Variety’s 10 Creators to Watch Spotlights the New Class of Online Talent
📖 Full Retelling
For most of the 120 years that Variety has covered the entertainment industry, creatives followed a tried and true script to gain the attention of Hollywood’s gatekeepers by cutting their teeth on smaller projects, rising through the ranks and maybe, eventually, their project got made. But fetching coffees and nepotism are no longer the only […]
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Mar 4, 2026 9:00am PT Variety’s 10 Creators to Watch Spotlights the New Class of Online Talent By Antonio Ferme , Harper Mays , Kennedy French , Arushi Jacob , Payton Turkeltaub For most of the 120 years that Variety has covered the entertainment industry, creatives followed a tried and true script to gain the attention of Hollywood’s gatekeepers by cutting their teeth on smaller projects, rising through the ranks and maybe, eventually, their project got made. But fetching coffees and nepotism are no longer the only ways to “make it big” anymore. Social media has blown open the gates to audiences eager to hear fresh voices, enabling a generation of creatives who built their careers without the blessing of studio executives or corporate conglomerates. They’re doing it on the digital arenas of TikTok and YouTube, platforms untethered to broadcast schedules or brick-and-mortar venues. Roughly 1 in 5 U.S. teens say they’re on those apps almost constantly, according to Pew, creating an unprecedented ecosystem where a single viral video can instantly place a creator on the radar of millions. Each honoree on Variety ’s first-ever 10 Creators to Watch list has cultivated a significant online fan base — and monetized their influence by scoring major brand deals once reserved for Hollywood’s elite. Many are now leveraging that momentum to bypass the traditional pecking order altogether, landing in Netflix writers’ rooms, starry Broadway productions and mainstream motion pictures. Sabrina Brier Instagram 350K; TikTok 875K Brier epitomizes the 21st century creator who bypassed traditional paths of discovery to establish a successful career. Raised by a mother who dabbled in playwriting and sketch comedy, Brier spent years grinding as an assistant at ABC, hoping to one day write a show of her own for the network. Social media opened the door for her to showcase her quirky character skits, ones that often feature privileged and self-involved characters, to millions of fans. “I co...
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