(LOS ANGELES, CA, JUNE 19, 2017)—Time Inc. (NYSE:TIME) entertainment brand INSTANT, dedicated to covering digital stars and their pursuits, today revealed the world’s top social media superstars in their inaugural “New Fame List.” The list recognizes the Internet’s movers and shakers taking over news feeds this past year, along with the disrupters who have catapulted their careers offline.

“The Internet is a huge gamechanger that empowered a new generation of creators to amplify their voices and redefine our traditional idea of ‘fame.’” said Chris Jacob, INSTANT’s Director of Brand Marketing. Jonathan Ratliff, Content Director for INSTANT, adds, “This list is about impact and influence. As an authority on the digital space and culture, INSTANT is able to recognize how powerful the names on the ‘New Fame List’ are to this new era of celebrity and content creation.”

Crossover talent appearing on the 2017 list includes Issa Rae (HBO’s Insecure) and Colleen Ballinger (“Miranda Sings,” Netflix’s Haters Back Off), who both had breakout years as creators, stars and executive producers of their own TV shows. Lilly Singh and Hannah Hart, who wrote New York Times Best-Sellers, were named to “Visionaries.” Also on Visionaries is Gigi Gorgeous, a transgender rights advocate whose documentary “This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous” debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and follows her coming-out journey as a transgender woman. Male makeup gurus Jeffree Star, Manny MUA, and Patrick Starrr make the list as “Lookers” for disrupting the beauty industry with their own rising cosmetic empires. Manny MUA was also the first male to be named in People’s “Most Beautiful” and the first male brand ambassador for Maybelline.

“These digital artists aren’t just vloggers, they are entrepreneurs, brand ambassadors, faces of Fortune 500 companies, activists rallying millions of dollars to causes their audiences are passionate about; and self-made entertainers with paramount influence on their fans of Gen Z and Millennial age,” said Will Lee, Group Digital Director, Sports and Entertainment, at Time Inc. “Those on the ‘New Fame’ list are true stars who have created their own business empires, social media movements and transformed what it means to be famous in 2017.”

THE NEW FAME LIST: 
● Entertainers - Logan Paul, Rhett & Link, Miranda Sings, King Bach, Liza Koshy / Emerging Entertainers: David Dobrik, Juanpa Zurita 
● Visionaries - Lilly Singh, Derek Muller/Veritasium, Hannah Hart, Gigi Gorgeous, Connor Franta / Emerging Visionaries: Kat Blaque, Josh Sundquist 
● Real Deals - Issa Rae, Joey Graceffa, Todrick Hall, Lele Pons, Casey Neistat / Emerging Real Deals: Why Don’t We, Carson Lueders 
● Trend Setters - Rudy Mancuso, Teala Dunn, Jojo Siwa, Swoozie, Loren Gray / Emerging Trend Setters: Renny, Ari Fitz 
● Lookers - Jeffree Star, Manny MUA, Kandee Johnson, Nikkie Tutorials, Patrick Starrr / Emerging Lookers: Jake Warden, Morgan Hanberry 
● Sports Social Stars - Presented by Sports Illustrated: Alex Morgan (Soccer), Marquette King (Football), Amanda Nunes (UFC), Paul Bissonnette (Hockey), Jason Kipnis (Baseball), Joel Embiid (Basketball), Victoria Azarenza (Tennis)

Nominations for “The New Fame List” were made by a committee led by the INSTANT team and comprised of Time Inc. editors and industry experts. The final honorees were chosen using a proprietary rating system that combines editorial expertise — knowledge of the nominees' projects and contributions within the space, as well data and analysis provided in partnership with MVPindex — including channel growth, social "buzz” and social media engagement over the last 12 months. MVPindex is the leading provider of real-time social media intelligence for sports and entertainment and the industry’s go-to source for determining the monetary value of an individual or brand’s social media footprint.

“MVPindex is thrilled to partner with Time Inc. and INSTANT on the first-ever ‘New Fame List,’” said Kyle Nelson, Co-Founder of MVPindex. “This list demonstrates the evolution of social media and its power to not only drive conversation but also to build brands. Social media enables direct connections between influencers and their fans, creating more authentic and valuable relationships.”

The data collected is not intended to cover all aspects of the nominees' scope of work and channels, but rather serve as a comprehensive sampling of how each person compares to their peers. Various data and editorial factors were given different weights by category.

Since launching at last year’s VidCon, the annual digital creator convention in Anaheim, Calif., INSTANT has seen rapid growth. The social-first media outlet produces more than 30 original series for its Instant.me platform and social channels, capturing more than 125 million views and growing 136% in the last three months alone. INSTANT is the leading media outlet for a Gen Z audience within Time Inc.’s digital properties, with 71 percent of its most engaged members age 13-24. INSTANT recently debuted its first long-form program in partnership with musical.ly and live.ly: “IRL.” The live show, which INSTANT produces weekly, gives fans a first-person, front row seat to the world’s biggest digital stars and features a “TRL”-style countdown of musical.ly’s top videos and musers.

To view the New Fame list and supporting videos, visit: newfamelist.com

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ABOUT INSTANT 
INSTANT is Time Inc.’s social-first media outlet dedicated to covering the world of the “The New Famous” – the digital artists of social media from YouTube, Instagram, musical.ly, and beyond. INSTANT produces more than 30 original series across its Instant.me platform and social channels. INSTANT’s content also lives on the sites and channels of Time Inc.brands People, Entertainment Weekly, and HelloGiggles. Visit: www.instant.me 

 

ABOUT TIME INC. 
Time Inc. (NYSE:TIME) is a leading content company that engages over 170 million consumers every month through our portfolio of premium brands across platforms. Our influential brands include PEOPLE, TIME, FORTUNE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, INSTYLE, REAL SIMPLE and SOUTHERN LIVING, as well as approximately 60 diverse brands in the United Kingdom.

 

ABOUT MVPINDEX 
Founded in 2014, MVPindex was the first social media intelligence platform to rank, measure and value the ecosystem of brand ambassadors and influencers in the sports and entertainment industries. Today, MVPindex’s comprehensive social media index and proprietary valuation platform offers real-time analytics about more than 50,000 athletes, entertainers, teams, leagues and brands – ranked across the most popular social platforms – and has become the de facto industry standard for calculating the monetary value of social media campaigns and properties. Clients like AT&T, NASCAR and WME IMG rely on MVPindex data and insights to make strategic decisions about brand ambassadors; evaluate their partnerships; maximize sponsorship activation; and understand what is resonating with their fans and customers. Follow MVPindex on Twitter and Instagram @MVPindex or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mvpindex.

 

CONTACT 
Time Inc. 
Marnie Perez, marnie_perez@peoplemag.com 

 

Metro PR 
Paul Panday, (310) 601-3211, instant@metropublicrelations.com 

 

MVPindex 
Amber Moore, (503) 943-9381, amber@moorecom2.com