Social media influencers are no longer a foreign concept to consumers. Whether we follow actors whose work we like on Instagram for a peek into their everyday lives, or mommy bloggers for the latest gadgets to make our lives easier, chances are good that we knowingly interact with an influencer on a daily basis. Brands have picked up on the prevalence of influencers and have tapped them to sell us, their targeted, already captive audiences, products and services that we’ll want.
This means that “Influencer” has become more than a status symbol in the hierarchy of Internet fame – it has become a job title, with serious dollars and cents attached. Those who have been able to hack it as influencers on platforms like Instagram have benefited and taken on the role with gusto. So important is this new category of players in the space that a city has become the geographical epicenter of this work – Los Angeles.
Why LA, which is arguably already crowded with the well-established entertainment world and the burgeoning technology scene? Influencers have relocated from all over the world to join LA’s social media sphere of influence, including Italy’s Chiara Ferragni (@chiaraferragni), Australia’s Natasha Oakley (@tashoakley), Switzerland’s Kristina Bazan (@kristina_bazan) and the Midwesterners Drea Sobieski (@thecultcollective) and Kyle Huber (@asenseofhuber). These jetsetters travel the globe for their work, so why take the plunge and move their home-bases?
Los Angeles has become an epicenter for social media heavy hitters for a variety of reasons, but the creative energy and excitement of the city seems to be a popular motivator. The city is built on creatives exploring new ways to share, and social influencers are not exempt. Kyle Huber is a hybrid of a photographer and a social media standout, and his work is more easily viewed as art than anything else. Huber views his Instagram account as a “gallery of work” more than a way to document his day to day life, and he credits the Los Angeles scene with some of his success. Huber hosts Instameets with other creatives who share a passion for the work they do on their Instagrams, and he says, “Influencers feed off of mutual exposure. It all adds into the equation of growing with each other, and so we meet and collaborate.” Further, the laid-back and open energy espoused by LA serves to help Huber and other influencers find one another, which he doubts he could find in New York.
The physical elements of Southern California have also brought influencers to LA from far and wide. Drea Sobieski’s magazine and its corresponding Instagram account, The Cult Collective, have an international fanbase and point of view, but Sobieski aims to keep the look of her page in line with the LA lifestyle. Moving to this “palm tree paradise,” says Sobieski, “made more sense for the visual aesthetic [she] wanted to pursue.” Not only does Los Angeles offer Sobieski inspiration, but the surrounding region: “Local travel has been a huge influence, and the climate here allows me to build on that.”
The lifestyle, physical assets of the region and the creative openness to be found in LA are attracting more promising international talent all the time. This does not mean that they sacrifice their global audiences however, with fans and consumers continuing to keep up with their posts from all over the world.
With major players relocating to Los Angeles, brands should keep an eye on the city for the talent it fosters. While Hollywood has always been the place to be for up and coming stars, this new category of celebrities are flocking to town while they captivate a global audience.
