TikTokToday we're proud to announce The Showbiz List, TikTok's premiere list recognizing and celebrating some of the incredible creators making waves in the entertainment industry. These creators are filmmakers, actors, designers, musicians, stylists, and more, who turn TikTok videos into artistic masterpieces and bring the magic of Hollywood to the vertical screen. TikTok is an exciting and enriching platform powered by community-driven entertainment because of the incredible creators that share their talent with the world every day. Here are 35 amazing creators who are changing the game, representing a new generation of creators for Hollywood to watch.
TikTok creators bring authentic emotion and joy to their performances. Here are three creators known for their outstanding performances in acting:
- @actressbecc (Brooklyn, NY): Becca Bastos is a trained actor and performer who found a love for creating characters and impressions on TikTok. She's most known for her relatable POVs, and original character sketches and impressions.
- @julianburzynski (Los Angeles, CA): Julian Burzynski is a quadruple-threat as an actor, singer, dancer, and comedian. He uses TikTok to share his one-man show where he reenacts popular movie and TV scenes, using his collection of epic wigs.
- @theejoshneal (Hayward, CA): Joshua Neal is a trained actor and writer who excels at giving his followers both comedy and drama through creative storytelling on TikTok. Joshua uses his platform to entertain, connect with other creators, and evolve as an artist.
Animation brings the fantastic worlds of our imagination to life with talent and artistic drive. Here are three animators known for their unique styles and eye-catching content:
- @andrea.animates (Port Townsend, WA): Andrea Love is an award-winning animator who creates unique, mind-bending stop motion with wool and felt. Using a technique called needle felting, she brings handmade, miniature felted worlds to life one frame at a time.
- @felleanimated (Garden Grove, CA): Felle Animated uses his art to express himself by creating entertaining animations related to pop culture, media, games and more. He hopes to inspire others to unleash their creativity and go after their dreams.
- @lights.are.off (Los Angeles, CA): LIGHTS ARE OFF has captured the TikTok community with his computer-animated, short-form horror videos where he creates delightfully disturbing worlds.
Audiences are captivated by a deeper look into their favorite films and television shows. These are the creators that show the behind-the-scenes world of film/tv, or share commentary on the industry overall:
- @girlbosstown (Boston, MA): After leaving her 9-5 job this summer, Robyn Delmonte turned making TikTok videos on her couch into a full-fledged consulting business — creating "PR moves" for some of the biggest brands in the industry. She's also a trend forecaster and provides her unique commentary on celebrity red carpet looks.
- @guywithamoviecamera (New York, NY): Reece Feldman has quickly become the Gen-Z aficionado of all things film, TV, and entertainment. His TikTok account took off as he was working on-set as a Production Assistant for Amazon’s, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” and he has since been tapped across major studios and streamers to create content for titles in-production, new releases, premieres, and award shows including the Oscars.
- @straw_hat_goofy (Los Angeles, CA): Julian “Juju” Green is “Your TikTok Movie Guy,” sharing his take on the latest trends in movies and TV, along with his honest and unbiased commentary. His TV and film analyses have led to partnerships with entertainment brands including Netflix, Walt Disney Studios, Pixar, Hulu, Marvel, Disney, and more.
Choreographers bring life and movement to TikTok, sparking trends and encouraging all of us to move to the beat. Here are three choreographers who represent the future of the dance industry:
- @arri.arii (New York, NY): Ariana Taylor decided to bring her life-long love for dance and fashion to TikTok to encourage others to dance along with her. Since then, dance has become her career and she's credited as the originator for several viral dance challenges.
- @cost_n_mayor (Los Angeles, CA): Cost n' Mayor are a dance and choreography duo whose routines are as synchronous as their relationship. From falling in love as New York City performers to uniting their skills now as Los Angeles choreographers, the couple continues to spread their talent, humor and artistry on TikTok.
- @keke.janajah (Killeen, Texas): Keara "Queen Keke" Wilson is a lifestyle creator and dancer who uses TikTok to create and share her stellar choreography skills. She is also the originator of the popular Savage Challenge that took over TikTok.
Coordinating the cinematography for a video by yourself is no easy task. From shot design to lighting and everything in between. These creators use their creativity and vision to bring professional quality production value to their work:
- @domenicaaq (Los Angeles, CA): Domenica Comai, also known as “Q," makes up one-half of the video artist duo PAX&Q. Taking her knowledge and passion from creating music videos & documentaries, she showcases her love for unique edits & video art on TikTok.
- @recider (Corpus Christi, Texas): Nicholas Adams uses cinematography to create brief, miniature films that showcase emotional stories ranging from zombie apocalypses, to going on a first date, all in a matter of seconds.
- @zac.stracener (Los Angeles, CA): Zac Stracener, an award-winning filmmaker originally from Louisiana, is passionate about shedding light on important mental health issues through striking and poignant vignettes. Through his short films he dives into dark subject matter in order to shed light on important stories.
The subtle art of creating an entertaining commercial is never lost on an audience. Here are three creators who raise the level of commercial storytelling on TikTok to an art form:
- @davidwma (Brooklyn, NY): David Ma is a commercial director and filmmaker who creates short films, commercials, and viral content on TV and social media. He is known for taking people behind the scenes on his sets and sharing his creative process and unique approach to filmmaking, and most recently was named one of Adweek's Top 100 Creatives of 2021.
- @gracewellsphoto (New York, NY): As one of the initial creators to develop the DIY commercial niche on TikTok, Grace Wells is known for her popular series "Making Epic Commercials for Random Objects," where she creates high-quality commercial videos for everyday items. She was signed as a commercial director just one year after joining TikTok and has directed commercial content for global brands including Procter & Gamble, Samsonite, CELSIUS, and Amazon Prime Video.
- @noah.bowman (Las Vegas, NV): Noah Bowman is a videographer who continues to refine his cinematic technique to bring larger-than-life results to ordinary scenarios: whether it be for an athlete training, an on-the-street automotive hype video, or an at-home product commercial.
The outfits we wear tell a story by themselves. By dawning splendid costumes, these creators transport us back in time or to a wonderful world full of color and imagination:
- @asta.darling (Memphis, TN): Asta Darling is a costume designer who uses her degree in Costume History to bring stories to life, one tale at a time. With an eye on fashion, she pops in and out of centuries and frolics through time with historical pieces by her own design.
- @cameronhughes (New York, NY): Cameron Hughes is a costume designer who combines engineering and fashion to create one of a kind, wearable art pieces. He uses TikTok to share his detailed process, and has worked with artists like Doja Cat, Charli XCX, Aquaria and Bosco.
- @jeremythetea (Orlando, FL): JeremyTheTea exudes all things wonderful and whimsical through his colorfully innovative creations. With a keen eye for design, he creates imaginative outfits that exist beyond the bounds of gender and convention, and he champions the idea that there is no greater power than learning to be unapologetically yourself.
TikTok lets filmmakers share their vision with an audience. From start to finish, creators are free to follow their imagination. Pouring themselves into scripts that bring characters to life poetic language and hilarious quips. These filmmakers use their eye for cinematography and storytelling to elevate TikTok to Showbiz levels:
- @americanbaron (Austin, TX): Baron Ryan is a writer who makes amusing, occasionally surrealistic sketches on TikTok. He is originally from a small town in Missouri and recently wrote his first book, a short story collection, which is to be released in 2022.
- @madelaineturner (Los Angeles, CA): Madelaine Turner is a writer, director, and content creator known for her comedic film style using whimsical, retro aesthetics and bold color palettes who uses TikTok as a way to showcase her story-telling prowess.
- @sambafilms (Brooklyn, NY): Samba Diop is a Senegalese-born director and filmmaker who combines his interest in culture and cinematography through videos on TikTok. He approaches visual storytelling through the lens of powerful imagery, messages and emotions, and he has worked with brands like Netflix, Nike, and Google.
With makeup and hair styling, creators can become creatures from another world or recreations of their favorite characters. These makeup artists show what can be done with a palate and makeup brush:
- @cindychendesigns (Los Angeles, CA): Cindy Chen is an avant-garde makeup and fashion creator who creates new worlds using art, storytelling, and humor. As a professional visual designer, she channels her love for high fashion, geometric, and maximalist designs into both makeup artistry and a premium video style.
- @flawlessbytenisha (New Jersey): Originally from Guyana, Tenisha Billington is a makeup artist and lover of art — whether it be in the form of SFX makeup, cosplay, or painting on canvas. She uses TikTok to showcase her skills, including makeup transformations and different ways to have fun with cosplay.
- @sugarandspice (Long Island, NY): Sugar and Spice are drag queens who combine their love of dolls, fashion, and beauty through videos on TikTok. They use their platform to entertain and educate their audience about the LGBTQ community, all while sporting fun, Y2K-inspired looks.
Music is often the driving force behind the tone of a TikTok video. With a simple chord or verse, a video can become an uplifting or suspenseful tale. These are the artists inspiring creators across TikTok with their original songs:
- @abigailbarlowww & @emilythebear (Los Angeles, CA): Abigail Barlow is a Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter, and composer best known for her viral TikTok musical series: "What if Bridgerton Was A Musical?" After breaking the internet, Abigail and her writing partner Emily Bear, a Grammy Award-winning composer, producer, and chart-topping recording artist, turned this viral success into a Grammy Award-Winning Musical Theatre Album known as "The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical." In doing so, they became the youngest composing team to ever win in this category, and made history by being the only women among their fellow nominees.
- @MegaGoneFree (Queens, NY): MegaGoneFree is a Black LGBTQ+ independent artist originally from Baltimore, MD who shares their powerful and soulful melodies on TikTok. As a Black person occupying a genre without many mainstream Black voices, they aim to create music that spreads a message of love, open-mindedness and empathy with their followers.
- @sri (Dallas, TX): As a Brown woman in music, Sri uses her platform to show her audience that skin color will never stop you from doing what you love. She is well known for her viral cover of "Heather" and her TikTok videos where she showcases her talent for building harmonies and singing 30 second covers, and she most recently starred in the TikTok original musical, "For You, Paige" as the titular role of Paige.
Adding visual effects to a video can surprise and delight an audience with movie magic. These creators regularly make the impossible possible with VFX:
- @daphnedtle (San Francisco, CA): Daphne Le writes, films, edits, and acts in content featuring show-stopping VFX and cinematic storytelling. She uses her self-taught VFX skills to create viral videos — which has led to companies hiring her to create imaginative industry-grade ads — and strives to create a platform that catalyzes societal change and amplifies women of color and underrepresented groups in the entertainment industry.
- @kukombo (New York, NY): Kukombo is a Chinese-American creative based in New York City with an interdisciplinary artistic background in fashion design, filmmaking, music production, and photography. In his TikTok videos, Kukombo generates 3D environments, produces audio clips, and creates animations that take his audience on an unexpected adventure through his cinematic take on cosplay.
- @24framesofginger (Boston, MA): Jon Deutsch, also known as 24framesofginger, is a stop motion animator and video creator whose unique and instantly recognizable visual aesthetic has drawn international acclaim. An expert in video editing, Jon uses smooth transitions, optical illusions, and eye-popping special effects to tell bite-sized stories that resonate with people of all ages and backgrounds. Currently, Jon is working on adapting his style into a longer-form narrative show.
Whether they are gracing the big or small screen, TikTok creators have become industry trendsetters in their own right, transforming what it means to be entertained. We are incredibly proud of these creators and cannot wait to see them shine as they pave a path for themselves in the entertainment industry.
Creators were nominated by the TikTok community. We then evaluated which creators made a significant impact on the app and started trends and meaningful conversations over the last year. Measurement levers included but were not limited to: engagement, views, account growth, and which creators have sparked conversations in the entertainment industry both on and off the platform.
