Who are the wealthiest people in the fast-growing creator economy?

For most of us, our social media accounts probably costs of more in terms of wasted time than we make from what we post. But some people are raking in millions of dollars from their content.

The creator economy has been growing fast and the fifty people at the top have generated $720 million according to Forbes 2024 Top Creators List.

It found that these super-creators have seen their place in the media and advertising world gain with their huge followings – a cumulative 2.75 billion - on video and social media platforms challenging traditional marketing strategies. Their combined income is up $20 million from 2023.

Topping the league is Jimmy Donaldson aka Mr Beast who leverages his 500 million following gained by extreme stunts and contests and enhanced by consumer lifestyle products. His earnings total $85 million. He has topped the Forbes ranking for three consecutive years.

TikTok creators Alix Earle, Jake Shane, Nara Smith, Addison Rae, Call Her Daddy cost Alex Cooper and comedian Matt Rife all make the top 50 while there were 16 newcomers including Haley Baylee (Haley Kalil), Amelie Zilber, iJustine and Flau'jae Johnson.

“This year’s list shows that the creator economy is growing fast––and growing up,” said Steven Bertoni, Assistant Managing Editor, Forbes. “Creators are harnessing their social influence to evolve from entertainers to entrepreneurs and building their own brands. Others continue to jump from phone screens to mainstream media. And in an industry once built on selfies, many are building streaming studios. The ecosystem will only get bigger and more powerful.”