The Year’s Fastest-Rising Stars: From TikTok to Hollywood
In a nutshell: TikTok is no longer Hollywood’s neighbor, it feeds on it. They dare to dream, because in 2025 the path from virality to a major-stage gig on Broadway or on screen, in front of a national audience no longer feels delayed and inevitable. Read on to get to know six of the people who’ve catapulted themselves from algorithmic fame into real-life industry power — and what their speedy ascent can teach us about the emerging path to stardom.
Quick takeaways:
• Now, the chances of being discovered have increased because social platforms are essentially talent farms — red carpet casting directors reviewing creators for their ability to assemble an audience and walk a runway.
• Crossovers were varied: film and television leaned into TikTok talent, as did sports media, music, and even Broadway.
• Creators can get greenlit quicker if they bring a built-in fanbase, but muscle-bound yogis still need to up their craft and strategically rebrand.
• Short-form fame will be increasingly seen as a launch pad, not an endpoint, for more creators.
1) Charli D’Amelio — From TikTok Dances to the Broadway Stage
If you ever needed an indication that a TikTok star is one commercial success away from becoming Broadway material, look no further than Charli D’Amelio from making viral dance videos to making a full-on musical on Broadway. As she extends a run in 2024–2025 playing herself in the jukebox musical & Juliet, and begins to do guest TV appearances plus high-profile brand partnerships — moves that signal thinking of her as more of a mainstream entertainment figure than merely a content creator. This is not happenstance celebdom, but a blueprint in how creators can turn to long-form, performance driven career pivots (besides being struck at your stupid desk.) Sources: People.com, Wikipedia
2) Addison Rae — rebrand, redux, result
One of the original TikTok-to-Hollywood crossover acts, Addison Rae fully embraced her next act in 2025. If you recognize Mashed N Kutcher and have their T-shirt, you might be aware of the eclectic range of talents showcased by Kirrah. She follows one path with feature film roles and explores music as part of a reinvention drive from “influencer” to multi-platform pop artist and performer. Just as the industry coverage this year is in on her album, its painstaking creative shift (eventually) away from snackable clips to careerist output. It was the narrative that mattered, which makes a point for why narrative framing is so crucial in this industry: people who own their story — and substantiate craft — are recognized by the higher-ups within their respective industries. Sources: Wikipedia, Business Insider
3) Noah Beck: The teen-romance route to legitimacy flowing into acting
The transition for Noah Beck into scripted content is the streaming platform and small studio playbook of casting creators that already have a connection with younger audiences. Beck’s starring role in the teen romance Sidelined: The QB and Me (and its follow-ups) provided a first look for on-screen acting, as well as a claim into the sphere of indie/streamer market — essentially, just the testing ground that casting directors currently assess before promoting talent to bigger fare. The lesson here for creators is: first of all, star in the type of indie or streamer vehicle mentioned above — it gives you the credit without necessarily thrusting you into a metaphorical Hunger Games contest. Sources: IMDb, People.com
4) Bella Poarch: TikTok Star Turned Horror Movie Star
Bella Poarch, one of the most popular music artists on TikTok and the recipient of one of TikTok’s top-liked videos, began transitioning from music to film in 2021 with her forthcoming horror movie Six Till Midnight — making the platform-to-springboard-to-genre-film jump now customary among creators. In horror specifically, fresh faces attract considerable curiosity and built-in buzz among audiences — the casting of Poarch marrying the social media superstar’s existing fan base with a genre audience who notoriously loves finding new screen presences to root for. The latter takes some marketing friction out of a release — fans show up, social chatter does the rest to raise opening weekend awareness. Sources: IMDb, Just Jared
5) Katie Feeney (creator to mainstream sports reporter)
Film is not a goal for every TikTok star. ESPN has hired Katie Feeney to produce vertical-first sports content, making her another example of creators getting poached by traditional media companies that still need them for distribution-savvy storytelling. Feeney had a background in viral sports coverage, and was at ease on-camera as well — two traits that made her attractive to sports networks trying to find ways to engage short-term viewers. They allow for these sorts of crossover roles, which carve out other lanes of financial opportunity that goes beyond the traditional game show/film/TV ecosystem. Source: The Sun
6) Cheryl Porter — From Vocal Coach on TikTok to Broadway Star
That Cheryl Porter was able to make her Broadway debut in & Juliet highlights another more sobering truth, one that, wisely or not, venues are themselves leveraging: TikTok is offering yet another platform by which creators already professionally trained (in Porter’s case as a vocal coach and opera-trained singer) can get visibility on the road and step directly into higher grade stage work. She is the first cast member who can be seen as a hybrid success — training + fans + platform visibility, but also evidencing a new trend of more and more successful stage professionals using their socials as an accelerant for already-advanced-stage careers. Source: People.com
Why the change is happening now:
Built-in audiences reduce risk. Studios, and to a lesser extent producers, are pragmatic: a creator with millions of followers watching them can reduce early marketing expenses and bring more clarity to pre-release performance metrics.
Creators already practice performance daily. For auditions and on set, short-form video trains a person in timing, editing instincts, presence.
New talents are essential to keep streaming platforms alive. Welcome to the era of scripted-content volume when streamers need all the cheap but known names they can get. Creators fit that bill.
Storytelling is now cross-platform. Think a TikTok clip, an Instagram rollout, and simultaneous press placements within a media strategy equivalent to the full-court press legacy stars did not often enjoy so early in their careers.
Practical Checklist — How creators make the leap
Rebrand with intention. Evolve from viral to industry artist with proper curated releases (EPs, sizzles, pros reels).
Take training seriously. Craft counts when the critics and casting directors come calling: acting classes, voice coaching, dialect work.
Target the right first project. Starting with indie films, horror, rom-coms, and streaming TV makes more sense than tackling a major studio tentpole first.
Build a cross-platform narrative. Long-form (YouTube/IGTV) is to give insight, and short-form to keep fans engaged.
Find representation that knows both worlds. That combined experience of both digital and traditional entertainment is critical for managers.
Risks and the long game
It’s not an automatic transformation from viral to legitimate, however. Quick points to watch:
Typecasting by persona. An audience may come to expect one type of content, and it can be hard to break that mold without strategic rebranding.
Backlash & scrutiny. Creators are scrutinized at different levels of critique by the mainstream media; a slip-up can be magnified.
Short-term attention vs. long-term craft. Without growth, the limited time span an artist can enjoy early success will fizzle out and disappear.
How fans and some insiders are reacting
One repeated pattern in industry coverage is the observation that the creators who leap from viral fame to lasting success are those that are prepared. In 2025, they become synonymous. These longer-term strategies — the theater runs of Charli and Cheryl, Addison’s pivot to music, Noah’s strategic streaming debut — show that these teams are actually starting to think in terms of years for these creators rather than chasing after a viral moment. But outlets also note that while authenticity and platform fluency does appeal to some casting directors, many are still looking at follower counts first. Sources: People.com, Business Insider
The formula for making stars
The breakout stars of this year’s crop didn’t accidentally drift into Hollywood; they architected exits from the platform economy into guild structures. That formula — platform visibility + audience loyalty + craft investment + strategic project selection — may be tried and true but now adds up to the stuff of durable mainstream careers.
Look to 2026 for this machine to get ramped up. New shows will produce scripted work, networks will hire social-native hosts, and Broadway houses will cast performers with millions of followers. For aspiring creators, the insight is operational: go viral, just not as a destination; use virality — don’t be used by it.
Sources and further reading (selected)
• TikTok star Cheryl Porter Broadway debut – People.com • Addison Rae in Business Insider & ELLE: Her Career and Music Evolution – Business Insider, ELLE • Noah Beck reporting on his acting debut in Sidelined: The QB and Me – IMDb, People.com • Bella Poarch Casting Announcements from entertainment outlets – IMDb, Just Jared
• Katie Feeney Hired by ESPN, A Crossover From Creator to Media – The Sun
