Eddy Rich, for the first time dressed up as Santa Claus, just to help out a neighbor. However, this act of kindness led him to a part-time job that can earn him up to nearly $15,000 in income per week.
It was back in 1995 when the now 68-year-old man recalled that his neighbor rushed down from the hill to his doorstep in Tucker, Georgia, out of breath, and told him that the Santa Claus hired for a party had suddenly canceled, and she had a Santa Claus outfit that needed to be worn.
Wearing the Santa Claus costume, with a long white beard, made him “feel like a superhero,” he said. And so began his 30-year part-time career as Santa Claus, starting from local parties to moving to the personalized video platform Cameo in 2018 – where people can purchase personalized video greetings.
According to documents from the CNBC Make It program, last year he and his son Chris Rich, a 32-year-old property manager who helped his father establish and manage the account on the platform, earned about $52,000 from Cameo, including $14,700 from the week of Christmas.
Their income this year is also similar: as of last Friday night, they had earned over $30,000, with the week of Christmas still to come. The father and son usually split the earnings 60-40.
“Eddy is a master craftsman… he carefully creates wonderful videos,” said Cameo CEO Steven Galanis.
When Eddy first started as a party Santa Claus, his fees for in-person events were about $125 per hour. Chris mentioned that his father attended up to five parties at most per day.
Now, during the holiday season, Eddy shoots up to 20 videos per hour, up to 10 hours a day. Chris also works an additional five hours a day organizing requests, writing scripts, and editing videos. With each video priced at $26.25 (after Cameo’s 25% cut from each transaction), they can earn up to $525 per hour at most.
According to data from the job platform ZipRecruiter, the average hourly income for a Santa Claus is around $60.
Eddy films in front of the fireplace in the living room, decorated with nutcrackers and wreaths. He uses a ring light, a stand, and an iPhone 13 Pro Max for filming.
Today, Eddy has retired from his position as a full-time store manager. He mentioned that it’s nice to earn some extra money after retirement.
“If we want to do something, or want to buy a gift for someone, we can do it without much hesitation,” Chris added.