The Future of Fame: Inside TIME's 2026 TIME100 Creators List

As the creator economy continues to reshape how people consume news, entertainment, and culture, the 2026 Time 100 Creators List offers a look at the digital voices driving that transformation. Joining us now to dig into that coveted list is Lucy Feldman, Editorial Director at Time. Thank you so much for being here, Lucy. Thank you, Justine. Super happy to talk about Time 100 Creators anytime. Yeah, we're so excited. I mean, this is such a topic that is on all of our minds, whether we think about it or not. It's always there. We're always learning about these new creators. And so it's great to talk to you and kind of see how it all fits into this broader landscape of what we're seeing right now. So first of all, what does this year's list really say about the evolution of the creator economy that really has come a long way? Creators are shaping culture, commerce, how we get information, the influence, how we vote. The creator economy is part of everything, whether we want to embrace it or not. It's fact, right? So this list really reflects the range and global reach of that influence, like across industries, across platforms, across audiences. Yeah, I mean, that's such a good point, whether we want to embrace it or not. There are some people out there who say, oh, they're just creators or that's not someone I really should be listening to or people should be listening to. But whether anyone likes it or not, it is happening and it is here to stay. So tell us a little bit more about how this definition of a creator has really changed over the past few years from what we saw, I mean, really just five years ago to what we're seeing today. Yeah, it's a great question. I feel like initially we sort of had this sense that social media was just for fun, right? And the people that we would follow, we would follow because we wanted to be entertained. Over time, we became more about some education. And now really, you know, they're sort of hitting every category. They're educators, they're entertainers, and they're news journalists in a lot of cases. And they're also business builders. I mean, I would look specifically at Alex Earl, who is on our cover this year. She really embodies one of the defining ideas behind this package and behind the creator economy, which is that, you know, today they're not just internet personalities, but they're also like very legitimate business builders. No, you're so right. I mean, Alex Earl is a perfect example of that, as you're saying, with multiple different businesses, skincare line, and so many different things that are going so far beyond just, you know, posting a picture here and there. But really, she has a business plan, she has a strategy, and she's using that to create a lot of wealth as well. This year's honorees really come from a wide range of industries and also different countries as well. So talk to us a little bit about that global reach of creator culture that we're seeing popping up pretty much everywhere. Well, Time is a global media company. It's really important to us that we are covering global stories and not just covering everything with a specific US lens. So, I mean, it is an interesting challenge to try to understand influence in different countries, because, you know, everyone brings their own unique perspective to the work that we do. But it's a huge part of it. I mean, Alex has not yet launched her brand outside of the US, but I am so certain that when she does, there will be a huge response to that, because she does have a global audience. Yeah, I mean, there is something to be said for the anyone can access any of these people on these platforms that are available anywhere you have internet around the world. And it really does change the shape of all of this. And again, speaking about Alex and so many of these other creators, talk to us a little bit about how they built their brands. Because as you're saying, it really is so much more than just a posting picture here or there. They're creating a full on brand that they then can use to create products, market new series. Talk to us a little bit about that brand building. Totally. I mean, I'm going to stay on Alex for just one more moment, because I think she has a really good, clear example of how this can work. And I saw something similar when I did a story earlier this year for our time 100 companies project on Haley Bieber. Both of these women really built up their social media presence around a specific topic. Actually, it was skin care. So in Alex's case, she started she wanted she knew she wanted to be social media famous, like from a very young age. And she was trying everything. She was doing all the trends to trying to, like, hop onto the bandwagon. And it just kind of wasn't working until she posted about her acne. And she had kind of been in this very, like, perfected, filtered version of herself. But as soon as she started talking about her skin issues, she started developing, like, a much more passionate, focused audience. So it makes sense. Years later, when she wants to start a brand of her own, it should be acne focused skin care, because she already has this really dedicated audience that's very interested in what she has to say about skin care, very invested in her journey and really trust her as an authority on how to take your skin from having this problem to clearing it up. Yeah, talk to us a little bit about how that works, right? Because a lot of it that we see kind of with the creators now who are actually getting those serious followings, and not just, you know, a few likes here and there, they're being vulnerable, right? They're opening up again, her with her skin care journey, kind of talking about something that really seems authentic. So how important is that authenticity when it comes to these creators building their brands? I think it's really important. We did a very fun, lively shoot day with nine creators. One of them that came in was Mickey Gordon, who is quite young. And she, you know, she put it in really plain language that is still kind of ringing in my head. She was like, there's only one you. And that's, that's kind of your unfair advantage that you are, you are the only person who can authentically present as you. So if you are yourself, people will respond to that. If you're trying to, like Alex Earl did in the very beginning of her career, kind of like jump on the bandwagon and copy the trends, you're not necessarily going to stand out. Yeah, that's such a good point. And also, I think shows the evolution of how it was originally kind of just jumping on the bandwagon, trying to see what stuck and trying to see how you could almost be like other people to be a part of that. And now it actually has shifted to say, hey, if you want to get that really dedicated following, you need to be your unique self. And we're really seeing that, I think, across all the creators out there who are really making an impact in growing their business. How do you think that creators are changing the way audiences discover information, entertainment products, how they actually even get to find out about some of I mean, like, how many times have you been sucked in by an influencer telling you to camera, like, I've tried this product and I think it's really good. I feel like people, consumers, really want to connect with an individual person so much more than they want to hear from, you know, capital B brand. Like, what is brand? Who is brand? I don't trust brand. Like, I trust a person who I feel like I know who I can relate to on a human level. I think that's really, really powerful. One of the things that Alex said that kind of stuck with me was she still is very resistant to signing on to endorse products or promote products that she personally doesn't like because she feels like on her gut, in her gut level, like it's going to be problematic for her if she does that. She doesn't want to, it just feels like she doesn't want to do that. We also had, if I may, a really funny moment from our creator content day. We had Bowman Martinez-Reed, Bowmanizer, come in and I just really appreciated his candor. He told us that originally when, you know, he signed with the team, he said to them, I just want to do my comedy, my entertainment stuff. He does like reality TV spoofs. I don't want to do that. I don't want to do any brand deals. I don't want to be like that kind of person. And his quote was basically, and then they told me how the brand deal is and now I'm a homeowner. So I really appreciate that candor as well, but I think you do have to like, choose the things that feel authentic to you or else it's going to feel like you're just selling stuff. We really appreciate you being here and breaking all of this down for us as we look to the future and see what happens next with all of this. So thank you so much, Lucy Feldman, Editorial Director at Time. We really appreciate your time today. Thanks, Justine.