Creative 100: Today's Most Innovative Icons and Influencers

From musicians, authors, comedians, actors, performers, designers and dancers to social media creators and TV personalities, these celebs and stars are leveraging their fame and followings to impact culture and changing how we see stardom. Here are this year’s icons and influencers featured on Adweek’s Creative 100: Doja Cat Rapper, singer, songwriter and producer Rise to fame: From posting on a SoundCloud account in her teens to accepting a Grammy, five Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards and three MTV Video Music Awards in the span of less than a decade, Doja Cat has solidified her presence as a pop rap icon. Hits upon hits: It’s impossible to turn on the radio or listen through top Spotify playlists without hearing at least one (usually more) Doja Cat bop. Her single “Say So” featured on her second studio album, Hot Pink, and “Kiss Me More” from her third studio album, Planet Her, were both Top 10 hits. The latest song to be added to that success lineup? The lead single to Baz Luhrmann's highly anticipated Elvis biopic, “Vegas.” TikTok talent: Doja Cat has been able to use her personality to leverage social media apps like TikTok, where she’s been praised for being unapologetically herself on the platform. Her quirky, oddball humor, coupled with a vibrant music video style, has landed her 25 million TikTok followers and counting. —AnaMaria Glavan Emily Ratajkowski Model, actor and author A decade in the spotlight: Ratajkowski gained fame after starring in the 2013 music video for Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," and has since become one of the world's best-known models and a frequent actress, with roles in Gone Girl and the Entourage movie. Expanding creatively: In recent years, Ratajkowski has flexed her talents beyond screen time and magazine covers. In addition to being named creative director for beauty brand Loops, she became a brand ambassador for Superga this year after the Italian fashion brand noticed her wearing its shoes, which led to her designing its spring 2022 sneaker capsule collection. Reclaiming her image: Ratajkowski published a collection of essays in November 2021 titled My Body, in which she reflected with a blend of thoughtfulness, anger and regret on modern perceptions of sexuality and the unexpected ways her rapid rise to fame affected her. She also wrote about her struggles to win the rights to her own image, such as when she bought a painting based, without her permission, on one of her Instagram posts. In 2021, she created a new portrait of herself posing in front of the painting and sold it for $175,000 at a Christie's auction under the name "Buying Myself Back: A Model for Redistribution."—David Griner Iliza Shlesinger Actor, comedian and TV host First place: The early aughts were ripe with televised talent competitions like American Idol and NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Shlesinger was the sixth season winner of the latter, becoming the first and only female contestant to do so. She also landed a cash prize, a deal with NBC and a scripted project with Universal. Stand-up: Since that competition win, Shlesinger started a news satire podcast that would become the foundation of her late-night talk show on Freeform called Truth & Iliza. From 2013 to 2019, she also starred in five Netflix comedy specials: War Paint, Freezing Hot, Confirmed Kills, Elder Millennial and Unveiled. She also starred as the titular character in a Netflix sketch comedy show, The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show and has had guest roles in Robot Chicken, Dollface and Girlboss. Faux love: Shlesinger wrote the screenplay for the Netflix rom-com “Good on Paper,” which follows the story of Andrea Singer, a stand-up comedian who starts dating someone that is quite possibly lying about his entire life. The film created extra chatter because it was based on a real-life scenario experienced by Shlesinger, who took the story and translated it into a stand-up comedy routine and eventually, this film. —AnaMaria Glavan Anderson .Paak Rapper, songwriter, producer and drummer In the groove: As one half of the funk-fueled musical outfit Silk Sonic, Anderson .Paak—alongside Bruno Mars—has found a winning balance between his Cali-bred, genre-bending ethos and the enduring power of '70s era soul. In fact, the artist has crafted such a winning formula that the duo’s debut single, “Leave the Door Open,” earned .Paak his first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and four 2022 Grammy wins, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Smooth endorser: Over the years, the world of beer branding has found itself especially drawn to .Paak’s charisma and showmanship. Two years after starring in a spot for Modelo, the artist helmed the rocking anthem “Yours To Take” for Budweiser’s creator-led platform, “Tomorrow Is Yours To Take.” On what sets Silk Sonic apart from the rest: “What we’re doing, it’s becoming rare, but I think it’s something everybody wants to see,” .Paak recently told the Los Angeles Times. “They might not pay to stream your music, but they’ll pay to go see a good show.”—Shannon Miller Ashley Nicole Black TV writer, actress The comedic Midas Touch: It seems like wherever writer and actress Ashley Nicole Black goes, the Television Academy is not far behind. As a former writer and performer on TBS’ Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, she managed to accrue six Emmy nominations as well as one win for her work on the variety show’s special event, Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner. A couple years later, she landed a career making role as a writer and leading performer on the HBO hit Black Lady Sketch Show and a writing gig on The Amber Ruffin Show on Peacock. Her writing on both shows resulted in her being nominated against herself for the Emmy’s Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series category. Showing up: Black was also added to the writers room for Season 2 of another Emmy favorite, Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso. There, she crafted the season’s third episode, “Do The Right-est Thing,” which explored Nigerian player Sam Obisanya’s activism. “I was really excited to explore the locker room and the dynamics between the guys more,” Black recently told TV Line. Beyond that, she said she was happy to be a part of a script that helped Black performers and viewers feel seen. “It is my hope for all of the actors, but particularly the women and people of color, that they feel like the writers room supports them,” Black said. “Being a performer myself, I know what it feels like to get a script and say, ‘I hope I can show up here. I hope this script is going to … show me as a full person.'”—Shannon Miller Emily Zugay TikTok creator Origin story: A Wisconsin native, Zugay studied animation and digital media in college before launching Pet Portrait Outpost. The company started as a side hustle but became a successful business that focused on digitally created and personalized prints of customers’ pets. Reimagined logos: Putting both her design chops and deadpan humor to use, Zugay took to TikTok to openly criticize well-known logos. Her videos begin with an iconic opening line (“I graduated college with a degree in design”) before delving into said criticism and giving visual guidance on how to make it better. Brands have included Starbucks, the NFL, H&R Block and Apple. Lovin’ it: Zugay began receiving requests from brands to redesign their logos, with McDonald’s being one of the many. Her verdict: "I don’t think you meant for your logo to be suggestive, but right now [the golden arches] look like knees to me.” She removed the “N,” emphasized the “O,” and changed the name to “McdOalds.” McDonald’s then reposted Zugay’s design on its TikTok, Facebook and Twitter.—AnaMaria Glavan Jackson Wang Rapper, fashion designer, dancer Stage presence: Whether he’s rocking with his South Korean-based pop band GOT7 or lighting up the Coachella stage as a solo artist, Hong Kong performer Wang has long trained himself for a life of global stardom. Through his music and massive following, he’s managed to cultivate a personal brand known as Team Wang, which has sprouted a record label of the same name and fashion imprint Team Wang Design, of which he is the creative director and designer. Visual ace: Wang’s music video for his most recent release, “Blow,” has accrued over 24 million YouTube views and is the latest entry in his rather cinematic music reel. The song serves as an introduction to his forthcoming, long-awaited solo album, Magic Man. Branding boss: Whether the brand is Beats by Dre, Nescafe, Snickers, Adidas or Chanel, Wang has established himself as a go-to global brand ambassador of the music world. On his quest for impact: “Hopefully one day, I want to be the bridge to connect East and the West,” Wang told Variety. “People in the West know about East. East knows about West through internet, or even through traveling or working. But there are a lot of layers underneath that people don’t know. I hope one day I can do my best to make that happen.”—Shannon Miller Farhan Akhtar Actor, director, screenwriter, producer and TV host A lineage of talent: The son of two accomplished Indian screenwriters, Akhtar was born in Mumbai and immersed from an early age in the nation's film industry. Since earning his keep with apprentice roles in the 1990s and several years working in commercial production, he has starred in, produced, directed and written for a wide range of Indian films, often collaborating with his sister, Zoya. Netflix partnership: Excel Entertainment, the production studio Akhtar has owned for 20 years with Ritesh Sidhwani, announced in 2021 it had signed a multiyear deal with Netflix. The partnership was aimed at creating new series, including March 2022's "Eternally Confused and Eager for Love." Joining the MCU: While Akhtar has done some work in the U.K. and U.S., including writing English lyrics for 2004's Bride and Prejudice, he'll get a key moment in the Hollywood spotlight when he joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a guest starring role in the new Disney+ show Ms. Marvel.—David Griner Bill Hader Actor, comedian, writer and director Origin story: Hader became a Saturday Night Live cast member in 2005 and, in his eight years there, was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody award. His most iconic role was that of Stefon Meyers, a guest on the Weekend Update segments with an uncanny ability to discover the most bizarre events taking place in New York. Belly laughs: When you look back at the most iconic comedy films made in the past two decades, you’ll realize that Hader was involved in a large portion of them—from Hot Rod and Superbad to Tropic Thunder and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Emmy wins: While Hader has been associated with outlandish humor (think his role as the “cool cop” in Superbad), his lead role in Barry takes a darker turn. The HBO hit has been critically acclaimed for its black comedy style and writing, with Hader’s performance earning him two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. —AnaMaria Glavan Trixie Mattel Drag performer, singer-songwriter, founder, CEO, Trixie Cosmetics Going the distance: From the first strum of her autoharp during the Season 3 premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars, it was clear that Trixie Mattel’s legacy would ultimately extend far beyond comedy. Guided by her unique approach to makeup, sharp wit and dark humor, the drag superstar has parlayed her wealth of skills into a suite of ventures alongside longtime collaborator and fellow drag performer Katya Zamo, including long-running web series UNHhhh… by World of Wonder and Netflix’s I Like To Watch, The New York Times bestselling book Working Girls, and The Bald and the Beautiful podcast. She’s also the founder and CEO of Trixie Cosmetics, which she demos regularly on her popular YouTube channel while establishing herself as one of the leading voices in the beauty space. Making over hospitality: Mattel is expanding her burgeoning empire with a rather unexpected venture: a newly renovated motel in Palm Springs, Calif. To document the process, she partnered with the Property Brothers, Jonathan and Drew Scott, and streamer Discovery+ for a new series, Trixie Motel. With the help of reputable designers and a gaggle of celebrity friends, Mattel is cementing her versatility with a project that will live on as a functioning business. “Cross-dressing is a job that's not supposed to afford you anything,” Mattel recently told Entertainment Weekly. “You're not even supposed to have a car. I was lucky if the gig gave me a drink ticket. It's crazy to be in a position after touring and saving my money to be able to purchase this business.”—Shannon Miller Check out Adweek’s Creative 100 for 2022 by category: Agency Leaders |Agency Talents to Watch | Branded Content Innovators | TV and Streaming Innovators | Visionary Directors | Media Innovators | Visual Innovators

The Creative 100

Creative 100: Today's Most Innovative Icons and Influencers

These celebs and stars are leveraging their fame and following to impact culture

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