14 Celebrities and Influencers Who Put Creativity at the Heart of Everything They Do

Sure, it's impressive to be good at what you do—and especially to get famous for doing it. But that's not enough to land a spot on Adweek's annual Creative 100. Each year, our list (which never repeats a name) honors celebrities and influencers who are multi-talented, endlessly inventive and creatively inspiring. This year's roster is packed with names you know, along with a few that might only be on the periphery of your pop culture knowledge—but are almost certain to come up in conversation over the coming months. So read up on the celebs below so you'll be fully prepared to say, "Oh yes, I've been following their work for quite a while." Ryan Reynolds Actor, producer and owner of Aviation Gin [kickout id="1" label="Ryan Reynolds"] Reynolds knows passion sells. That's why his clear obsession and love for his Deadpool character and Aviation Gin make him a marketing tour de force. "[Marketing] is creatively satisfying," Reynolds tells Adweek. "I really enjoy it. I'm a huge believer that necessity is the mother of invention. That old idiom is never truer in the marketing space." Reynolds tag teams Aviation Gin's creative strategy with his partner-in-crime, George Dewey, who worked with Reynolds on the massively successful Deadpool campaigns that included a Bob Ross spoof and taking over entire the DVD section at Walmart. Reynolds looks to leverage his love of pop culture, which is a "huge part" his daily life, into Aviation's marketing. Often, ideas begin with text messages to Dewey, and Reynolds says they like to keep it simple, "It's not like there isn't some gigantic white board with conspiracy yarn linking different ideas to each other." [kickout id="10"] Because Aviation Gin is still relatively small, Reynolds says he focuses on earned media instead of paid media, thinking up stunts that will gain attention—but also convey his authentic love for the brand. "How can we tackle something that is culturally relevant, have fun with it and be self-deprecating," he says, "while also creating a certain level of brand awareness?" That's led to partnerships with Richard Branson and a resolution of his "feud" with Hugh Jackman, as well as an ongoing series of out-of-office emails and the hilarious spot above about Aviation's mystical distilling process. —Jameson Fleming Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine Screenwriters, producers and actors [kickout id="2" label="Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine"] It’s a truth universally acknowledged middle school is the worst. And yet Erskine and Konkle—creators, writers, executive producers and stars of Hulu’s Pen15—willingly relived their most traumatic experiences to reboot themselves as 13-year-olds in the year 2000. The result is a love letter—written, of course, with gel pen in an intricately folded note on college-ruled paper—to their younger selves, which taps into a goldmine of puberty-era themes that run the gamut from braces and bras to self-doubt and cruel nicknames. But Pen15 is also a nod to a bygone era of see-through landline phones, dial-up internet, AIM screen names and layered hair. The details are perfect: Maya cuts out a picture of teen heartthrob Brad Renfro for her binder. Her brother drinks a can of Surge. She and ‘Na wear best-friend necklaces and watch Wild Things on VHS with boys, which, at the time, was pretty much the most risqué thing you could do as a 13-year-old girl. And, of course, despite bowl cuts, rejection and really bad first kisses, each is the other’s biggest cheerleader. (Even though the odds are good they wouldn’t make the cheerleading squad at this point.) [kickout id="11"] The result is as uncomfortable and devastating as it is joyful and heartwarming, perhaps like middle school itself. And, thankfully, they will return for more in a 14-episode sophomore season. —Lisa Lacy Alfonso Cuarón Director, screenwriter and producer [kickout id="3" label="Alfonso Cuarón"] The vast majority of directors, writers and editors in Hollywood will struggle their whole lives in a futile search for even one Oscar. Cuarón, meanwhile, has played all those roles and more—and been honored time and again for them by the Academy Awards. His movies have been nominated an astounding 34 times and have taken home a total of 13 Oscars. Unquestionably one of today's most visionary and hands-on directors, Cuarón most recently was honored by the Academy with Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography for 2018's Roma, which he wrote, produced, directed and edited. He previously directed influential hits such as 2004's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 2006's Pan's Labyrinth and 2013's Gravity—winner of seven Oscars, including Best Director. Shot entirely in black and white, Roma was inspired by Cuarón's childhood nanny, Liboria “Libo” Rodríguez, portrayed in the semi-autobiographical film as the character Cleodegaria "Cleo" Gutiérrez. The film follows the life of a middle-class family in Mexico City's Colonia Roma neighborhood through the lens of Cleo's care and personal struggles. To bring a level of realism often lacking in Hollywood dramas, Cuarón insisted actors not be given scripts farther in advance than necessary for each scene, encouraging them to ad lib and discover the unfolding plot of the film, which was also shot in chronological order. —David Griner Lizzo Singer, songwriter and rapper [kickout id="4" label="Lizzo"] Lizzo's debut album only dropped in April, but the musician has already shot to the top of the public's consciousness. It's hardly a surprise—the songs off of that debut, “Cuz I Love You,” are the sort that make you want to roll down your car windows and sing along. And brands are taking notice: Long before "Cuz I Love You" was released, companies like AT&T’s DirecTV Now, Cadillac, Weight Watchers (now known as WW) and MillerCoors were using her tunes as the backdrop to their ads. “We were looking for music that could be so closely tied to the brand—something that could be a character in the spot,” Daniel Kuypers, Energy BBDO's senior vp and executive director of music, told Variety about selecting "Juice" to launch MillerCoors's first ad campaign for Cape Line, its new sparkling cocktail brand. "When we heard ‘Juice,’ all these things formed the whole picture that we were looking for.” It's not just her music that's appearing in spots: Lizzo herself appeared in an ad for Khloe Kardashian's denim line, Good American, earlier this year—and considering the fact that "Cuz I Love You" hit No. 1 on the iTunes music charts, there will almost certainly more campaigns to come. —Diana Pearl The McElroy Brothers Podcasters [kickout id="5" label="The McElroy brothers"] Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy aren’t exactly expert advice-givers, but the three brothers have proven they’re more than capable of running a media business together. The siblings have expanded their side-splittingly funny advice and comedy podcast, My Brother, My Brother and Me, from a side project created to keep in touch with each other into a veritable podcasting empire. About a dozen different programs—which star the brothers, their spouses, their father and their friends—have been downloaded half a billion times. MBMBaM, distributed through the podcasting network Maximum Fun, has expanded from a weekly series into a live show and a brief TV series on Seeso. Another spinoff podcast, The Adventure Zone, which chronicles the brothers and their dad playing tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons, has grown to include a live show and graphic novels. [kickout id="12"] Perhaps their greatest professional achievement to date has been a successful campaign to get themselves cast in the upcoming animated film Trolls World Tour, which they, of course, documented in a podcast. Through it all, the McElroy brothers have remained best friends. “There’s a real value in being able to say whatever to your creative partners and not worry about them getting so mad at you that they quit,” says Justin McElroy, the eldest. “We listen to what each other says, but we’re brutally honest with each other. I think it makes the whole thing work really well." —Kelsey Sutton Billie Eilish Singer-songwriter [kickout id="6" label="Billie Eilish"] At only 17 years old, Billie Eilish has already accomplished something most people her age can only dream of: she met her idol, Justin Bieber, at Coachella (an event where Eilish performed for the first time). It was a moment that felt gratifying and so uniquely 21st century; fans of Eilish knew how important this moment was for her because of social media and then celebrated the moment on social. [kickout id="13"] Born two months after September 11, 2001, Eilish—known properly as Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell—has seemingly come out of nowhere to become the first artist born in this century to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 list. Her career started in 2015 through a Soundcloud link; she recorded the vocals for “Ocean Eyes,” a song her older brother, Finneas O’Connell, was producing for his own band. They uploaded it to Soundcloud, where it traversed through the internet as things do, until it reached the ears of Zane Lowe on Beats 1. The rest, as they say in modern times, was viral history. In 2017, Eilish released her own EP, and earlier this year she debuted her first album. Along the way, Eilish has collaborated with the likes of Vince Staples and Khalid, as well as having her own Beats 1 Show and providing the sweet melody for Apple’s 2018 Holiday ad: [kickout id="14"] Unlike the pop stars dominating the music charts in the year Eilish was born, Eilish has the unique ability of knowing how much influence and power she wields to her fans. With 23.5 million Instagram followers, she's begun using platform to advocate for mental health and has openly talked about her issues with depression, living with Tourette's syndrome, and grappling with her own body image. While she seems reluctant and apprehensive about all the fame that’s come for her, she’s leaning into it too, telling The New York Times, “I’m realizing the place I’m in right now is kind of my time, though—my moment." With more than 4 billion on-demand streams, according to Nielsen Data, and a sold-out tour, it’s definitely more than her moment—it could very well be her era. —Ann-Marie Alcántara Desus and Mero Talk show and podcast hosts [kickout id="15"] Showtime’s Desus & Mero is not for background viewing. Viewers have to strain to listen, to make sure they’re not missing the latest throwaway joke or tangent from Desus Nice (Daniel Baker) and The Kid Mero (Joel Martinez), who host the premium-cable network’s first late-night talk show. The duo keeps you on the edge of your seat, and that means everything in this high-stakes world of distracted viewers. It’s the same in real life: They finish each other’s sentences, jump in when one feels the other is rambling or quickly pick up on a riff, raising their voice to match the other's enthusiasm. Desus and Mero first crossed paths as teens in summer school in the Bronx (though they weren’t close then) and reconnected six years ago on Twitter, which they both used as an outlet to complain about their day jobs (a small-business reporter and junior high school paraprofessional, respectively). Their witty online banter quickly got them attention. “People really enjoyed any time we interacted with each other on Twitter,” Desus says. Complex noticed too. The media company offered them a podcast, Desus vs. Mero, and soon after developed a web series around the pair. By 2014, they were joining the cast of MTV's The Guy Code. Craving creative control, the pair launched their own podcast in 2015, dubbing it Bodega Boys. It was an instant success and hurtled them into a whole new league of stardom complete with merchandising, acting opportunities and a late-night show four nights a week on Viceland. Last year, Showtime announced it was producing its first late-night weekly series, and it would be hosted by, well, you know who. Now Desus and Mero's legacy includes their regular podcast, a soon-to-be-published life-advice book from Random House and a gig hosting the Television Critics Association Awards this August. Desus & Mero, their Showtime series, recorded live in front of a studio audience in New York, has been so successful with the Bodega Hive (their nickname for their passionate fan base) that the network announced in April it was giving the duo two weekly slots for the summer. —Sara Jerde Learn much more about their journey in Adweek's interview with Desus & Mero, this year's Creative 100 cover stars. LeBron James Basketball legend, entrepreneur, education advocate [kickout id="9" label="LeBron James"] When James steps onto the basketball court, the country takes notice. But James has used that magnetism and expanded his reach in unprecedented ways, giving back to his community, launching new businesses and working with brands in innovative ways. James, working with brands like Nike and Beats by Dre, has redefined what an inspirational message to upcoming athletes looks like, paying homage to the hometown where he grew up. And he’s given back to that hometown of Akron, where James opened a school for students who had been determined were showing behavioral issues. He also helped launch Ladder, a company that makes protein powder for high-performing athletes. Through all of these initiatives, James has set a new bar for modern day athletes to give back and stand for something even when they’re off the court. —Sara Jerde Olivia Wilde Actress, producer, director, activist [kickout id="7" label="Olivia Wilde"] Wilde puts her heart into everything she does. When working with a brand, she does her own research about the company's work and ethos, making sure that what it's doing aligns with her own values. That preparation has led to several partnerships centered around sustainability, from online thrift store ThredUp to non-toxic beauty brand True Botanicals. But brands tell only part of the actress-filmmaker's story. Her directorial debut, Booksmart, is about two soon-to-be graduates making up for lost time after spending their high school years buried in textbooks. It hit theaters last month, and she tells Adweek that her move into directing "comes from the same place of wanting to have more control over my impact on the world and to use my voice effectively." [kickout id="16"] And though she's spent nearly two decades on the other side of the camera, starring in shows like House and Vinyl, along with movies like Disney's Tron Legacy, directing was a natural fit from the beginning. "Once I stepped into the role of directing this film, it was clear to me immediately that I would be much happier in this role," she says. "There's truly no better job in the world." That's not to say she's prepared to give up acting entirely: "The amazing thing about being an actor or director is that I get to continue my film school education while moving forward as a director. So I relish the opportunity to act in other people's films and continue to do so that I myself can get better at directing." —Diana Pearl Natasha Lyonne Actress, writer, producer [kickout id="8" label="Natasha Lyonne"] Nobody is more shocked—and delighted—about Natasha Lyonne’s recent achievements than the actress herself. Though many might recognize her as an inmate from the hit series Orange is The New Black, recent months have seen the star take her chops behind the camera—most recently in Russian Doll, where she not only plays the sardonic and inexplicably immortal lead character, but also was one of the show’s creators, writers, directors and executive producers. That larger role behind the camera is one she's clearly embracing, teaming up with fellow comedic powerhouse Maya Rudolph to head Animal Pictures, a new production house that puts inclusivity “front and center,” according to Lyonne—whether that means making people “laugh hysterically,” “feel seen on a deep level” or hopefully both. Since starting the company, the duo have already inked a deal with Amazon to create a new series for its Prime streaming network. “I think the dream for all of us at this point would be to end the days of people asking, ‘Oh, what’s it like being a woman in film, a woman in comedy, a female director?’” she tells Adweek. “I think my ultimate goal is to transcend these sorts of arbitrary markers.” A bold ask? Certainly. But Lyonne is the last person to shy away from these things. “There’s no reason to not be fearless and continue jumping off of creative cliffs,” she says. “We all know what the end game looks like, so we may as well try.” —Shoshana Wodinsky View the full Creative 100 gallery for 2019 to discover more about this year's honorees.

The Creative 100

14 Celebrities and Influencers Who Put Creativity at the Heart of Everything They Do

Meet the biggest names on our annual Creative 100

Adweek Staff

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Adweek Staff