Creative 100: The Influencers & Celebrities Blazing Trails

The creators and celebrities honored here are influencing culture and using their platforms to challenge norms. Ayo Edebiri, Actor, writer, producer Notable trophies on the mantel: Ayo Edebiri skyrocketed to fame as chef Sydney Adamu in FX’s critically acclaimed comedy-drama The Bear, picking up a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics Choice Award and a Primetime Emmy Award along the way. A woman of many talents: Edebiri has written for shows like Sunnyside, Dickinson and Big Mouth. Edebiri also starred in indie film darling Bottoms, has guest starred on Abbott Elementary and voiced roles in the animated films Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. A zig-zaggy career: Before finding success in Hollywood, Edebiri initially went to NYU to become a teacher. While there, she gravitated toward stand-up comedy and found inspiration in other successful Black female comedians. Relatability and humility are the key ingredients: After winning the 2024 SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, Edebiri famously paraphrased a James Baldwin quote in her speech: “The act of love is just really an act of mirroring. And I think anything that anybody sees in me that's worth anything is because of the people who love me and support me, and it made me who I am." —Luz Corona Wawa Gatheru, Founder, executive director, Black Girl Environmentalist Climate leadership: Wawa Gatheru has become one of the most high-profile climate creators of her generation, with over 80,000 followers across platforms. At 25, she has led Black Girl Environmentalist for three years, an organization she founded as a digital community. It has since expanded into a climate advocacy group focusing on narrative change, community development and green workforce development. “POC-led organizations receive 1.2% of philanthropy, and youth-led organizations receive .76% of climate philanthropy,” Gatheru said. Investing in Black youth: Last year, Gatheru created the Hazel M. Johnson Fellowship program, offering 14 young Black women the opportunity to work with leading green organizations across policy, clean energy, environmental justice, climate tech and fashion. Be strategically delusional: She describes her approach toward life and work as strategically delusional: “being strategic with what is within your realm of control … while being delusional at the heights you can achieve.” —Kathryn Lundstrom Lily Gladstone, Actor A historic role: Gladstone, who was raised on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, made history with her role as Osage woman Mollie Kyle in Martin Scorsese’s film Killers of the Flower Moon. For her performance, she became the first Indigenous Golden Globe and SAG winner and the first Native American Oscar nominee. Representation matters: Gladstone used her time in the spotlight to uplift other Native American artists and creatives. “It has taken too long [to reach this milestone],” she told Sam Fragoso, host of the Talk Easy podcast. “This is an industry that historically hasn’t been too kind to us … Representation really does mean something [because] maybe Hollywood is ready to have these moments and conversations, but a lot of the world isn’t.” —Brittaney Kiefer Kahlil Greene, Owner, edutainer, Gen Z Historian Notoriety for education: Creator Kahlil Greene, known as the “Gen Z Historian,” first gained notoriety three years ago when he started posting educational videos to TikTok, on topics ranging from the 1921 Tulsa race massacre to how cultural appropriation manifests within TikTok trends. Building a career on and off TikTok: Greene told ADWEEK earlier this year that he sees the creator industry as a way to hone his skills as a writer and educator. As an example of his blend of “pop culture and learning,” earlier this year Greene created a campaign about Black rodeo history that was inspired by Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter album release. He was nominated for two Emmys in 2023 for hosting the kids’ news program Nick News. In May, Greene won a Peabody Award for a documentary series made with fellow creator Ariel Viera on the hidden history of racism in New York. Growing partnerships with brands: Greene has worked with brands like Adobe and Fiverr but said corporations could be more open to working with educational creators. “Brands still have archaic biases on what a content creator does, and I’m trying to break through that and show that substantive, impactful content is more effective than forgettable, clickbait-y content,” Greene told ADWEEK. —Catherine Perloff Suleika Jaouad, Writer, artist, advocate Chronicling life interruptions: Suleika Jaouad first gained fame for her Emmy Award-winning New York Times column, Life Interrupted, in 2022. In the column, she chronicled life with cancer after being diagnosed with a form of acute myeloid leukemia in 2011 at age 22. Separately, her features and essays have also appeared in publications like The Atlantic, The Guardian, Vogue and NPR. Words that matter: Jaouad’s TED Talk about life after cancer was one of the most-watched TED Talks of 2019, garnering nearly 5 million views. She has since become an advocate for those living with “life interruptions,” serving on Barack Obama's Presidential Cancer Panel. Her advocacy work has brought her everywhere from Capitol Hill to a maximum security prison. The scrolls continue: Jaouad’s Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted made the New York Times bestseller list. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she created the Isolation Journals, a community creativity project to help others convert isolation into artistic solitude. Since then, over 100,000 people from around the world have joined the Substack. —Luz Corona Kai-Isaiah Jamal, Model, poet, activist Voice of a generation: Kai-Isaiah Jamal was the first trans person to be nominated for Model of the Year at the British Fashion Council’s Fashion Awards 2023, but it was not the first time the model, poet and activist has made history. In 2021, after becoming the first black trans model to walk for Louis Vuitton, the fashion house’s late creative director Virgil Abloh called Jamal “the voice of their generation.” A family affair: While breaking into fashion’s inner echelons, being the cover star of magazines such as i-D, and collaborating with brands from Louis Vuitton to Calvin Klein, Jamal has used their platform to uplift the trans community and speak candidly about their experiences. “I’m so lucky to have the queer family around me that constantly push me to be whole and unapologetically myself,” they told Dazed. —Brittaney Kiefer Jisoo, K-pop star; founder, Blissoo Going solo: After taking the world by storm as a member of K-pop group Blackpink, Jisoo’s solo career is also blossoming. Her solo debut single, Flower, from her debut single album Me, hit No. 2 on Billboard’s Global 200. Earlier this year, she founded her own label, Blissoo. Blazing K-pop trails: “We have walked the path that other artists have made, but [Blackpink members] have developed our own trail too,” Jisoo told Elle. “We debuted at a time when the platform was expanding and accessibility to K-pop was increasing. Just like we walked on a path that had been created for us, I hope we could help make the path easier for those who would come after us.” —Brittaney Kiefer Dev Patel, Actor, writer, director Channeling rage: Monkey Man, Dev Patel’s directorial debut, is more than an action thriller that fans have dubbed “John Wick in Mumbai.” It’s an indictment of political corruption, weaponized faith and caste systems, according to the star, who also wrote and produced the hit film that took six years to bring to the screen. “I wanted to create a story about the underdogs challenging the untouchable status quo,” Patel told the BBC. Action inspiration: The 33-year-old actor, known for Slumdog Millionaire, Skins and his Oscar-nominated turn in Lion, lists his influences as Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung and Korean films that have pushed the revenge genre “into something that feels really substantial and meaningful and cinematic and artful,” he said at a recent gala where he was honored as one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” of 2024. Double-oh-seven: Though no decision has been announced, it’s widely rumored that Patel is in line to be the next James Bond, with GQ’s post-Monkey Man assessment concluding that “to choose anyone else for the role would be a tragically missed opportunity.” —T.L. Stanley Paula Pell, Actor, writer, producer Stealth talent: During Paula Pell’s 18 years behind the scenes at Saturday Night Live, she was considered one of the iconic show’s secret weapons, punching up sketches with her razor-sharp writing and creating some of the series’ most memorable characters like Debbie Downer and the Spartan Cheerleaders. Aside from that gig, the veteran performer has had numerous turns in front of the camera, including television and film roles in Wine Country, 30 Rock, A.P. Bio and Mapleworth Murders. 4ever’s too short: But it wasn’t until Netflix recently started airing the comedy Girls5eva that Pell stepped fully into the spotlight as the scene-stealing modern elder of a one-hit-wonder pop group looking for its second chance at stardom. Pell plays the out-and-proud Gloria, a character that breaks new ground not just on a body positivity level. “If we’re going to be inclusive, let’s be inclusive with age too,” the 60-year-old Pell said. “And I certainly feel like content is more inclusive now with queer people, which is making me very thrilled because I had an absolute desert of it when I was growing up,” she told Vanity Fair. Blockbuster season: Among her projects in the pipeline, Pell is writing a Netflix movie for Kim Kardashian with Janine Brito, Pell's wife and frequent collaborator. Meantime, she’s part of the voice cast for Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2 launching this summer. —T.L. Stanley Bretman Rock, Creator, author, actor Born to create: At 25, Filipino-American Bretman Rock has been creating content for nearly a decade, garnering over 40 million followers. In recent years, he’s expanded beyond the makeup tutorials and storytelling of his early YouTube career, making way for a deeper, more spiritual side—evident in his 2023 memoir, You're That Bitch & Other Cute Lessons About Being Unapologetically Yourself; MTV’s Following: Bretman Rock; and YouTube Originals’ 30 Days With: Bretman Rock. A nonbinary icon: Last June, Rock made history by being the first openly gay man to grace the cover of Vogue Philippines’ inaugural Pride issue, though he also embraces a nonbinary identity. “I go by all the genders,” Rock, who prefers he/him pronouns, told Vogue. “Girl, I’m Bretman. I’m not a woman, I’m not a man. … At the end of the day, the person that needs to know who you are is you and the people that you love.” Brand partner with a conscience: Splitting his time between Hawaii, where he grew up, and Los Angeles, he works with brands including Balmain, Valentino, Michael Kors, Stella McCartney, Crocs, MAC Cosmetics and Postmates while championing social and environmental causes. —Kathryn Lundstrom Rachel Sennott, Comedian, actor, writer Bottoms up: Rachel Sennott’s career started like many aspiring to Hollywood today—posting a lot online. She soon gained a following for irreverent tweets and Instagram posts, garnering coverage such as “Tweeting Through Quar with Rachel Sennott” from Paper. She parlayed this online fame onto the big screen, with a breakout role in the film Shiva Baby, released in 2020. She co-wrote and starred in 2023’s comedy Bottoms, which was produced by MGM. It performed well at the box office and was nominated for Critics Choice Awards. Future plans: Since Bottoms’ success, Sennott has nabbed more film roles, including lead in I Used to Be Funny and a member of the upcoming ensemble film SNL 1975. In March, Deadline reported that HBO greenlit a TV show written, starring and produced by Sennott. —Catherine Perloff Vince Staples, Musician, actor, writer, producer Who is Vince Staples? As creator and star of a surreal, genre-bending Netflix series based loosely on his life, Vince Staples gleefully pokes fun at his own fame—fellow characters on The Vince Staples Show often have no idea who he is. That’s an on-brand move for the low-key multi-hyphenate, known as an intellectual rapper with a deadpan sense of humor. More than music: The 30-year-old Southern California native and alum of the Odd Future collective made his mark in hip-hop, with “Ramona Park Broke My Heart” being his latest studio release. But his reputation has continued to grow as visual artist and creative collaborator, working with brands such as Acura, Sprite, Converse and Beats by Dre. Up for anything: He takes a “why-not” attitude these days, bulking up his CV with gigs including a global tour and acting appearances in the White Men Can’t Jump reboot, Abbott Elementary, Dope and Insecure. He told the Associated Press recently, “I appreciate the process and the ability to do these things for a living. Like, this is highway robbery.” —T.L. Stanley Taylor Tomlinson, Comedian, writer, producer; host, After Midnight, CBS Breaking ground: This year, standup comedian Taylor Tomlinson became the only female host of a regular late-night show—not to mention the youngest at age 30—taking over the slot vacated by British comedian James Corden. Industry observers are watching whether Tomlinson, who has three Netflix specials under her belt, can shake up late-night TV and make the format appealing to young people. Unusual beginnings: Tomlinson was raised in a strict religious home in California and began her standup career on the Christian church circuit. Now her comedy focuses on topics she once considered taboo, such as mental health, sex and dating. Advice to aspiring standup comedians: “Write and perform as much as humanly possible,” Tomlinson said. Personal mantra: “Take nothing personally.” —Brittaney Kiefer Tyla, Music artist The rise of Tyla: Tyla was making waves long before the fragility of her Balmain Met Gala dress (made from sand) called for two people to carry her up the stairs. This viral scene was preceded by a busy 12 months for the South African artist in which she released her widely lauded self-titled album. Her single "Water," an Amapiano-influenced track, also inspired a TikTok dance and won her the inaugural Grammy for Best African Music Performance. Helping Gap get its groove back: In March, Tyla’s prowess among Gen Z got her noticed by Gap, which tapped her to appear in its “Linen Moves” spot, a reimagined take on the TikTok-famous music video “Back on 74” by Jungle. On her creative process: “My creative team is from South Africa. So everything I do is South African, close to home and constantly pushing the culture and who I am in general,” Tyla told Cosmopolitan. —Rebecca Stewart Check out Adweek’s full Creative 100 list for 2024 here.

The Creative 100

Creative 100: Influencers and Celebrities Who Are Blazing Trails

Our 2024 honorees, from actor Ayo Edebiri to creator Bretman Rock

Ayo Edebiri, Actor, writer, producer

Adweek Staff

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

Ayo Edebiri, Actor, writer, producer

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Adweek Staff