the young creator. Had the iniquity of the father been visited upon the son? It’s difficult to say, for no one knows the Father except the Son. Fame was once his friend; now, his foe.

His popularity was a cross he found too heavy to bear. Dallas’s audience, previously aiding and abetting his rise, jeered him during his fall, revealing themselves as accomplices to his online crucifixion. “In my addiction, I was such a dick to everyone.

My managers and people, they all just left me. What am I gonna do? I couldn’t put out my music. I couldn’t do anything, which made me even more depressed,” recalls Dallas.

Famous people, when facing addiction, enter a rehabilitation facility hoping they will exit a stronger person who successfully addresses their inner demons. Dallas followed the script. He lasted seventeen days.

Bannemer reflects, “As Cameron was going through all this, it was absolutely heartbreaking to watch. When you have someone you care about and love unconditionally, it’s heartbreaking. It’s heartbreaking to see him that way.

It’s heartbreaking to see him deal with it alone. When someone has an addiction and they aren’t ready to help themselves, there’s nothing you can do even though we all tried and wanted to help him. He wouldn’t come to terms that he had an issue.

Seeing his struggles on social media first made things worse. He wasn’t ready for rehab the first time he went. “There are times as a family where we would see him show up at our house not himself.

Eventually, things got really bad. That’s when he came to us and said that he truly needed help. He still even struggled with that, but he extended his stay, which I really am proud of him for.

Once he was out of rehab, he also chose to take the I. O. P extension program, which was another four months outside of rehab where he lived.

I thank God everyday that he’s happy, present, strong and continues to put himself and his mental health first and takes one day at a time. His mother concludes, “I have my son back. He’s amazing, and he’s such a beautiful soul.

I’m so proud of him for how far he’s come. ” Old habits returned stronger after he decided to check out early from his treatment program. It was not until the second time he was charged with a felony crime that he urgently realized he needed rehab again before crossing a point of no return.

Dallas states, “I lost everything. I needed to go back. The second time, I finished my thirty days and got a scholarship for twelve more days for free due to the program’s generosity.

I also continued with an intensive outpatient program (IOP) for four months combined with therapy to keep myself on the right track. ” Alcohol pales in taste compared to coffee when you’re three years sober. Sierra adds, “When Cameron was going through his struggle, it was heartbreaking to see the downfall of a sibling.

It was more of the environment he was in rather than having an addiction in my opinion. Constantly having eyes on you, being criticized and judged would a toll on anyone! I saw it first hand with not just my brother, but others too. I wouldn’t wish fame on anyone! “When you come across fame at such a young age, you have everyone saying yes to you.

He never really had the adulthood that everyone else has to figure things out on his own. He had millions of people watching his every move – achievements and downfalls – which is not the norm, to say the least! Cameron is growing more into adulthood as he’s figuring everything out and finding his true passions in life. Being a social media superstar will always be part of his life, but sometimes your interests shift! His biggest interest now is more on the business side of things, and it makes him happy.

I can see it in his face and his personality. He is a true entrepreneur and always has been! “The day before my daughter, Capri, was born was the day I saw a turning point in Cameron’s life, and he’s been sober ever since! I think in that moment in time, Cameron realized he wanted to make a change in his life, grow as a person and be more present with what God has given him! I’m so proud of the person Cameron is, has become and will become. ” While Dallas rehabilitated his personal life, his professional career lay in shambles.

His reputation was in disarray, but the social media star was not a has-been yet; he still had plenty to offer the world. Enter Gestetner and Simon Pompan. The two have been close friends for seven years and attended the same high school.

They started a non-profit called Fuel Our Heroes , which raised over $360,000 for “medical professionals risking their lives for our safety. ” The then-Tulane and Vanderbilt college students, respectively, wanted to make an impact in the creator economy with their startup, which was a monetization platform for content creators. There was stiff competition, especially from Patreon and OnlyFans, despite the latter’s negative connotation stemming from the adult content it hosts.

More importantly, Gestetner and Pompan lacked the clout, or credibility, among content creators to have the latter try out the unproven monetization platform. The two credentialed cofounders found their match in Dallas after a catalyzing conversation at the Bar in a tall Tower. Gestetner explains, “Fanfix’s biggest differentiation from other creator economy companies was that we focused on building our team around access to creators.

Cameron not only provided unmatched access to creators but also brought the ability to see things from a creator’s perspective. As one of the first “social media influencers,” in a time when they couldn’t monetize, Cameron’s mission was to help me and Simon build the platform that he wished existed when he was starting out. ” No longer was Dallas only a content creator, but he was now the third tech cofounder of a budding social media startup aiming to provide the same fan subscription capability he wished he had when he first started in the industry.

Fanfix cofounder and co-CEO Pompan adds, “Cameron’s expertise in the creator economy is unmatched. Through his experience as a creator, investor, and now founder, Cameron has an insight into all aspects of the venture ecosystem. ” Dallas channeled his experience and connections to be the creative force behind Fanfix’s ambitions in his newfound operational role.

His clout provided the legitimacy needed to attract newer content creators to the platform. Dallas got to work alongside talented team members such as Tanner Kesel, Alec Celestin, Storey Pascal, Victoria Daniel, Rory Neenan, Anthony Noto, Sofia Peralta and so many more. The credential of being a cofounder of a hot, growing LA-based startup added a distinctive sheen to the Chino, California-raised influencer’s resume that his entertainment peers lack.

His resurrection in the world was as a founder, building something greater than himself for other content creators to succeed. Dallas turned his clout into capital. His popularity became equity, the latter which has eluded most content creators in an age of brand deals and sponsorships for over a decade.

Early on, the young Magcon co-owner recognized the difference owning equity makes in a venture. Now, the older Fanfix cofounder capitalized on his youthful wisdom by negotiating a stake in the business instead of a one-off-revenue deal in return for his involvement. Fanfix’s acquisition serves as an example of Creator Economy’s tenuous promise: that anyone can make a meaningful living by creating, sharing, and monetizing their digital content online.

Before Fanfix and its competitors, platforms such as Instagram and YouTube were great for being discovered but ultimately had imperfect monetization models for their early crops of online talent. Fanfix’s solution provided a reliable monetization approach through direct fan subscriptions to a creator’s profile. Fanfix cofounders (from left to right): Cameron Dallas, Harry Gestetner (co-CEO), and Simon Pompan .

. . [+] (co-CEO).

Fanfix Generating revenue directly from one’s fanbase is critical for ensuring the viability of a creative career. More importantly, the incentives between creator and fanbase are directly aligned, as opposed to ad revenue, brand deals, or sponsorship monetization strategies. The latter all involve at least two third-parties (the social media platform and advertisers) that influence what content a creator can make and the resulting content’s authenticity.

However, the final proof of the Creator Economy is not solely through a robust, repeatable subscription model but in enabling general creator ownership. Some will contest that such ownership will take a digital form primarily in the abstract, but owning physical capital is the concrete reality on which the pixelated world rests. One having a stake in the intellectual property and equity in a growing consumer brand is the best way to build long-term, massive wealth, akin to Kanye West’s Yeezys, Rihana’s Savage x Fenty and Kylie Jenner’s Kylie’s Cosmetics.

The future depends on everyone having a physical stake in our increasingly digitized world. Dallas is the first to complete the transition from creator to founder. The hope is that he won’t be the last.

Gestetner asserts, “Cameron is a rare breed of creator-entrepreneur who has managed to leverage his fame to build something bigger than himself. He is the only mega-creator I can think of who has had a massively successful exit as a tech entrepreneur. ” In this new digital ecosystem, cultivating the right audience for your content is more important than collecting the largest fanbase.

Becoming a creator isn’t without risk; many burgeoning creatives face financial instability in the early stages of their career and a lack of benefits commonplace in traditional forms of employment. The material foundation for this future of creative self-employment does not exist. However, Dallas’s incarnation as a creator and resurrection as a founder is the Revelation of the Creator Economy’s immanent presence.

A great German philosopher commented about a particular expression of his famous predecessor, stating the latter “. . .

remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages appear twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce. ” While Dallas’s incarnation was tragic, his resurrection was not farcical.

His triumphant second act reflects the Creator Economy’s potential. Yet, the implicit argument within prevailing narratives surrounding the Creator Economy suggests that the digital realm will be more important than real life in the future. How could that be when our online activity entirely depends on our offline lives? It is not one’s digital persona that determines their physical person, but, on the contrary, it’s their person that determines their online persona.

When the Creator Economy becomes real in its highest form, the next content creator will dream not of fame. They will wake up to a reality of their own creation and a digital existence of their own meaning. They may not find fortune but will receive something greater: “enough.

” With “enough” to thrive, they will find not pride but humility. The valleys of tragedy and hills of triumph give way to a new, level field that yields an abundance of human creativity. Now creation is neither limited to the fortunate nor the famous.

Creation is for all. The collective will, present within the new Jerusalem, creates a new heaven on a new earth. The prodigal son returns home, becoming the beloved uncle.

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