Sometimes being chronically online pays off.
The Hollywood Reporter celebrated social media’s biggest stars at its Creators A-List party on Wednesday, in a night tied to THR‘s list of influencers who matter most to Hollywood. The event, presented by UTA, took over Galerie on Sunset and welcomed cover star Charli D’Amelio, as well as a room full of TikTokers and reality TV breakouts.
On a rare rainy night in L.A., guests arrived on the bright pink carpet and stopped for photos, before taking their own in the party photo booth and making their way inside the intimate space, where trays of sliders, fried chicken, mini tuna tostadas and fries made the rounds. D’Amelio made her entrance early in the evening, posing with her cover before camping out in a cozy red booth next to the DJ stand. She was spotted saying hello to Bachelor couple Joey Graziadei and Kelsey Anderson, who also caught up with Love Island USA‘s Kenzie Annis.
Love Island was heavily represented at the event, with Rob Rausch and Caleb McDaniel (rolling up in a trio with Josh Richards), JaNa Craig, and Leah Kateb and Miguel Harichi all in attendance. Ezra Sosa took a break from the Dancing With the Stars dance floor to stop by, where he shouted out D’Amelio as one of his current favorite creators, saying, “I feel like she’s having this new era of life and you just see so much color that she has. I saw her journey on Dancing With the Stars too, I saw what that did for her, and just seeing her confidence, the way she’s owning everything, it’s really cool to see.”
Jennifer Lawrence and Megan the Stallion were also popular responses as THR asked attendees what celebs have been killing it on social media; ex-Call Her Daddy co-host Sofia Franklyn gave a particularly eyebrow-raising answer, declaring, “I don’t think anyone’s killing it like Alix Earle on social media,” given both her and Earle’s messy histories with Alex Cooper.
Bob the Drag Queen and Monét X Change bantered in red carpet interviews while country star Megan Moroney popped into the party, grabbing a pic with UTA CEO David Kramer. YouTube superstars Dhar Mann and Adam Waheed caught up and Heather McDonald grabbed drinks with House of Stassi‘s Taylor Strecker and Taylor “Teddy” Donohue. Also making the guest list: Chrishell Stause, Boman Martinez-Reid and Ashby Florence.
Mann helped shed some light on the current intersection of the online world and traditional Hollywood, explaining, “now more than ever, Hollywood and creators are converging into one, and I think the real opportunity is the bridge that lives between these two worlds.”
“It’s hard time in the industry for a lot of folks, but it’s also an exciting time for those that are embracing the changes that are happening,” he continued, referencing a 20-episode partnership his Dhar Mann Studios has with Disney, as well as an order for 40 vertical dramas from Fox. “Most major studios are now having a YouTube strategy, they have entire teams that are dedicated to working with creators. I think in the beginning you would just see talent deals that were happening and they were often for one-off projects; now you’re seeing collaborations for entire series.”
As to be expected with the content creator crowd, phones were out throughout the night to capture the big moments. Nearing its 11 p.m. end, waiters passed out warm cookies to close out the party, and guests left with a gift bag of influencer-branded products courtesy of UTA Creator clients.
