On today’s episode of the Daily Variety podcast, hear from Variety’s Antonio Ferme and Harper Mays about how they put together this year’s list of Variety’s 10 Creators to Watch, which reflects the burgeoning entertainment-centric social media stars. Variety’s Peyton Terkeltaub also explains why so many people are opting for cocktails and watching TV with friends as bar and restaurant viewing party events for fan-favorite shows proliferate.
Variety’s first 10 creators to watch list
The process of selecting 10 social media gurus who are making an impact in the industry from among thousands of creators working on major platforms required a lot of research and late-night scrolling. The goal was to find personalities and content brands already focused on Variety’s coverage areas, including film, television, music, legal theater, digital, podcasting, and publishing. Mays and Ferm, Variety’s social media editors, have found themselves a rich, creative environment characterized by personalities who display impressive creativity and an innate sense of how to build a brand.
“When we all first met about this, my theory was that these 10 creators’ ultimate goal was to make a living on social media. And I was wrong. It was actually the opposite,” Ferm explains. “They were using social media to give them leverage to get into not just Hollywood, but brand deals and whatever they wanted. Because this is where visibility is needed, and this is what all the big companies are starting to realize. When you talk to someone like Vinnie Thomas, you know, he’s not just a social media guy, he used social media to get the Netflix room. He’s currently working on a spin-off series of ‘Big Mouth,’ which is a pretty big show. But at the same time, he told me why it was so important to him that if he had social media, he wouldn’t want to get rid of it in case things didn’t work out or he didn’t have a job for six months.
Mays added that there is a lot of focus on opening their own businesses in the retail and consumer products space.
“Most people want to break away from social media. They’ll continue to be on social media and have an established fan base, but it doesn’t necessarily mean becoming an actor or appearing on Broadway. It could be something like opening your own business, like Alex Cooper did with his energy drink brand (Unwell Energy). And from what I’ve seen, I think most of them have bigger aspirations.”
Turkeltaub, a reporter for Variety, reports extensively on the growth of TV viewing parties for bars and restaurants across the country. CBS’ “Survivor,” HBO Max’s “Heat Rivalry,” Peacock’s “The Traitors,” HBO’s “The White Lotus” and MTV’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race” are among the shows that draw crowds to watch by appointment while sipping cocktails.
What makes a good group viewing series?
“Shows that have important moments that people want to experience as a group. One of the reasons reality TV is popular is because it borders on sports. You want to scream at the TV and cheer. And that’s good for going to public places in groups, going to bars, having drinks, hanging out with friends,” Turkeltaub says. “Looking back at the Love Island viewing parties this summer, there was so much drama and excitement for the audience.”
Listen to Daily Variety on iHeartPodcasts, Apple Podcasts, Variety’s YouTube Podcast channel, Amazon Music, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.
