Though some may say that television is king, it’s obvious that many celebrities and influencers are starting their careers on their social media platforms, making the transition to television after they’ve already gained millions of followers and fame in their own right. Though social media followers do not necessarily translate into high ratings on television, these social media experts and influencers are making the transition from blog to tube easily and with panache. Many of today’s television shows have more online viewers than live viewers tuning in, so influencers who can add television reach to their online engagement stand to clean up, and any network that can find creative ways to blend the two will surely come out on top. Engagement may be king now, but television will always have a place in the landscape. 1. Francesca Ramsey Also known as Chescaleigh, this NYC-based vlogger, writer, and actress is best known for her “S**t White Girls Say to Black Girls” video, which went viral in 2012. Ramsey is bold, brilliant, and an outspoken advocate for equality and social consciousness, appearing recently on MSNBC and Anderson Cooper to speak about the intersection of race and pop culture. In fact, she’s so brilliant that she was recently tapped to host her own web series for MTV News called “Decoded.” 2. Murray Newlands Entrepreneur, author, investor, business advisor, and digital marketing guru Murray Newlands gives his success back in spades to other startup entrepreneurs through his motivational blogs, Twitter account, and many speaking appearances around the world. After building his startup, Due.com, he is taking his expertise in social media marketing to YouTube and television, recently appearing on Fox40 TV, who asked him to give them the lowdown on “Mom-trepreneurs,” a growing market of stay-at-home moms selling products through social media platforms. 3. Gary Vaynerchuk Gary Vaynerchuk is widely known for building businesses. Beyond his own investment portfolio, he also runs VaynerMedia, a digital agency, and hosts his own YouTube show: AskGaryVee. With a lifetime of building multi-million dollar companies under his belt, Vaynerchuk is often called on to expound his experience as a social media expert on television, including this recent appearance on Fox5 NY. 4. Grace Helbig From small fry beginnings on YouTube, Grace Helbig has certainly made the crossover to TV easily. On her recent appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Helbig explained that her new show, The Grace Helbig Project, will continue with a YouTube-esque set, sans a studio audience. In this way she hopes to help her 2.8 million online subscribers make the transition to watching her TV show, premiering this April on the E! Network. 5. Peter Shankman Peter Shankman basically does it all: He’s a dad, husband, author, angel investor, marketer, TEDx speaker, NASA advisor, skydiver and marathon runner. As the Founder and CEO of social media marketing and PR company the Geek Factory, and founder of news sourcing service Help A Reporter Out, Shankman has garnered enough cred to be asked to appear as a marketing pundit on several national networks. You’ll be sure to see more of him covering the upcoming presidential nominations. 6. Brian Solis Calling himself a “digital anthropologist,” Brian Solis is deeply interested in how technology influences culture, business, and marketing. As the principal analyst at Altimeter Group, his life’s work is finding trends and data that help businesses grow. Solis is a veteran on talk shows, morning show appearances, TED talks, keynotes and more. He also has his own channel on YouTube, BrianSolisTV, featuring his “Revolution” series: interviews with the likes of Katie Couric, Billy Corgan and more. 7. Tyler Oakley With over 7.8 million channel subscribers, YouTuber Tyler Oakley has gathered millions of cross-platform followers who love his humorous take on social issues as well as his continued advocacy for LGBTQ rights and the prevention of suicide among LGBTQ youth. Oakley is no stranger to television, appearing recently on the Late Late Show with James Corden as well as the Ellen Show. But his latest endeavor will have a different flavor: competing on the 18th season of the Amazing Race, alongside best friend Korey Kuhl. 8. Adam Conover Comedian, vlogger, and philosophy major Adam Conover first found fame through his wildly popular CollegeHumor series Adam Ruins Everything, an investigative science/pop culture show that found the hidden truths in everyday happenings. Conover is back at it again with twelve episodes of his show on TruTV, where he finds the inside information on engagement rings, food pantries, and other topics like security and childhood myths. Originally published on Inc.com
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