This is where it is today and there are storytellers that, when exciting headline-grabbing stunts mar a media landscape infatuated with flash, do the unfashionable and often invisible work of leveraging quietly for influence — not just in streaming rooms or indie cinemas but also in boardrooms and on fashion runways and global ad campaigns. Here are some people shaking things up in entertainment, business and culture who consist our 2016 list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business. So who is crushing it, and how?
1. Emma Chamberlain, the influencer growing an economy
I think of her as foodie-chef-trendsetter, or UAE-based-journo-supercars-car-lover girls; as I was former daily-vlog queen turned lifestyle-founder-podcast host-fashion darling.
Why she matters right now
Emma evolving beyond the job title of “influencer” to entrepreneur and brand builder: running her coffee business, managing all operations and retail moves as though it is a startup aiming for real revenue not vanity metrics. That transition — back in the day — from creator to an actual consumer brand with predictable margins and wholesale partners is how Emma is silently remaking what creator monetization looks like. Business Insider
Quiet playbook
Emma — post less, influence more. Scarcity and authenticity over algorithm chasing. She cleverly rethinks the strategy: now instead of uploading content daily she uploads when it has effect but all coming from a solid presence that makes everything seem important.
(Another way to think about it: Chamberlain launched a cafe and is signing retail partnerships, which means she has both product and distribution — the two keys an indie brand needs access to if it wants to build a vertical into something people consume at home.)
Shape the Narrative: Emma Appears Sporadically at Cultural Inflection Points (Fashion Covers, Met Gala) Blurring Fandom Whirlwind with Tastemaker Cohorts
Read: Why entertainment execs should be paying attention
Suddenly studio and investor-attractors, these creators who can generate attention as well as a consumer business bring eyeballs, product lines and even passport to merchandise/branded content/IP exist programs that are ready to roll. For an influencer Emma, moving from Creator to Retail / Coffee is the model that every other Influencer wanted to replicate. Business Insider
2. Marques “MKBHD” Brownlee, the silent tech critic shaping product launches
Snapshot: the technology reviewer of record, whose judgment rang from Silicon Valley to every market in which gadgets find a home.
Why he matters right now
Marques’ hands-on reviews are not content — they are influence. MKBHD highlighting a design or exposing a weakness turns the perspective of millions of potential buyers (and even those working inside that company!) It is in a way an example of what products work to this modern day culture and how to grow your brand. YouTube
Quiet playbook
The company values depth over noise — its reviews are long-form, meticulously shot stories that treat its products as movies, not just spec sheets (a smart way to cultivate trust with viewers).
Alternatively, higher-signal publishing cadence: less high-quality drops; so each video as a reference point for buyers and journalists.
He has been featured on podcasts and interviewed by CEOs: His voice travels better than most from consumer conversations to industry conversations because he is on stage in both areas.
How to get entertainment and media masters to pay attention
Now tech shows, documentary makers and streaming services are hiring Marques to host or consult — because he comes with an established trust-driven audience, not pre-packaged hype. He is crossing over from YouTube reviewer to mainstream media host because his stuff plays in Peoria. YouTube
3. Ayo Edebiri: The actor/comedian transforming indie buzz to mainstream pull
Snapshot: A comedian, writer and actor whose indie-lensed tastes and wise career choices have solidified her status as the “it” performer for film or prestige television.
Why she matters right now
Ayo is a good case study of how it behaves as the perfect Trojan horse: its various paths from stand-up/indie projects to large leading roles and awards attention are a ruse at carving out an entirely different training path for future creators and performers who truly care about aesthetics on their own terms, who can guide Big Hollywood in what young taste-making audiences would like larger studios to make. Diva Magazine
Quiet playbook
She takes selective risks: yes to projects that have it (range — comedy, horror, drama) and then turns buzz at the festival level into bigger parts.
Cultural curating: Ayo’s public tastemaker persona combines smart taste, fashion-forward visibility with deep comedic chops that renders casual fans into cultural ambassadors.
Accrued collaborative credibility: discovering not just good A24-type movies, but also well-written indie projects, leads to earning critical capital that access ticket-measured indicators of mainstream franchise moments — on her own damned terms.
What Creative Executives are not even learning from it
These Manhattan project-era conveniences are things studios and streamers also like to have; talent to whom they can point and say: “Well, we’ve got [fill in middle-to-order critical acclaim winner here] for this one, whose name do you have?” Edebiri does not rocket to fame — she climbs up, slow and steady, which seems designed for longevity: She’s no one-hit viral wonder; she is the thing that makes franchises last. Diva Magazine
4. Khaby Lame — the global logic comedian
Snapshot: The mute but hysterically legible clown that captured a worldwide audience by reducing the ridiculous to surreally simple.
Why he matters right now
Khaby made non-verbal reaction content a global language. The latter made his “that’s how you do it”, wordless skits a welcome addition to feed across cultures and languages, bestowing upon him one of the most active followings on short-form platforms worldwide. That universality is uncommon; to brands, festivals and producers alike, he exists as an immediate international liaison. https://www.fox10tv.com
Quiet playbook
No language friction equals all shareable minimal content.
There is a platform skimming going on — search by Khaby and you will find it, even easier if you have the IG app installed. Khaby ossia: doing less without over producing his content is light, stackable and platform native to TikTok/IG.
Strategic visibility: despite massive followings, he has chosen his brand partnerships and appearances wisely to increase his reach beyond streetwear and into high fashion and mainstream media.
Why this matters for entertainment
Translation is a superpower for global reach. Khaby has buyers eyeing him for unscripted formats, a linear special, and brand-led global efforts since he scales culturally without incurring a penny of localization. Even in his softer speaking volume, his influence simply fills the room. https://www.fox10tv.com
5. Liza Koshy – The Pivot Pro Redefining How Creators Become Stars
Break: dropped his own material on short-form humor and found themselves acting, web hosting service, and mainstream multimedia initiatives.
Why she matters right now
Or, put in more layman’s terms: Liza is the model of a creator working Hollywood her way. She took long breaks from posting to YouTube, racked up acting credits and now lands roles in projects that let her play a real actor and not “the YouTuber.” This shift in credibility is key for talent building, and for studio casting. Marie Claire
Quiet playbook
Comedic timing, improv background, experience hosting; skill stacking that parleyed into television and film.
Slow-burn positioning: Liza didn’t pursue frequent uploads; she bought roles that worked on her acting résumé.
Her capacity for cross-medium agility: hosting gigs, scripted roles and podcasting not only shows an inclination toward storytelling but also makes her a modular asset for entertainment companies.
Why the industry watches
Casting directors and showrunners like digital born talent, as long as they can act and sell a project. Liza is a great example of how artists can rebrand themselves within their fanbases and fans using one platform to consume a creator in another space. Marie Claire
The trend: a network of distributed influence built patiently
The thing that connects these five are not number of followers but strategy. Each has:
- transformed fleeting attention into proprietary (brands, deals, IP);
- focused on quality and truth rather than frequency;
- cross over formats (from short video to podcast, then to TV/film content and finally into product), without sacrificing credibility with the audience.
This silent approach is more sustainable than viral spikes. Entertainment venues may shine a light on the overnight success stories, but these are artists creating longevity well past trends that’s putting them on the map with executives and brands as a whole.
What does this mean for creators, brands and fans?
For creators: diversify early. You care more about products, IP and businesses you own than metrics from a platform.
Brands: Work with creators that are respected across formats, not just for big engagement numbers.
Fans: Look for creators you know in unexpected new places — fashion runways, festival panels, indie film credits and boardroom announcements.
Final take
The loudest voices get headlines. The quiet ones are the ones who make their way, stay on longer, and shape the culture. Proof that comes in the form of Emma Chamberlain, Marques Brownlee, Ayo Edebiri, Khaby Lame and Liza Koshy: domination doesn’t have to scream. Sometimes it starts quietly building — and then it bends the game over. Pay attention to who they partner with next; those moves will show you the future of entertainment.
Sources:
Emma Chamberlain — Business Insider Covers the Launch of Chamberlain Coffee, Future Plans Business Insider
Marques “MKBHD” Brownlee — MKBHD’s industry influencing channel and pages. YouTube
Ayo Edebiri — a gradient of features and coverage showing how Ayo has been becoming the film & premium TV star we always knew they could—and deserves to be. Diva Magazine
Khaby Lame (covering Khaby’s global reach on TikTok and other news) https://www.fox10tv.com
Liza Koshy: Recent Interviews and Features about Her Host of the Show
