Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The emergence of social media gave birth to new media in the creative industry. Content creators who are also influencers can now earn trillions of rupiah from their work which is shared via Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
Forbes regularly releases a list of the most successful social media figures who are considered the most influential in the world of entertainment and advertising.
This year, there are 50 names on the Forbes Top Creator list, consisting of influencers, streamers and vloggers.
A total of 50 creators were followed by 2.6 billion accounts and managed to accumulate revenue of US$ 700 million or around Rp. 10.9 trillion. This amount jumped 20 percent from 2022 of US$ 570 million.
According to social media research firm, Influencer Marketing Hub, in 2023, brands will spend around US$ 21 billion on marketing costs through creators. Up from just US$ 1.6 billion seven years ago.
“Influencers are more trusted by their audiences than advertising. They can sell products in minutes,” said Erin Lanuti, chief innovation officer at Ad Titan Omnicom PR Group.
As a result, 50 people are included in the list of creators who are leveraging their fan base to reshape the world of media, marketing, entertainment and market tastes.
The following is a list of the top 10 creators on the Forbes Top Creator list.
1. Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast)
Income: US$82 million (Rp. 1.2 trillion)
Number of Followers: 312 million
Average Engagement: 9.8%
Entrepreneurship Score: 4
 Mr Beasts |
With over 300 million followers, MrBeast’s fan base is almost as large as the US population.
MrBeast’s power and popularity stems from its high production videos and stunts of surviving in Antarctica for 50 hours and building Wonka’s chocolate factory. R
The famous YouTube creator, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has used his enormous influence to make a lot of money in the form of digital advertising and build a real-world empire.
Brands under the Beast umbrella include the Feastables snack bar and the MrBeast Burgers restaurant chain, as well as Donaldson’s extensive line of merchandise.
2. Olajide Olatunji (KSI)
Income: US$24 million (Rp. 376 billion)
Number of Followers: 112 million
Average Engagement: 6.5%
Entrepreneurship Score: 4
Olajide Olatunji, also known as KSI, started releasing reaction videos to FIFA games on YouTube in 2009. His videos attracted millions of followers because of his hilarious humor.
Since then, he’s gone from comedian to rapper and boxer, releasing two singles in 2023, and landing a multi-year distribution deal for his promotional company, Misfits Boxing.
He is the ‘face’ of Prime Hydration alongside Logan Paul. The sports drink is the official drink of FC Barcelona, UFC and Arsenal this year.
Olatunji’s life has not been far from controversy due to boxing ethics, misogynistic content, and racist and transphobic insults. But he always turned the scandal into a spectacle, both online and in the ring.
3. Jake Paul
Income: US$34 million (Rp. 532 billion)
Number of Followers: 66 million
Average Engagement: 1.6%
Entrepreneurship Score: 4
Jake Paul is known as a boxer and YouTuber. On YouTube, he is known for content such as surprise tattoos, eating dog food, and soaking in Icy Hot. Even though it sounds eccentric, the content he creates has attracted millions of fans.
He has not been without controversy, including accusations of sexual misconduct, defrauding fans, and most recently, SEC accusations of undisclosed cryptocurrency sponsorship.
However, Paul’s ability to organize spectacle makes him one of the highest-paid athletes in 2022.
He landed a sponsorship with energy drink Celsius, founded the sports betting app “Betr” which raised a US$50 million Series A. This year he signed an MMA contract to fight in the new pay-per-view division.
4. Rhett & Link
Income: US$35 million (Rp. 548 billion)
Number of Followers: 51 million
Average Engagement: 0.85%
Entrepreneurship Score: 4
Friends since elementary school, two former engineers, real names Rhett James McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln “Link” Neal III, started posting comedy shows on YouTube in 2006.
Today, their Burbank, California entertainment company, Mythical, employs more than 100 people. The company produces YouTube series such as daily variety show Good Mythical Morning, cooking show Mythical Kitchen, and sketch comedy channel Smosh for its 18 million subscribers.
They also produce podcasts, live tours, and live streaming events, as well as books and TV shows.
5. Charli D’Amelio
Income: US$23 million (Rp. 360 billion)
Number of Followers: 213 million
Average Engagement: 0.7%
Entrepreneurship Score: 4
Charli D’Amelio continues to occupy the top spot as a female creator on TikTok. The D’Amelio dynasty that he built continues to grow. The Connecticut native became the ‘face’ of Prada and advertisements for Amazon, CeraVe, and SKIMS, the clothing line co-founded by Kim Kardashian.
He entered the world of business by building a perfume and clothing brand which can now be purchased in stores in the US and Europe. He also runs the recently launched shoe brand, D’Amelio Footwear. All this, before Charli owned it when she was 20 years old.
6. Logan Paul
Income: US$21 million (Rp. 329 billion)
Number of Followers: 74 million
Average Engagement: 1.25%
Entrepreneurship Score: 4
 Logan Paul |
Logan Paul first went viral on Vine with his brother Jake. He used the momentum to open his YouTube to post vlogs and other action shows, such as giving away iPhones and fighting with celebrities like Kevin Hart. The channel has attracted 23.6 million subscribers.
However, Paul’s videos contained sensitive content, including showing corpses in Japan’s “suicide forest”, causing him to be temporarily demonetized on the platform.
He resigned his WWE contract this year, and is promoting Prime Hydration alongside YouTuber KSI. Paul also hosts a podcast with his brother Impulsive.
7. Elliot Tebele (F*ckJerry)
Income: US$30 million (Rp. 470 billion)
Number of Followers: 17 million
Average Engagement: 1%
Entrepreneurship Score: 4
The original meme king’s real name is Elliot Tebele. He is the brains behind the social media empire FJerryLLC. His accounts, including F*ckJerry, BeigeCardigan, DudeWithSign, and JerryNews, attract 40 million followers.
But his big income comes from his board games which include his party game “What Do You Meme”, which is sold nationally at Target, Walmart and Amazon. Tebele has also ventured into the liquor business with the viral tequila brand Jaja.
8. Emma Chamberlain
Income: US$20 million (Rp. 313 billion)
Number of Followers: 28 million
Average Engagement: 6.25%
Entrepreneurship Score: 4
Since uploading a video at her mother’s house that went viral on YouTube, Emma Chamberlain decided to drop out of school. He’s amassed 27.9 million followers, and turned his dry humor and passion for fashion into a lifestyle business.
Chamberlain was one of the first creators to secure a high-end fashion deal with Louis Vuitton, and went on to forge lucrative partnerships with companies including Cartier, Lancôme, Levi’s, Aritzia, and Canon. His beverage company, Chamberlain Coffee, is sold at Walmart and Sprouts, and his podcast, “Anything Goes,” debuted a Spotify-exclusive video deal in February.
9. Matt Rife
Income: US$25 million (Rp. 392 billion)
Number of Followers: 22 million
Average Engagement: 10.7%
Entrepreneurship Value: 3
Rife, a stand up comedian who uses his social media fame to sell out live shows.
After a decade of performing in small clubs, Rife found fame on TikTok after a clip of him joking with a female fan went viral.
Over the past year, the Ohio native has amassed 17 million TikTok followers and sold more than 750,000 tickets for his international tour. His Netflix stand-up special “Natural Selection” will air later this year.
10. Brent Rivera
Income: US$17.5 million (Rp. 274 billion)
Number of Followers: 96 million
Average Engagement: 11.25%
Entrepreneurship Value: 3
Brent Rivera has mastered some of the most popular social media platforms in the world—starting with Vine, then YouTube, and finally TikTok. His comedy videos, which often feature his younger sister, Lexi, now attract an audience of 50 million fans.
But the 25-year-old Streamy Award winner is a businessman and creator who has partnered with giant brands such as Starbucks, Xbox and Prada. He owns Amp Studios, a media company he founded in 2017 to support other creators and emerging brands.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
(dem)