00:00As the creator economy continues to reshape how people consume news, entertainment, and culture,
00:06the 2026 Time 100 Creators List offers a look at the digital voices driving that transformation.
00:13Joining us now to dig into that coveted list is Lucy Feldman, Editorial Director at Time.
00:18Thank you so much for being here, Lucy.
00:20Thank you, Justine. Super happy to talk about Time 100 Creators anytime.
00:25Yeah, we're so excited. I mean, this is such a topic that is on all of our minds,
00:29whether we think about it or not. It's always there. We're always learning about these new creators.
00:33And so it's great to talk to you and kind of see how it all fits into this broader landscape
00:37of what we're seeing right now.
00:38So first of all, what does this year's list really say about the evolution of the creator economy that really
00:44has come a long way?
00:47Creators are shaping culture, commerce, how we get information, the influence, how we vote.
00:54The creator economy is part of everything, whether we want to embrace it or not. It's fact.
00:59Right. So this list really reflects the range and global reach of that influence, like across industries, across platforms, across
01:07audiences.
01:09Yeah, I mean, that's such a good point, whether we want to embrace it or not.
01:12There are some people out there who say, oh, they're just creators or that's not, you know,
01:16someone I really should be listening to or people should be listening to.
01:18But whether anyone likes it or not, it is happening and it is here to stay.
01:22So tell us a little bit more about how this definition of a creator has really changed over the past
01:27few years from what we saw.
01:28I mean, really just five years ago to what we're seeing today.
01:33Yeah, it's a great question.
01:34I feel like initially we sort of had this sense that social media was just for fun.
01:39Right. And the people that we would follow, we would follow because we wanted to be entertained.
01:44Over time, it became more about some education.
01:47And now really, you know, they're sort of hitting every category.
01:51They're educators, they're entertainers and they're news journalists in a lot of cases.
01:58And they're also business builders.
02:01I mean, I would look specifically at Alex Earl, who is on our cover this year.
02:07She really embodies one of the defining ideas behind this package and behind the creator economy,
02:13which is that, you know, today they're not just Internet personalities,
02:17but they're also like very legitimate business builders for company.
02:21Yeah, Alex.
02:23No, you're so right.
02:24I mean, Alex Earl is a perfect example of that, as you're saying, with multiple different businesses,
02:29skincare line and so many different things that are going so far beyond just, you know, posting a picture here
02:34and there.
02:35But really, she has a business plan.
02:36She has a strategy and she's using that to create a lot of wealth as well.
02:41So this year's honorees really come from a wide range of industries and also different countries as well.
02:46So talk to us a little bit about that global reach of creator culture that we're seeing popping up pretty
02:51much everywhere.
02:53Well, Time is a global media company.
02:57It's really important to us that we are covering global stories and not just covering everything with a specific U
03:04.S. lens.
03:05So, I mean, truly, it is an interesting challenge to try to understand influence in different countries because, you know,
03:15everyone brings their own unique perspective to the work that we do.
03:19But it's a huge part of it.
03:21I mean, Alex has not yet launched her brand outside of the U.S.,
03:26but I am so certain that when she does, there will be a huge response to that because she does
03:30have a global audience.
03:33Yeah, I mean, there is something to be said for the fact that anyone can access any of these people
03:37on these platforms that are available anywhere you have Internet around the world.
03:41And it really does change the shape of all of this.
03:44And, again, speaking about Alex and so many of these other creators, talk to us a little bit about how
03:49they build their brands.
03:50Because, as you're saying, it really is so much more than just a posting picture here or there.
03:55They're creating a full-on brand that they then can use to create products, market new series.
04:00Talk to us a little bit about that brand building.
04:03Totally.
04:03I mean, I'm going to stay on Alex for just one more moment because I think she has a really
04:09good sort of clear example of how this can work.
04:12And I saw something similar when I did a story earlier this year for our Time 100 Companies project on
04:18Hailey Bieber.
04:20Both of these women really built up their social media presence around a specific topic.
04:26Actually, for both of them, it was skin care.
04:29So in Alex's case, she started, she wanted, she knew she wanted to be social media famous, like, from a
04:35very young age.
04:36And she was trying everything.
04:37She was doing all the trends.
04:38She was trying to, like, hop on to the bandwagon.
04:41And it just kind of wasn't working until she posted about her acne.
04:46And she had kind of been presenting this very, like, perfected, filtered version of herself.
04:52But as soon as she started talking about her skin issues, she started developing, like, a much more passionate, focused
05:00audience.
05:01So it makes sense years later when she wants to start a brand of her own, it should be acne
05:07-focused skin care because she already has this really dedicated audience that's very interested in what she has to say
05:15about skin care, very invested in her journey, and really trusts her as an authority on how to take your
05:21skin from having this specific problem to clearing it up.
05:26Yeah, talk to us a little bit about how that works, right, because a lot of it that we see
05:31kind of with the creators now who are actually getting those serious followings and not just, you know, a few
05:35likes here or there, they're being vulnerable, right?
05:38They're opening up, again, her with her skin care journey, kind of talking about something that really seems authentic.
05:43So how important is that authenticity when it comes to these creators building their brands?
05:49I think it's really important.
05:52We did a very fun, lively shoot day with nine creators.
05:58One of them that came in was Mickey Gordon, who is quite young.
06:04And she, you know, she put it in really plain language that is still kind of ringing in my head.
06:10And she was like, there's only one you.
06:14And that's kind of your unfair advantage, that you are the only person who can authentically present as you.
06:22So if you are yourself, people will respond to that.
06:25If you're trying to, like Alex Earl did in the very beginning of her career, kind of like jump on
06:30the bandwagon and copy the trends, you're not necessarily going to stand out.
06:36Yeah, that's such a good point.
06:37And also, I think, shows the evolution of how it was originally kind of just jumping on the bandwagon, trying
06:42to see what stuck and trying to see how you could almost be like other people to be a part
06:48of that.
06:48And now it actually has shifted to say, hey, if you want to get that really dedicated following, you need
06:53to be your unique self.
06:54And we're really seeing that, I think, across all the creators out there who are really making an impact and
07:00growing their business.
07:01How do you think that creators are changing the way audiences discover information, entertainment products, how they actually even get
07:08to find out about some of these things that they wouldn't know about otherwise?
07:14I mean, like, how many times have you been sucked in by an influencer telling you to a camera, like,
07:22I've tried this product, and I think it's really good.
07:25I feel like people, consumers, really want to connect with an individual person so much more than they want to
07:31hear from, you know, capital B brand.
07:33Like, what is brand, who is brand, I don't trust brand, like, I trust a person who I feel like
07:39I know, who I can relate to on a human level.
07:44I think that's really, really powerful.
07:47One of the things that Alex said that kind of stuck with me was she still is very resistant to
07:53signing on to endorse products or promote products that she personally doesn't like because she feels, like, on her gut,
08:00in her gut level, like, it's going to be problematic for her if she does that.
08:05She doesn't want to – it just feels icky.
08:07She doesn't want to do that.
08:08We also had, if I may, a really funny moment from our creator content day.
08:16We had Bowman Martinez-Reed, Bowmanizer, come in, and I just really appreciated his candor.
08:23He told us that originally when, you know, he signed with the team, he said to them, I just want
08:30to do my comedy, my entertainment stuff.
08:32He does, like, reality TV spoofs.
08:34I just want to do that.
08:35I don't want to do any brand deals.
08:37I don't want to be, like, that kind of person.
08:40And his quote was basically, and then they told me how much a brand deal is, and now I'm a
08:46homeowner.
08:47So I really appreciate that candor as well.
08:50But I think you do have to, like, who's the things that feel authentic to you or else it's going
08:55to feel like you're just selling stuff.
08:57We really appreciate you being here and breaking all of this down for us as we look to the future
09:01and see what happens next with all of this.
09:03So thank you so much, Lucy Feldman, Editorial Director at Time.
09:06We really appreciate your time today.
09:08Thanks, Justine.
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