As traditional media companies continue to compete for audiences with content creators, one thing is clear: The content creator economy is here to stay. Goldman Sachs has estimated that the sector would grow from $250 million in 2023 to $480 billion by 2027.
As Deadline continues to navigate what this means for the traditional space, we’ve taken a look at who we think are some of the most exciting and influential figures working in the digital space that are also crossing over into traditional entertainment lanes, both now and during the new year.
Scroll down to see.
Blakely Thornton
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Few creators are as unapologetically candid about the entertainment landscape than Blakely Thornton. The L.A.-based personality, who describes himself as a “pop culture anthropologist,” frequently weighs in on industry news whether it be the upcoming WBD-Netflix deal, which he describes as “white guys failing up,” or calling out certain media outlets’ reported box office on Ryan Coogler’s Sinners in what he called Hollywood’s Caucasian Confirmation Bias. Thornton’s pithy Instagram posts have seen him amass 320,000 followers to date; he counts Jonathan Bailey as a fan, while Lauren Sanchez blocked him after his critique of her ostentatious wedding to Jeff Bezos. Roll credits.
Nicky Campbell
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Often referred to as the “Joan Rivers of TikTok,” Nicky Campbell has become one of the most prominent critics of red carpet fashion on the internet. His brutally honest, unfiltered and witty commentary about celebrity wardrobes has garnered over 20 million likes on TikTok and 382,000 followers on Instagram. Previously a fashion assistant at Vogue, Campbell now hosts his own show on YouTube called Gloves Off, where he grills celebrities about their red carpet fashion choices over the years. Gloves Off guest stars include actresses Sarah Paulson, Meghann Fahy, Rita Ora, Olivia Munn and Zoey Deutch. In Paulson’s episode, she told Campbell: “People have so much respect for you because you’re right. Sometimes you like things that I don’t like and it makes me think, ‘I don’t know what I’m talking about.’”
Amelia Dimoldenberg
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Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Date initially started out as a column for British youth publication The Cut before pivoting and structuring the interviews as dates in chicken shops (British takeaway restaurants serving fried chicken). Since her first episode in March 2014, Dimoldenberg has interviewed a raft of talent including Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba, Billie Eilish and Harris Dickinson. In the interviews, Dimoldenberg uses a sarcastic approach, often making her subjects laugh with her deadpan humor. She established her own production company Dimz Inc in 2018, which produces her Chicken Shop Date show as well as Amelia’s Cooking Show and Fake News. In 2024 and 2025, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made Dimoldenberg their red-carpet correspondent.
Taylen Biggs
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At only 12 years old, Taylen Biggs is already known for her chic and sophisticated fashion taste as well as her confident and quippy interview style with celebrities. Her most viral video, with 3.8 million likes on Instagram and 27.9 million views on TikTok, is a wholesome exchange between Biggs and Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo that involved a selfie, trying on Grande’s sunglasses and giving Erivo an endearing compliment about her nails. Since then, Biggs has starred in one of the biggest films of the year, Zootopia 2, as the voice of Tailen Smalls. The animated film, which surpassed $1 billion in the global box office, also stars Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Ke Huy Quan, Quinta Brunson, Andy Samberg, Idris Elba and Shakira.
Jake Shane
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American content creator Jake Shane is best known for his humorous TikTok videos where he reenacts historical events based on requests in his comments section. His Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal video gained him more than 100,000 followers within one week of posting and, by 2023, Shane’s account had amassed more than 1.5 million followers. That same year he signed with UTA and by the end of that year he had more than 2.5 million TikTok followers. His podcast Therapuss with Jake Shane launched in 2024, and in 2025 he was cast in Season 4 of Hacks starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder.
Kareem Rahma
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“So, what’s your take?” asks Kareem Rahma on his viral video series Subway Takes. Rahma’s funny and personable interview approach mixed with people’s unpredictable and bold “hot takes” on the New York subway has earned 78 million likes on TikTok and is followed by 1.8 million people on Instagram. The Egyptian-American creator has these relatable conversations with a combination of New Yorkers and notable Hollywood personalities like Spike Lee, Cate Blanchett, Ramy Youssef, Rachel Sennott, Austin Butler and Zoë Kravitz. Comedian Rahma is also the host of the YouTube series Keep the Meter Running, which featured New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani earlier this year, and he starred in two episodes of Rian Johnson’s hit series Poker Face.
Sean Evans
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Sean Evans has been eating hot wings with celebrities for a decade and his YouTube channel First We Feast, which screens his popular Hot Ones show, has more than 15 million subscribers. When Evans and his team first conceived the show, which sees Evans interview talent while they both eat progressively hotter chicken wings, the idea was to shake up the standard video interview format with something more flavorful. And it’s worked. Hot Ones, which has the slogan “hot questions and even hotter wings,” has welcome a host of top celebrities ranging from Jennifer Lawrence to Matthew McConaughey to Paul Rudd to Cate Blanchett and more.
Emma Chamberlain
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American content creator Emma Chamberlain rose to fame through her YouTube channel, which she started in 2016. She became known for her casual editing style, candid storytelling and open conversations about anxiety, burnout and mental health. She launched her podcast Anything Goes in 2019 and, that same year, Time magazine included her on its Time 100 Next List. She’s hosted many celebrity interviews for Vogue and in 2023 was cast as the voice of a reporter in the animated teen comedy Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. Earlier this year, she began filming the horror film Forbidden Fruits, in which she stars alongside Lily Reinhart, Lola Tung, Victoria Pedretti and Alexandra Shipp.
Delaney Rowe
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Delaney Rowe is known for her funny, satirical skits that poke fun at stereotypical characters and tropes in Hollywood films and TV shows. Her 1 million Instagram followers and 3.2 million TikTok followers have seen her play a multitude of niche characters like “the free-spirited bohemian single mom in every mother/daughter comedy,” “the retired athlete who fell from glory in every sports movie,” and “the overly cool and down to earth parents in every high school movie.” Rowe was recently cast in Amazon MGM Studios’ rom-com You Deserve Each Other alongside Penn Badgley, Meghann Fahy, Natalie Morales, Justin Long and Kyle MacLachlan.
Reece Feldman
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Reece Feldman, aka Guy With A Movie Camera, is the guy to call if you want to promote your film or TV show in an organic, funny and entertaining way, and have millions of people talking about it. From The Ozian Spelling Bee with the Wicked: For Good cast to Superman’s “a day in the life” video with David Corenswet, and going to Paris with The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s Lola Tung and Christopher Briney, Feldman’s content has amassed more than 196 million likes on TikTok. In a transition to filmmaking, Feldman also debuted his first short film Wait, Your Car? this year in a TikTok-hosted event at the 78th Cannes Film Festival.
Zainab Jiwa
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You can find UK-based creator and presenter Zainab Jiwa at every major red carpet event in London as a social media host. Jiwa has interviewed industry heavyweights like Denzel Washington, Zendaya, Emma Stone, Oscar Isaac and Tom Hardy as well as hosted red carpets for the BAFTA Film Awards and the 2025 BFI London Film Festival. In addition to her presenting duties, Jiwa delivers exclusive behind-the-scenes content of the film and TV industry to her 900,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram. She also combines her love for fashion with film through thematic styling at premieres, such as wearing an armored gown to the Gladiator II premiere and a Glinda-inspired pink dress to the Wicked premiere.
Alex Cooper
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In less than seven years, Alex Cooper has built a media empire to make many moguls envious. The podcast whiz co-founded Call Her Daddy in 2018 and while it initially started out as a sex and relationships show, it’s pivoted to become an interview show with guests including Kim Kardashian, Shonda Rhimes, Sarah Jessica Parker and more. After a $60 million, three-year run on Spotify, Call Her Daddy moved to SiriusXM earlier this year for a cool $125 million. Hulu launched a documentary on her career, Call Her Alex, earlier this year, and she’s set to produce a reality show for the streamer called Overboard For Love.
Jordan Howlett
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Jordan Howlett, aka Jordan the Stallion, is best known for his Fast Food Secrets Club, where he posts humorous skits and food-related commentary. He has more 31 million followers across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube and he’s always sporting his reading glasses and usually a leather-bound book recipe as he shares how to cook popular fast foods. Howlett has collaborated with a raft of celebrities including Michael B. Jordan, Will Smith, Channing Tatum and Halle Berry. He has also been featured on the Forbes Top Creators list.
Sabrina Brier
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Sabrina Brier had a background in acting and talent management before she became a TikTok sensation. She is best known for her skits in which she portrays privileged, self-involved characters. Her humor tends to blend irony, social commentary and strong character work. In 2024, she had a guest role in Season 3 of Abbott Elementary and last year she released her audiobook, That Friend, about an influencer in New York City who has an advice podcast but slowly sees her life begin to fall apart.
Boman Martinez-Reid
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Boman Martinez-Reid, or Bomanizer, gained popularity during the pandemic for his Kardashian-inspired impersonations and reality TV spoof videos. You can keep up with “The Bodashians” in a series of skits that often feature Martinez-Reid’s close friends Eden and Alyssa. Over the years, the comedian has amassed 2.2 million followers and 104.9 million likes on TikTok. In a crossover to the traditional entertainment space, Martinez-Reid’s mockumentary show Made For TV With Boman Martinez-Reid premiered on the Canadian channel Crave in 2024 and was distributed by Roku. The show follows a social media star who tries to make the jump from content creator to television icon by testing out every genre TV has to offer.