Adweek's Creative 100: 2020's Top Creators and Curators

There are so many exciting things happening in culture outside the worlds of celebrity and traditional media that we had to create a new category for the Creative 100: Creators and Curators. Each of these honorees is blazing his or her own path and brightening our lives in the process. Glynn WashingtonHost, Snap Judgment [kickout id="3" label="Glynn-Washington-CONTENT-2020"] What sets him apart: Narrative storytelling wasn’t a new concept when Washington launched Snap Judgment on WNYC in 2010. But his style—a velvety, poetic, punchy spoken-word cadence layered over dreamy beats and experimental soundscapes—was a revelation that can’t be emulated. How his background led him to storytelling: Washington knows how entertaining, and how bizarre, people’s stories can be. Starting with his own background growing up in the apocalyptic Worldwide Church of God (he’s called it a “very fundamentalist, end-of-days, Jesus cult”) and washing dishes at the Ponderosa Steakhouse, to working for the State Department in Malaysia and attending law school, it would seem there’s nowhere—maybe even no one—Washington hasn’t been. Bringing it all together: With the success of Snap Judgment (broadcast on over 400 stations nationwide and downloaded 2 million times a month), Washington keeps branching out into new territory. In 2017, he launched Spooked, a ghost-storytelling radio show pegged to Halloween season. Then he jumped off the airwaves and into the podcast realm with Heaven’s Gate, an investigative venture that brings Washington back to a subject he knows intimately: cults. “My programs are based on real people rejecting the cages constructed for them,” he says, “and seizing the power and joy of their own story.”—Mary Emily O’Hara Parris Goebelchoreographer [kickout id="7" label="Parris-Goebel-CONTENT-2020"] Elevating the art of pop choreography: Powerful, controlled and oozing with charisma, the New Zealand choreographer has developed a signature swagger that envelops every move. In the process, she's garnered global attention and become a go-to collaborator among international pop stars like Justin Bieber, Blackpink, Janet Jackson and Rihanna. Heating up halftime: In February, Goebel brought her talents to one of the biggest stages in the world: the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Reuniting with Jennifer Lopez after having worked with the superstar on her 2012 world tour, Goebel choreographed a performance that became one of the game's buzziest moments. On her bond with Lopez: “I really wanted to put together a great show," Goebel told The New York Times, "because if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”—Shannon Miller Maria Van Vlodropfounder, the Ad Art Show [kickout id="4" label="Maria van-Vlodrop-CONTENT-2020"] Known for: Bridging the gap between the art world and advertising by championing artists working in advertising and celebrating their work in the annual Ad Art Show since 2018. Thank you, Andy Warhol: The show was inspired by the idea that the next Warhol could be working as a creative. “I felt that the art world was missing out on a large group of talented, contemporary artists,” she says. It's not unusual: In addition to Warhol, Keith Haring, Edward Hopper, René Magritte, Norman Rockwell, Mark Rothko “and countless other now-famous artists came from the advertising world,” notes Van Vlodrop. “They created ads and art.”—Sara Spary Mary Neelyactress and filmmaker [kickout id="5" label="Mary-Neely-CONTENT-2020"] Solo show: With little more than an iPhone, a closet full of costumes and a seemingly bottomless enthusiasm for iconic Broadway moments, Neely has re-created some of the most noteworthy duets in musical theater and Hollywood ensemble songs—starring only herself—for her ultra-popular Coronavirus Lockdown Project. How it came together: "I definitely wanted to entertain my family and friends, but I also had a need to exercise my skill set as a performer/filmmaker," she tells Adweek. "I shot the first 10 videos 10 days in a row. During the day—sometimes night—I would record myself and then at night I would edit, releasing at 11 a.m. the next day. By the ninth video, which was Wicked, people started taking notice. Requests were coming in, and I could tell that what I was making was resonating with people outside of my immediate social circle." [kickout id="12"] On winning over new fans for musicals: "A lot of people have said they don't like musicals but they like my videos," she says. "I think every art form has the potential to be recontextualized, if given the chance. Live theater is such a magical experience, and so is seeing a film. Communal experiences are necessary for our well being, and art facilitates that." Her most ambitious project: She recently re-created the entirety of The Sound of Music as a fundraiser for the nonprofit Broadway Cares. Famous fans: The Good Place creator Mike Schur and Lin-Manuel Miranda, just to name a few.—Shannon Miller D-NiceDJ [kickout id="2" label="D-Nice-CONTENT-2020"] Your in-home DJ: He’s had a career in hip-hop since the 1980s, but D-Nice became a breakout star when he launched Club Quarantine on Instagram Live in March. The social-distancing-friendly dance parties have drawn upward of 100,000 viewers at a time, including celebrities like Joe Biden, Mariah Carey, Michelle Obama and Oprah. The face of campaigns during quarantine: D-Nice’s newfound recognition caught the attention of brands including Budweiser, which cast him in a reimagining of the beer’s 1999 “Whassup” ad. He also brought his talents to brand-hosted virtual proms and grad parties. From Los Angeles, he DJed Houseparty’s virtual prom, as well as Hennessy and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s #HBCUGradParty on Instagram Live. [kickout id="11"] Adapting to new live music realities: D-Nice is already involved in the live music industry’s slow return to normal. In May, he DJed InfieldFest’s first-ever drive-in concert in Miami, held exclusively for first responders. —Ian Zelaya Atlas Acopiandirector, conceptual artist and creator [kickout id="1" label="Ani-Acopian-CONTENT-2020"] Modern love: Acopian co-created Amazon Dating, a parody page where people can “purchase" "hot singles,” including on Amazon Prime for speedy delivery. The project looks remarkably like a genuine Amazon page, and the satire is spot-on. Modern sex: She also dreamed up porn parody Scrubhub in partnership with Pornhub to make washing hands look super sexy. In one video, Hot Girl Goes Wild in Public, gloved hands are seen enthusiastically applying hand sanitizer in a supermarket. Acopian has also worked with brands like Red Bull and Samsung. On her creative process: “Basically, I write a lot of ideas in my notebook, and then three weeks later when I’m in a shame spiral for procrastinating, I reflect on all of the housework I've done to avoid the project,” he explains. “And then one night, I stay up all night and drink a bunch of coffee and get it done, and it turns out great.” —S.S. Radford “Rad” Sechristcreator, DreamWorks’ Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts [kickout id="8" label="Redford-Sechrist-CONTENT-2020"] From dark and gritty to bright and hopeful: Sechrist's fantasy romp Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts on Netflix, produced by DreamWorks, was initially conceived as a darker world in the vein of Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead, but evolved into a vibrant celebration not only of survival, but of creating a life with the family you choose. Celebrated for inclusion: Kipo has been praised for its diverse characters and themes, including the prominent role of the title character’s openly queer companion, Benson. A step in the right direction: "I’d love to see more shows in the teen and YA space. … I think Kipo is a step in that direction for animation that I’d love to continue,” he says. —S.M. Nkechi Okoro Carrollshowrunner, executive producer [kickout id="6" label="Nkechi Okoro-Carroll-CONTENT-2020"] Best known for: All-American, The CW drama about a South Crenshaw high school football star who plays for a Beverly Hills team. It became Netflix’s No. 1 show in the U.S. after Season 2 moved to the service in March, just as the pandemic hit. On the show’s surprise Netflix success: Okoro Carroll is “thankful” for the attention, but says the response isn’t changing her approach to Season 3. Instead, she and her writers will continue to “push the needle forward on much-needed conversations around our Black youth” and other “issues that are of concern to all of us,” along with a mix of “high-stakes football, juicy secrets and soapy love triangles that’ll keep them yelling at their TVs.” Personal mantra: “It takes a village to raise a writer," she says. "I honestly would not be the writer I am today without my amazing village of family, friends and mentors.” —Jason Lynch Emma ChamberlainYouTube creator [kickout id="10" label="emma chamberlain"] Best known for: Broadcasting her attempts to navigate everyday life in a hilarious and relatable way for the 8.9 million subscribers to her YouTube channel. Rise to fame: Chamberlain was signed by influencer talent agency UTA in 2018 when she was just 17 years old—and just a year after she posted her first video. Her trademark style is to be candid, self-deprecating and funny on camera, and she uses cutaway and zoom to emphasize the most relatable parts of her videos, which see her doing mundane activities (like trying on clothes or baking cupcakes) while talking directly to the audience. One-woman show: As a YouTube creator, Chamberlain writes, shoots and directs her own videos and reportedly spends up to 30 hours editing each one. She has a merchandise line and has landed sponsorship deals with major brands including Hollister and Louis Vuitton. —S.S. Mona Chalabidata editor at Guardian US, presenter and illustrator [kickout id="9" label="mona chalabi"] What she does: Creates fantastic data visualizations that bring to life sometimes complex subjects in an engaging, shareable way, often for Guardian US, where she is data editor. On her approach: “I just start with a question. It might be, ‘How do antibody tests work?’ or ‘Why have funerals become so expensive?’ or anything, really. Then I look for data and try to speak to people who have direct experience with the subject,” she explains. On the challenges of bringing data to life: “I think one of the hardest obstacles is that people have a bad relationship to math—they think it's confusing; they think they're bad at it. I have to get over those emotional hurdles in order to communicate valuable information. So I'm constantly walking this line where I'm trying to make the numbers super accessible without diminishing their accuracy in any way,” she says. —S.S. Check out Adweek’s Creative 100 for 2020 by category: Rising Talents | Senior Agency Leaders | Global Agency Leaders | Media Innovators | Celebrities & Influencers | Creators & Curators | Branded Content Innovators | Directors | Cover Star: Ramy Youssef

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