You have to either be a developer, moderator, etc., or you have to be "known" for something.
For example: Howard is both a developer and the idiot police, both for obvious reasons.
DrewKaree gained his reputation during the pre-election "discussions" on the Everything Else board.
And so on...
Also, you can try asking for one, and see what happens. You might get one. There's somebody around here who has one that says, "Yes you can have a special title", or something to that effect.