Selfie Celebs

The Curve, Video’s Super 8, 2014 – A whopping 35 million viewers have watched GloZell Green swallow a ladle of cinnamon. Her 2.3 million YouTube followers are still tuning in to see her gag down cereal, hot peppers, pop rocks—you name it, impersonate Miley Cyrus, and dole out advice (think Dear Abby meets Martin Lawrence). Sure, YouTube stars are nothing new, but Green is a prime example of a completely new breed of direct-to-digital stars, or selfie celebs, who are different in one major way from the Numa Numa one-hit wonders of yesteryear: longevity. With more eyeballs online than ever before (to the tune of more than six billion hours watched on YouTube each month), and startups like Fullscreen arming Web talent with top-line tech to make their breakout moment a true business opportunity, a new D-is-for-digital list is poised to rule Hollywood—and change the definition of celebrity altogether. Just as reality TV gave rise to new genres of stars (who would have ever thought that housewives could rival rock stars?), selfie celebs are once again expanding the definition of stardom. Personalities that don’t translate well to TV (CEOs, professors, and crafters) are now getting their star turns, albeit digitally. The rise of selfie celebs shows no sign of slowing: Nearly a third (30 percent) of Generation Xers and Ys say they have an idea for a show they’d like to launch on YouTube. And even the A-list is taking note: Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, and Jack Black are just a few of the Hollywood elite setting their sights on the small screen.