South African celebs - caught on camera!

Although the bulk of the galleries are provided by the cameras of Snaparazzi, members of the site can also upload their own celeb or event pictures/videos/audio to their own galleries.

There are blogs for those who have plenty to say about celeb culture, forums for idle chatter, comments and ratings systems for all pictures and specialised MySpace-style user profiles.

The idea for Snaparazzi was born on TVSA, where numerous bloggers already cover celebrity gossip and news. The strong celebrity culture on TVSA - combined with persistent cries for more pictures - provided the perfect springboard for a place where fans of celeb culture can get all the dirt, gossip and candid snaps of their favourite celebs all in one place.

"Our experience in dealing with a huge multicultural audience on TVSA convinced us of the need for a site catering specifically to the interest in homegrown celebrity culture" says Luke Tagg, MD of Blue Beetle Entertainment.

"Although aware of and interested in international celebrities South Africans are most interested in what their own celebrities are up to, from entertainment stars to sportspeople, politicians and beyond.

"Snaparazzi provides a unique insight into the lives of rich and famous South Africans, with unprecedented access to candid pictures and insider gossip. Our goal is to bring fans closer to the stars by providing an 'up close and personal' (or 'from far away with a telephoto lens') view of people who live their lives in the public eye", Tagg concludes.

The site also allows registered members to upload their own celeb pics, videos or audio files with a public, worldwide platform to showcase them on.

With over 1,000 pictures at launch and more than 50,000 page views in its first week alone, Snaparazzi is already climbing the social ladder and is well on its way to reinventing the A-List.

Check out Snaparazzi on http://www.snaparazzi.co.za/.