Charlie Hunnam's tech startup aims to remake the celebrity autograph
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Actor Charlie Hunnam displays a digital autograph via Neon Mango at FanX in Salt Lake City. Photo: Erin Alberty/Axios
"Sons of Anarchy" stars Charlie Hunnam and Ryan Hurst have joined tech entrepreneur Vijay Kumar to create a digital autograph platform that gives fans personalized, animated mementos.
Driving the news: The trio launched Neon Mango on Thursday at FanX in Salt Lake City as crowds lined up at nearby "Celebrity Row" for pen-and-paper signatures from Hollywood stars like Christopher Lloyd and Tony Danza.
How it works: A celebrity writes a personalized autograph on a tablet — "Salt Lake FanX we love you :)," Hunnam demonstrated — and the stylus strokes are recorded in an animation.
- The writer can add an audio message that plays along to music as the writing appears.
Why it matters: Paper autographs may soon become as obsolete as printed photos, Hurst said.
- "In 15 years, 12-year-olds are going to walk up and say, 'I want something on my phone,'" Hurst told Axios.
The big picture: Since the COVID pandemic made virtual events and interactions routine, tech developers have been trying to make them more authentic.
What they're saying: "I started coming to fan conventions about three years ago and was just really taken by how pure and uncynical and happy and community-oriented and positive these things are," Hunnam told Axios. "So, I was already sort of enamored by the engagement experience."
- But faraway fans or those with disabilities may be left out, and the big crowds aren't for everyone, Hurst and Hunnam said.
- "If we couldn't give them an in-person event, we wanted to come as close to that as possible digitally, so that it has a meaningful, emotional impact," Hurst said.
Our thought bubble: If you haven't been to a paid celebrity meet-and-greet, you might expect it to feel phony or mercenary.
- But having stood in a photo line myself, braced for awkwardness — I found instead a palpable thrill in that moment of personal attention from a familiar face whose storytelling has filled our imaginations.
- It's a difficult experience to replicate digitally. But the personalized autograph is no different than a signed photo sent by mail, and I can envision fans replaying their signatures after an IRL encounter.
Zoom in: Hurst demo'd the tool with my name, dotting an exclamation point with a heart and adding a rock music background.
- I burst out laughing when he added a video animation of himself gazing proudly at my name while posing with a dramatic flourish.
- "That. That reaction is why we're doing it," Hurst said.
Details: Autographs on Neon Mango's website start at $50.
- Hunnam and Hurst are in the celebrity lineup along with their "Anarchy" costars Kenny Johnson and Emilio Rivera, plus Emmy nominee Chris Sullivan. "TRON" actor Garrett Hedlund and "Battlestar Galactica's" Tricia Helfer are joining soon.