Forbes Top Creators 2024: Influencers Turning Buzz into Billions!
The Creator Economy is BOOMING!
The world of influencers is INSANE! We're talking a $250 billion industry, expected to hit nearly $500 billion by 2027 (according to Goldman Sachs)! Forbes' Top Creators 2024 list shows exactly just how wild this landscape truly is; these 50 digital stars, across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, raked in almost $720 million last year (a $20 million jump from 2023!) They've also gained over 100 million followers, for a whopping 2.7 billion total! This highlights the exponential growth of influencer culture and showcases the incredibly vast potential inherent within those individuals who have earned themselves positions as social media royalty!
This list isn’t simply a popularity contest either: Forbes collected data regarding gross earnings, follower counts, engagement and other key factors! They even examined entrepreneurial activity, from selling burgers to running entire studios; to provide a far more comprehensive look beyond popularity and engagement! We’re examining the 50 top social media superstars that leveraged influence into a mountain of cash!
Meet the Top 10 Creators in 2024: A Blend of Entertainment and Entrepreneurship
1. MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson): King of Extreme Challenges!
MrBeast (over 500 million followers!) is the most-followed creator, that insane YouTube channel has over 320 million subscribers, racking up 9 billion views last year with crazy videos such as surviving in a cave or insane contests like winning $500,000. He also launched killer product lines such as clothing and candy! Sadly however, some controversies already exist, as those who worked on an Amazon project recently sued due to safety concerns, leaving much uncertain about MrBeast’s plans concerning future shows.
2. Dhar Mann: Modern-Day After-School Specials
Dhar Mann's 23 million YouTube subscribers tune in for stories around bullying, racism, and inequality! He produces videos for this amazingly successful show through an enormous team! A serious effort producing for the 100,000 sqft LA studio! This past year's $45 million haul comes from ads and brand deals with companies such as WhatsApp, Universal, and SocialPoint. And those are just the start of this creator's accomplishments: This amazing creator is involved in multiple different areas such as agency operations, a successful beauty brand; plus even a creative agency; he really does everything!
3. Matt Rife: From Viral TikTok to Netflix Superstar!
Matt Rife went viral on TikTok in 2022, making this stand-up comedian completely sell-out almost 30 shows a month! He's got two Netflix specials, including the amazingly controversial yet surprisingly popular Lucid; all the controversies surrounding his earlier show Natural Selection were extremely overshadowed, showing just how powerful Rife's actual fanbase truly was. And he's publishing a memoir— Your Mom’s Gonna Love Me—in December. An astonishing rise to fame!
4. Charli D’Amelio: Dancing Queen, Shoe Mogul, Broadway Star!
At only 18, Charli D'Amelio was already topping the TikTok earner list; thanks to her killer dance skills. A few years, thousands of imitators and even this immense pressure has done nothing to her brand; it's amazing, because this amazing personality and charisma only improved with age; now, she's leading ad campaigns and launching the amazing D'Amelio Footwear line (with sister Dixie). She's also going to appear on Broadway. That’s diversity in its purest form.
5. Stokes Twins (Alex and Alan Stokes): YouTube's Prank Masters
Alex and Alan Stokes are seriously exploding across YouTube! They're making insane vlogs such as building a secret McDonald’s in a room or outrageous hide-and-seek! This earned these two incredibly popular siblings a mountain of followers. This combined digital impact exceeds 100 million, showing immense success with the many vlogs and their creative pranks.
6. Dixie D’Amelio: High Fashion and Pop Music Success!
While her sister’s fame brought great potential and possibilities into this younger sister's work, her massive fanbase generated great opportunities. While initially recognized primarily as a TikTok star (the second highest earner), she keeps growing; now partnering with designer labels such as Chopard, Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton, and Valentino, while continuing her growing career as an artist; now earning amazing results across her various endeavors and building that strong portfolio across those differing industries. Her Spotify success (over 100 million plays for Be Happy) makes that obvious.
7. Mark Rober: Former NASA Engineer, YouTube's Science Guy
Mark Rober—a former NASA engineer– makes wildly engaging science experiments on YouTube! He gained 57 million subscribers last year! He showcases science dramatically. We are talking space egg drops and experiments; such as whether acid or lava is worse; generating immense levels of viewership. His CrunchLabs company even offers amazing STEM-themed subscriptions boxes. He even collaborates with many organizations aimed at providing better science educational opportunities, highlighting a desire to spread education; even across some communities that might never get an opportunity; emphasizing a broader set of goals beyond simple profit, furthering this personality's brand even beyond financial interests.
8. Alex Cooper: The Call Her Daddy Podcast Empire!
Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast turned into an insane media powerhouse, making for a stunning media empire generating several millions in revenue; she is making over 100 million dollars from these ventures and this truly demonstrates that an almost overwhelming level of entrepreneurial thinking was paramount for generating these success! She has brand deals, works with Kim Kardashian's Skims and Jimmy Choo, and even hosts for NBC. That’s insane!
9. Rhett & Link: Mythical Comedy, Food, and Merch
Rhett and Link’s YouTube success blossomed! Their channel brought an enormous income which is reflected by their current holdings and future goals; a killer Good Mythical Morning show has 19 million subscribers, along with Mythical Kitchen for all that wild foodie content; yet the impressive aspect includes having created these many side endeavors as the series exploded into a much larger format: This duo includes branded merch; even podcasts and their own Hulu FAST channel; an absolutely epic success and shows the entrepreneurial capabilities required for transforming that initial success to a massively expanded portfolio; showing this duo really deserves immense attention.
10. Khaby Lame: The Meme King of TikTok
Khaby Lame, the digital equivalent of Charlie Chaplin (163 million TikTok followers), remains king! His reaction videos are brilliant– generating 2.5 billion likes! Lame's done some deals–with Hugo Boss, Fortnite, Sony Pictures—and even Walmart! (His line of amazing, quirky cooking gadgets). Lame always emphasizes doing this honestly (no alcohol or unhealthy stuff); he's great at working ethically and highlights the important factors in balancing this aspect of brand building with ethical manufacturing considerations, something less frequently done by many competitors in this field.
Conclusion: The Creator Economy's Stars Are Only Getting Brighter
These are the giants and powerhouses of social media – transforming online popularity to amazing wealth! It’s an incredible blend of entertaining skills; shrewd business thinking and adapting social media into various streams, making many people wish they might get the same outcomes! These creative individuals aren’t merely famous: They’re serious entrepreneurs; they completely control their brands. The Creator Economy continues its amazing growth and shows those awesome success stories which could be duplicated; and it proves those capable enough of working it could easily grow immensely; an area worth keeping an eye on!
