Nabil Elderkin is a photographer who is particularly well-known for working with Kanye West. In a Vice Canada video, Nabil shared how he connected with Kanye West to begin working with him, and it all came about because he registered the KanyeWest.com domain name. Shortly after doing so, Kanye’s record label (Roc-A-Fella Records) reached out to Nabil, and they were able to work out a non-cash deal that turned into a job for Nabil.
Unfortunately, I am unable to embed the video here, but you can check it out on the Vice Canada Facebook page to get the full story about registering KanyeWest.com.
As much as this tactic worked for Nabil, I think 99% of the time it would backfire. It seems that threats of litigation or UDRP are more the norm these days, so it was pretty cool that Nabil was able to get a test shoot with Kanye West, and it was a tribute to his talent that he was able to parlay that into a successful business and career.
It seems like people continue to speculate and purchase domain names related to up and coming athletes, musicians, and celebrities. I would imagine most are probably acquired for financial gain rather than a chance to meet the person or do business together. I don’t think registering a domain name with someone else’s name is typically a smart tactic, but this was a neat story to hear.
Thanks to Dan Beck for sharing the video with me.
Its funny I was going to register Kehlani.com from HugeDomains. I had my eye on it for a while but never decided to make the step. Kehlani (the hip hop singer) was using KehlaniMusic.com but she now owns Kehlani.com. Part of me wanted to buy it for her as a gift. There are about 2 other artists domains for sale. Someone may try to do the same thing as Kanye’s photographer.