Being recognized in the digital realm is one thing, but it is another when you're named as one of the top influencers in the world.
Steveston-born director Cole Walliser was named in Time magazine's inaugural TIME100 Creators list of 2025, recognizing 100 of the most influential digital voices globally.
Many creators, such as media leaders, artists, travellers, gamers and social justice advocates, have leveraged digital platforms to showcase their knowledge and talents.
Walliser, 43, has gained global fame for his Glambots — slow-motion short videos — of celebrities as they arrive for red carpet events in Los Angeles.
For Walliser, the news of his name being on the TIME100 Creators list came as a shock and an honour.
"It was such a surprise, but the impact grew throughout the day as I started to realize all of the other amazing creators on the list and how much everyone was talking about it," he wrote in an email to the Richmond News.
"It means a lot to be recognized on this list."
Time magazine has been publishing the most influential list for more than 25 years.
Walliser added that "voices and media" are moving quickly in the digital direction, and that it feels like "a milestone to be a part of this inaugural list."
Time magazine's editor in chief Sam Jacobs said in a letter to his readers that the TIME100 Creators list recognizes how these individuals are "changing the way people inform themselves."
"Led by changes in consumer behaviour that accelerated during the pandemic, digital creators, the entrepreneurs who have built businesses through significant online followings, have emerged to shape our culture," said Jacobs.
"They are changing what we watch, how we spend our time, what we buy, and how we vote."
The focus of the list was primarily on English-language creators on digital platforms including YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, X, LinkedIn and Apple Podcasts.
"We also selected those who built careers for themselves natively through these digital platforms, rather than carrying them there through success in a previous medium like television or journalism," explained Jacobs.
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