PHOTO BY AMY STERDAM

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom signs a hockey puck for Jared Field at the Sports Gallery in Birmingham.

E

veryone dreams of being a
hero. Some picture it as hit-
ting a dramatic home run;
others imagine themselves
sinking a three-pointer before the
game-ending buzzer.
Michael Gold, president of
Celebrity Placement Services in
West Bloomfield, specializes in
bringing home the idols of the bas-
ketball court, baseball diamond
and ice rink.
Since 1988, Mr. Gold has
arranged for more than 800 pro-
fessional athletes and TV person-
alities to take part in product and
service endorsements, in-store ap-
pearances, sports camps and au-
tograph sessions throughout the
United States. Some people have
even asked him to line up celebri-
ties for their family weddings and
bar/bat mitzvahs.
"People want the opportunity
to meet the sports stars they idol-
ize or the television celebrities they
feel they're friends with. Every
time people meet one of the stars,
they start talking as if they have
known them all their lives. Ifs not

Star Power

A West Bloomfield man pumps up area businesses by
providing the power of celebrity.

D.J. BRADLEY SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

so much what the personality

says, but the few minutes the
celebrity spends with that indi-
vidual that makes the moment
special," Mr. Gold says.
He and his partner, Robert
Friedman, say businesses benefit
by bringing in celebrities for spe-
cial events, especially autograph
signings, because it brings in more
customers who are likelier to re-
turn.
Celebrity signings, however, are
not without risk or cost to store
owners.
"Depending on the athlete and

his popularity at the time, it can
cost a business anywhere from
$1,000 to more than $100,000 just
to get the personality to want to
leave his home. That doesn't in-
clude travel, lodging and other ex-
penses," Mr. Gold says.
He works with many retired
personalities and almost every
player in the National Football
League, Major League Baseball,
the National Hockey League and
National Basketball Association,
as well as former TV stars like the
casts of "Gilligan's Island" and
`The Brady Bunch."

Most of these visits will cost a
business between $5,000 and
$10,000 for a few hours. All-star
players or marquee names like
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson
can cost upwards of $50,000.
Some, like retired New York Yan-
kee Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio,
won't even consider an appear-
ance for under $100,000.
Russ Worthy, manager of Ac-
tion Sports, a memorabilia store
in Roseville, views the cost as an
advertising expense.
Within the last six months at
his store, between 400 and 500

people have showed up for the sep-
arate visits of three players.
"If you break even, you're doing
well. Sometimes I've broken even
and other times I've lost money.
What's important is that it intro-
duces people to the store, creates
excitement in the community and
hopefully, some repeat business,"
he says.
Mike Odetalla, owner of Play
Ball Sports Company in West-
land, has brought more than 100
athletes to his memorabilia store
since 1990. Although he has in-
curred losses of as much as $5,000,
he feels that sports figures in his
store have increased overall busi-
ness by 20 percent. Sales increase
by 90 percent when his store hosts
a celebrity signing.
"Bringing an athlete into the
store is the best way . I've found
to get hundreds of people's atten-
tion. I can't expect to make a prof-
it on this. If I do, great. But for the
money I'm going to spend on a ra-
dio or TV commercial, I've got no
guarantee that I'm going to have

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