The biggest breakout creators of 2024

New content creators are constantly emerging on social media, especially with over half (57%) of Gen Zers aspiring to become creators. But few of those creators, even ones who have a video go viral, attain enduring online fame and success, due to the relentless pace of the internet trend cycle and the massive sea of content cluttering the social media landscape. Some, however, secure internet fame—and all of the brand deals, business opportunities and fiercely loyal followers/customers that come along with it. Below, we’ve rounded up six of the biggest breakout digital stars of 2024, from those completely new to the influencer industry to others who took their personal brands to new heights. Read Ad Age’s Best of 2024 stories here Jools Lebron 2.5 million followers (TikTok and Instagram) There’s a reason Dictionary.com selected “demure” as its 2024 word of the year, and her name is Jools Lebron. Lebron, a beauty creator, has been posting makeup tutorials and other social content for over a decade—but it wasn’t until this August, when her “very demure, very mindful” catchphrase took the internet by storm, that she truly stepped into the TikTok spotlight. That month, she amassed more than 1.1 million new TikTok followers, according to data from social media analytics site Social Blade. Lebron inked deals with a plethora of brands, including Verizon, Netflix and Lyft, within just a few days of her initial viral video, and has maintained a steady cadence of brand partnerships since. Last month, for instance, she collaborated with PopSockets on a collection of phone accessories that include her signature phrases “very cutesy,” “very demure” and “very mindful.” More from Ad Age: The biggest social media trends of 2024 View this post on Instagram A post shared by PopSockets (@popsockets) A.J. and Big Justice 3.1 million followers (TikTok, Instagram and YouTube) Father-son duo A.J. and Eric Befumo, better known online as “A.J. and Big Justice” or “the Costco Guys,” experienced a meteoric rise to online fame this year after their boisterous “boom or doom” reviews of Costco’s food court items started going viral on TikTok. Many of those videos racked up millions of views—but the real turning point in the duo’s rise to fame was the release of their theme song “We Bring the Boom!” in July. Things quickly snowballed from there, with A.J. and Big Justice expanding their content to include the rest of their family and collaborations with other creators (most notably, eight-year-old Christian Joseph, aka “the Rizzler”); appearing on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon”; and landing a slew of brand deals, including collaborations with Chipotle, Squishmallows, Welch’s and MrBeast’s Feastables. @a.j.befumo BOOM! 💥 Or DOOM! ☠️⁉️ #costco #costcoguys #father #son #family #fun #bigjustice #boom @ItzTheRizzler @The Makeshift Project ♬ original sound - A.J. & Big Justice Also: Watch the Rizzler’s music video ad for toy maker MGA Tareasa Johnson (“Reesa Teesa”) 3.6 million followers (TikTok and Instagram) In February, Tareasa Johnson, better known online by her username “Reesa Teesa,” captivated the internet with a 52-part TikTok series detailing her disastrous relationship with her manipulative ex-husband. While TikTok users are often stereotyped as having extremely short attention spans, many users tuned into most, if not all, of Johnson’s eight-hour story, appropriately titled “Who TF Did I Marry?” Johnson signed with talent agency CAA less than a month after her TikTok series went viral. In September, she announced that actress and writer Natasha Rothwell is producing and starring in an upcoming TV adaptation of the story. Johnson also collaborated with several brands past the peak virality of her series, including Target, Google Pixel, Warner Bros. and Samsonite. @reesamteesa Who TF Did I Marry- Part One #pathologicalliar #reesateesa #fypシ #fyp ♬ original sound - ReesaTeesa Haliey Welch (“Hawk Tuah Girl”) 5.6 million followers (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, X) When a video of Welch sharing a lewd sex tip (“You gotta give ‘em that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thang”) went viral this June, most people assumed she would enjoy a fleeting moment of fame before the internet moved on to the next viral meme. But Welch capitalized on her time in the spotlight and transformed her new “Hawk Tuah Girl” moniker into a thriving personal brand largely fueled by her podcast “Talk Tuah,” which, in October, briefly reached third place on Spotify’s list of the most popular U.S. podcasts. She also launched a jewelry line with brand accelerator SuperOrdinary in October and rolled out an AI-powered dating app called “Pookie Tools” last month. Because of her sexually explicit catchphrase, Welch hasn’t inked as many traditional brand deals as other breakout creators this year. She’s also currently facing accusations of scamming investors in her crypto memecoin $HAWK. @hay_welch 3 weeks ago my life was totally different…I was working a humble 9-5 in my hometown. No talk shows or paparazzi were looking for me and no celebrities were reaching out to collab. I was just Haliey. I never could’ve dreamed that making a silly little joke would lead to all of this but I’m so grateful for this blessing. I’m also grateful for all of you, yall laughed WITH me and not AT me. I can’t thank yall enough….lets see what happens next 🤠❤️ ♬ Small Town Talk - Rvshvd Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Alex Cooper 14.6 million followers (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook) Although she isn’t new to the creator space, 2024 was undoubtedly a breakout year for Cooper. In August, she inked a three-year $125 million deal with SiriusXM for her podcast “Call Her Daddy,” and interviewed Kamala Harris on the podcast during Harris’ presidential campaign. Cooper also added several internet stars to her podcast network “The Unwell Network,” including Harry Jowsey, Owen Thiele and Hallie Batchelder. Cooper also expanded her growing business empire far beyond podcasting. She hosted a live commentary series on Peacock titled “Watch with Alex Cooper” during the Paris Games; completed the West Coast leg of her sold-out “Unwell Tour” and announced the upcoming launch of her “Unwell Hydration” electrolyte beverage brand in partnership with Nestlé. And she teamed up with the MLB and Churchill Downs Racetrack to host exclusive fan experiences at a Red Sox game and the Kentucky Derby, respectively. She partnered with several brands this year, including Skims, which made Cooper the face of a wedding-themed lingerie line just a few days ahead of her wedding in April. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alex Cooper (@alexandracooper) Nara Smith 15.7 million followers (TikTok and Instagram) Of all the creators on this list, none shaped internet culture this year more than Smith, whose absurdly elaborate “made from scratch” recipe videos—and the luxurious outfits she wears while filming them—catapulted her into social media stardom. Viewers, especially on TikTok, were fascinated by her content, and many parodied her hushed narration and excessively complicated recipes in videos of their own. Read more: What to know about the trad wife trend Smith, who is also a model, started the year with 1.6 million followers across TikTok and Instagram; by the end of April, she had reached 9 million total followers, according to data from influencer marketing platform Captiv8. She also quickly became one of the principal figures in the surge of “tradwife” content this year. Despite her association with the controversial social movement, several brands rushed to partner with her, including Marc Jacobs, Poppi, Laneige, H&M and K18 Hair. View this post on Instagram A post shared by nara (@naraaziza) Read about all of the 2024 Marketers of the Year

The biggest breakout creators of 2024

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