The 2025 Creative 100: Celebrities & Creators With Immaculate Vibes

With social media and creator tools putting the means of production into the hands of anyone with a point of view, the internet has become a noisy place. ADWEEK’s Creative 100 class of celebrities and creators stand out by starting the trends everyone follows—and wielding their influence for good. Elizabeth Banks Actress, DirectorCo-owner & CCO, Archer Roose Eureka moment: Banks was inspired to team up with wine brand Archer Roose after a perfect day outdoors, telling People: "I was floating down a river in an inner tube with a can in the water staying cold, and I was like—this is the greatest day of my life." With honors: Banks graduated the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts and Sciences in 1996, and will return this year to deliver the commencement address to the class of 2025. Besides her accomplishments in film and television, the school praised her as “an outspoken advocate for important issues such as gender equity and health care for veterans.” Next up: In May, she’ll star alongside Jessica Biel in the Prime Video crime series The Better Sister. Molly Baz Influencer, Chef, Author Multi-hyphenate: The millennial TikTok chef founded Ayoh, which she describes as “a line of mayos gone buck wild,” in 2024. “Working in the CPG space was entirely new for me, from the development and scaling of the recipes from my home kitchen to a commercial co-packer, to the branding, marketing, and web design,” she says. Grazie: Baz—a self-proclaimed “weenie lover and Caesar salad enthusiast”—didn’t grow up in a foodie home. Studying abroad in Italy inspired her to get serious about a career in food. Old school: Whether she’s developing recipes, shooting content, or growing her businesses, Baz keeps it all together with “a simple ass to-do list” on her Notes app. Doechii Rapper Take a bite: Doechii’s third mixtape, “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” won Best Rap Album at the 2025 Grammys, making her just the third woman to do so since 1989. Her inspirational acceptance speech about sobriety and defying stereotypes about Black women went viral. So win: The 26-year-old Floridian, whose real name is Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon, also voiced Nike’s Super Bowl 59 ad, which put women athletes center stage on a male-dominated field and was widely hailed as one of the best of the night. Certified fresh: The accompanying dance to her “Anxiety” single is based on a memorable scene from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Two of the show’s stars, Will Smith and Tatyana Ali, joined Doechii for a remake that now has more than 38 million likes on TikTok. FKA Twigs Singer, Songwriter, Producer, Actor, Dancer Secret linguist: The English pop star released her third studio album, “Eusexua,” in January to universally rave reviews. The title is a word she concocted to describe an extra-intense feeling of euphoria, she told British Vogue. Sorry not sorry: Twigs (real name Tahliah Debrett Barnett) clapped back at U.K. regulator Advertising Standards Authority in early 2024 for banning a revealing ad she starred in for Calvin Klein. The group reversed its decision two months later. Movement as self-expression: Twigs continued her partnership with fast-growing sportswear brand On as it expanded into the lifestyle category. Her latest ad, “The Body Is Art, Part II,” promotes movement as a form of self-expression. Using her voice: In April 2024, Twigs pushed for AI regulations in front of the U.S. Senate. “AI cannot replicate the depth of my life journey,” she testified. “We must enact regulation now to safeguard our authenticity.” Flau'jae Johnson College Basketball Player & Rapper School spirit: In April, the LSU Tigers guard—who helped lead the team to their first-ever NCAA championship in 2023—decided against entering the WNBA, despite being eligible before graduation. “Once you taste the national championship, you want more,” she told The Athletic. Living legacy: Johnson was named after her father, a rapper who performed under the name Camouflage. Tragically, he was killed six months before her birth. Johnson raps to follow in his footsteps. Shooting her shot: Johnson’s name, image, and likeness deals are worth about $1.2 million, according to On3, and include Puma, The Athlete’s Foot, and Powerade. Greta Lee Actress Where you’ve seen her: After almost two decades of supporting roles in series including Russian Doll and The Morning Show, Greta Lee captured serious buzz—and a 2024 Golden Globe nod—as the romantic lead in the wistful drama Past Lives. She’s also done extensive commercial work, most recently for Calvin Klein. Heavenly inspiration: Lee got into acting after watching Val Kilmer in 1997’s The Saint. Up next: She’ll join Jared Leto for Tron: Ares this October. Lisa Actress; Singer/Rapper, Blackpink ‘It’ girl: Whether you know her as a member of the K-pop group Blackpink, a solo artist, or Mook from the third season of The White Lotus, chances are you’ve seen the multihyphenate—whose full name is Lalisa Manobal—on your screen this year. In good company: White Lotus creator Mike White almost didn’t cast her because he thought she was too big of a star in her native Thailand. “She’s like Taylor Swift meets Princess Diana there,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. Not by the book: Lisa released a 56-page graphic novel alongside her solo debut, “Alter Ego,” earlier this year. Youngmi Mayer Comedian & Podcaster Funny girl: Whether on TikTok or her two podcasts, Korean-American comedian Youngmi Mayer has found a rapt audience with her wry takes on everything from being biracial, queer, and a single mom. Her memoir, I’m Laughing Because I’m Crying, dropped at the end of 2024. New mission: The restaurant she launched with her ex-husband, Mission Chinese, instantly became one of New York’s trendiest eateries when it opened in 2012. When the couple broke up in 2018, Mayer pivoted to comedy. Pass it on: When she was just starting out, Mayer questioned her right to a platform. “What I ended up realizing,” she told Elle, “was that my being open creates room for somebody else to be open and to feel OK sharing.” Catherine O'Hara Actress Double duty: Schitt’s Creek star Catherine O’Hara is back in the spotlight, appearing in Apple TV+’s Hollywood satire The Studio as well as the post-apocalyptic drama The Last of Us on HBO and Max. In the ad world, she appeared beside Willem Dafoe on a pickleball court in Michelob Ultra’s Super Bowl 59 commercial. Funny buddy: She got her start at The Second City in Toronto, the legendary comedy club where she improvised alongside future Schitt’s Creek co-star Eugene Levy and was an understudy for Gilda Radnor. We’re all a little mad here: Over a 50-year career in TV and films, “I’ve played a few kinds of delusional characters, and it’s really fun,” she told Variety. Anthony Po YouTuber Not all heroes: The 23-year-old vlogger has made the streets of New York City his own personal media venue, with guerrilla campaigns that grew into social sensations. You might know him as Cheeseball Man, who popped up on flyers around the city promising to eat a giant tub of the savory puffs in one sitting. Po racked up 200,000 followers, did press in his costume, and even got a manager. “It proved that storytelling—no matter how absurd—can captivate an audience and turn even the most ridiculous idea into something people genuinely care about,” he tells ADWEEK. Not a complete unknown: Po also came up with the viral Timothée Chalamet Lookalike Competition, which drew 10,000 spectators—including the Dune star himself. The event started a trend, spawning numerous celebrity lookalike copycat contests: “People are hungry for fun, participatory experiences that bring online culture into the real world,” he says. Best advice: “Learn to love what you do, make mistakes, put love into everything you do, and create things people care about.” Chappell Roan Pop Star & Musician Streaming Princess: Amid the heady female empowerment vibes of Brat summer, no one got more attention than breakout “femininomenon” Chappell Roan. Her debut studio album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” has gone on to rack up over 3.4 billion Spotify streams. Switching things up: In March, Roan’s first country song, “The Giver,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Only Beyoncé and Bebe Rexha have had country crossover hits debut at No. 1. Convo starter: Her candid comments about young motherhood among her friends on the Call Her Daddy podcast in March sparked an open debate about the challenges of parenting. Secret to success: The Best New Artist Grammy winner was dropped from her first label in 2020. “My career has worked because I’ve done it my way,” she told Interview. Choi Seung-hyun Actor, Rapper, Singer New to the Game: Choi, who professionally goes by the name T.O.P., rose to fame as the lead rapper in South Korean boy band BigBang. His big break stateside came in last year’s Squid Game 2, playing the wannabe performer Thanos on the Netflix series. Second chance: The role was a resurgence for Choi, who was sentenced to 10 months in prison and suspended from mandatory military service in 2017 for using marijuana, which is illegal in South Korea. Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk told People that taking on the role took “a lot of guts,” especially considering the character’s arc mimics Choi’s own. Carter Vail Creator & Musician Wildest dreams: The TikTok comedian and musician (and jiu-jitsu enthusiast) struck gold last year with “Dirt Man,” a 30-second parody tune that he told the New York Times came to him in his sleep. The song hit 20 million views in two months. Cowboy Carter: Vail released his LP, “100 Cowboys,” in July and opened for rapper Yung Gravy’s fall tour. He was the face of Silk's "Feeling Planty Good" campaign, and also inked partnerships with Totino’s and Crocs, among others. Instrumental experience: He studied audio engineering at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and did a brief stint at a guitar pedal factory after graduation. Best advice: “Honestly, just be you. Nothing else.”

The Creative 100

The 2025 Creative 100: Celebrities & Creators With Immaculate Vibes

These social and screen stars broke out with original ideas, courage and using their platform for good.

Elizabeth Banks

Meredith Begley

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