Ceaser Emanuel’s job is to look after the Black Ink tattoo shop in New York, but it doesn’t always come easy. From drama to making sure clients get inked, it’s been a whirlwind career for the CEO.
With a growing celebrity clientele behind them, the pressure only increases each day. The ink-filled empire is run by “tattoo king” Ceaser, who has the power to hire, decide and influence what happens to the shop staff members.
From Tatiana Ritter to Donna Marie Lombardi, he has accumulated an entire cast to join him on the VH1 reality TV show. Alongside the business prospects, there’s a whole other world caught on camera, including their personal lives.
So, just how did David “Caeser” Emanuel get so rich by opening the tattoo store? We have the latest gossip…
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How the VH1 star created a tattoo empire
Ceaser had $20K to his name when he launched his tattoo shop. It only started as a small, Harlem-based parlour until the show first aired in 2015 and became incredibly popular for its inking work.
However, recent years haven’t been easy for the shop owner. He was forced to close his Black Ink 113th shop that was on Lenox Avenue during the Covid-19 pandemic. On the show, Ceasar detailed what happened:
113th is done. I fought tooth and nail. The landlord seen us come up from little rough kids to who we are right now. You don’t sit here and basically quadruple the rent on somebody and then just tell them because you have this status, you need to pay this. And that’s what hurt so much. It’s not like we gave it up, it was taken from us.
Currently, Ceaser has over 10 tattoo shops nationwide to his name, which came from his initial decision to invest $20K into opening his own small store. He now has plans to expand Black Ink to over 50 states!
Ceasar’s Black Ink salary
Although Ceasar’s salary for appearing on the show has not been disclosed, Distractify reports that former cast member Sky earned $7,000 per episode, meaning she took home $91,000 for a full season.
Considering he is the CEO and richest in the season, he gets a hefty salary for each season. Now on its ninth ever season, Ceasar likely earns more towards the $10K mark for filming each episode.
It’s clear that the Black Ink star is pretty secure on the money front. Louis Vuitton shoes and a new car every season is pretty much the regular norm for the tattoo shop owner.
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