Whatever you think of Kim Kardashian and her assets, there’s one thing you can’t deny — she knows how to manage them.
According to an industry insider, the curvy stunner, who parlayed her humble “stolen sex tape” beginnings into a hit reality show, has spun her notoriety into a cottage industry, collecting an astounding $5.45 million a year.
“Kardashian Inc. is a tremendously accurate description,” said Ryan Schinman, CEO of Platinum Rye Entertainment, a top celebrity talent broker. “She’s not an actor. She’s not a singer. However, when you garner the amount of global attention that she has, she’s worthy of being called a brand.
“A celebrity and a brand like her could not have existed 15 years ago,” Schinman added. “It’s called Twitter. It’s called Facebook. It’s called creating product lines. It’s about being constantly in touch with your fans. She’s it.”
Joan Barnes, president of Atlanta-based Marketing Specifics, recalled how one social-blogging company told her it had arranged for Kardashian to be paid $25,000 by clothing company Armani for one Tweet. She drove 40,000 users to the Armani Web site in less than 24 hours.
“Somebody who paid a million dollars would be tickled to get that level of response for a campaign,” Barnes said.
And that was back when she only had 2.7 million avid Twitter followers. Today she has surpassed the 4 million mark — just below President Obama and just above Oprah Winfrey.
“In the world of digital programming, Kim is a cross between Michael Jordan and Steven Spielberg in their prime,” said Tyler Goldman, CEO of Buzzmedia, which publishes her site.
TELEVISION
Stars in “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” making about $20,000 per episode.
$400,000
ENDORSEMENTS
Promotes Quick Trim diet products, Fusion Beauty, Bravada, Fit In Your Jeans by Friday workout DVDs, Beach Bunny Swimwear, Kardashian for Bebe line, Kim Kardashian perfume at Sephora.
$3.2 MILLION
ONLINE
KimKardashian.com, with ads from Kotex, Macy’s and Sony Ericsson. Reportedly gets paid $10,000 for a sponsored Tweet. Her Web site has more page views than Vogue and the New York Yankees.
$600,000
SELF-OWNED BUSINESSES
Co-owns Dash designer clothing store in California and Miami, PerfectSkin, Kardashian Khaos (in Vegas’ Mirage Hotel), ShoeDazzle.com.
$350,000
PUBLIC APPEARANCES
Earns anywhere from $10,000-75,000 just to show up and look pretty at nightclubs or casinos (she does about 40 of these a year). Last week, between partying, she slipped into a cat suit to be a “flag girl” at a road rally.
$650,000
MAGAZINE EXCLUSIVES
Earns $50,000 to give magazines like Us exclusive pictures of her in a bikini, along with quotes about her weight-loss tips; book advance for “Kardashian Konfidential”, out this November, estimated at $150,000.
$250,000
Total take: $5.45 million