The red carpet at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has long been reserved for the world’s top advertising executives, visionary marketers, and multinational brand leaders. But as the creator economy continues its meteoric rise across digital platforms, the festival’s gates are swinging open wider than ever—ushering in a new vanguard of cultural influencers, digital creators, and social media trailblazers. In 2025, the Cannes Lions creator class—an eclectic gathering of TikTok icons, Instagram stars, and YouTube phenomenons including Alix Earle and Amelia Dimoldenberg—signals a tectonic shift in the anatomy of creative power, campaign influence, and industry relevance.
Cannes Lions was once a conclave primarily designed for advertising decision-makers. For companies, it was all about winning Lions, closing mega-deals, and establishing creative hierarchies. However, as social media influencers matured from “nice-to-have” campaign bonuses to multidisciplinary vehicles for brand storytelling and commerce, the role of creators at Cannes has fundamentally changed. This year, more than 40 high-profile creators and influencers—brought by top agencies like United Talent Agency (UTA) and Billion Dollar Boy—are not only attending but taking center stage in panels, activations, and branded conversations formerly reserved for Fortune 500 CMOs and agency founders.
What’s behind this profound transformation? The answer lies in the untethered ability of the modern creator to “move the needle” for global brands—generating cultural buzz, driving purchase decisions, and catalyzing marketing ROI in ways traditional media can rarely match. According to Brittany Gildea, senior director of brand partnerships at UTA, “When you mention Alix Earle or Josh Richards or Jake Shane, brands don’t have any doubt they can move the needle with their dollars.” This sentiment, echoed by a chorus of agency leaders, highlights the shifting balance of creative clout—from boardroom to feed.
United Talent Agency is doubling down, sending more than 20 creators this year, compared to 10 in 2024. But UTA isn’t alone. Billion Dollar Boy, a global creative agency specializing in influencer partnerships, is sending its own cohort of 20 digital talents to Cannes under the newly launched Creator Fund. Their roster is a testament to the creator economy’s explosive breadth: makeup artist Kennedy Murray, mom-motivation influencer Marie Mansaray-Lahai, pastry chef Allison Chen, and comedy duo Bec James and Sam MacMillan. Over 20 global brands—including Dove, Desperados, and Heineken—are participating in this initiative, eager to engage talent that reflects new market realities.
Becky Owen, CMO at Billion Dollar Boy and leader of the company’s FiveTwoNine creator program, highlights the evolving ambitions of creators: “We’re seeing an increased appetite for creators to break free of just the phone screens,” she says. The goal for many influencers is no longer platform-specific virality, but cross-channel resilience—becoming not just social media personalities, but pillars of streaming and traditional media, and ultimately, being insulated from the algorithmic risks of individual apps. As Owen explains, “If I only have power within one app without direct brand relationships, and something goes wrong, I’m not earning a salary and I’m back in the job I had 10 years ago.”
Owen recounts the genesis of the Creator Fund: “The concept emerged from creators’ confusion about navigating Cannes events and maximizing the festival’s opportunities at the first Cannes Creators Rooftop last year.” This year’s expanded Official Creator Rooftop, backed by Meta, LTK, YouTube, and featuring speakers from brands like Rare Beauty, Matte, and Duolingo, promises an influencer-first space designed for genuine collaboration rather than fleeting transactional encounters.
The importance of these efforts is underscored by UTA’s Gildea, who argues that the growing variety of influencer backgrounds isn’t just a box-ticking exercise for Cannes; it’s a business imperative for brands: “If brands are really trying to maximize campaigns, Cannes is exciting to show all the different areas they could touch.” The open invitation to creators is about more than inclusivity—it’s a recognition that creative landscapes are fundamentally richer when informed by the lived experiences, insights, and audiences of diverse digital talents.
Industry insiders are acutely aware of the need for systemic resiliency. As Becky Owen notes, the evolution from platform-specific metrics toward broader media projects and brand-direct integrations is as much about diversification as it is about opportunity. Brands are eager for more durable brand-creator connections, while creators seek to future-proof their personal brands by expanding across multiple channels and even launching their own ventures.
Still, genuine representation and equity remain ongoing battles. Opening the doors to Cannes is only step one; truly integrating creators into the upper echelons of campaign planning, strategic decision-making, and business co-ownership will require continual advocacy, transparency, and investment from both agencies and brands.
Leading creators like Alix Earle are demonstrating what’s possible: using tools like Microsoft Copilot to build not only audiences but self-sustaining online communities; striking high-profile deals across fashion, sports, and consumer goods; and, crucially, lending authenticity to global discussions about the future of digital media. Meanwhile, agencies like UTA and Billion Dollar Boy are evolving their own support models, firmly establishing creators as not just “talent” but strategic partners and business builders.
The increasing presence of influencers in high-stakes tentpole events—whether the World Cup, the Olympics, or the Grand Prix—further underscores their mainstream acceptance. But as the influencer marketing space matures, issues of trust, sustainability, and value alignment will demand constant vigilance.
For creators, the message is clear: adapt, diversify, and leverage every opportunity for direct relationship-building with both audiences and brands. For marketers, the path forward is to treat creators as true partners, not just campaign accessories, investing in genuine, long-term collaboration. The lines between influencer, entrepreneur, and creative director are blurring—and in this new landscape, the winners at Cannes are those bold enough to embrace the transformation, with eyes fixed firmly on the future.
Source: Campaign US Meet the 2025 Cannes Lions creator class: Alix Earle, Amelia Dimoldenberg and more
The Evolution of Cannes Lions: From C-Suite to Creator-Centric
Cannes Lions was once a conclave primarily designed for advertising decision-makers. For companies, it was all about winning Lions, closing mega-deals, and establishing creative hierarchies. However, as social media influencers matured from “nice-to-have” campaign bonuses to multidisciplinary vehicles for brand storytelling and commerce, the role of creators at Cannes has fundamentally changed. This year, more than 40 high-profile creators and influencers—brought by top agencies like United Talent Agency (UTA) and Billion Dollar Boy—are not only attending but taking center stage in panels, activations, and branded conversations formerly reserved for Fortune 500 CMOs and agency founders.What’s behind this profound transformation? The answer lies in the untethered ability of the modern creator to “move the needle” for global brands—generating cultural buzz, driving purchase decisions, and catalyzing marketing ROI in ways traditional media can rarely match. According to Brittany Gildea, senior director of brand partnerships at UTA, “When you mention Alix Earle or Josh Richards or Jake Shane, brands don’t have any doubt they can move the needle with their dollars.” This sentiment, echoed by a chorus of agency leaders, highlights the shifting balance of creative clout—from boardroom to feed.
The 2025 Creator Class: Diverse, Dynamic, and Demand-Driven
At the forefront of Cannes’ creator renaissance are digital stars whose audiences dwarf those of many legacy media outlets. Alix Earle, the American influencer whose whirlwind schedule included a Wall Street Journal cover, hosting a Super Bowl-inspired Carl’s Jr. party, and strutting the Sports Illustrated runway, will headline a session on leveraging authenticity with Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft’s CMO Yusuf Mehdi. Earle’s ascent underscores a central Cannes theme: authenticity, community, and collaborative content creation as the engines of next-gen marketing.United Talent Agency is doubling down, sending more than 20 creators this year, compared to 10 in 2024. But UTA isn’t alone. Billion Dollar Boy, a global creative agency specializing in influencer partnerships, is sending its own cohort of 20 digital talents to Cannes under the newly launched Creator Fund. Their roster is a testament to the creator economy’s explosive breadth: makeup artist Kennedy Murray, mom-motivation influencer Marie Mansaray-Lahai, pastry chef Allison Chen, and comedy duo Bec James and Sam MacMillan. Over 20 global brands—including Dove, Desperados, and Heineken—are participating in this initiative, eager to engage talent that reflects new market realities.
Becky Owen, CMO at Billion Dollar Boy and leader of the company’s FiveTwoNine creator program, highlights the evolving ambitions of creators: “We’re seeing an increased appetite for creators to break free of just the phone screens,” she says. The goal for many influencers is no longer platform-specific virality, but cross-channel resilience—becoming not just social media personalities, but pillars of streaming and traditional media, and ultimately, being insulated from the algorithmic risks of individual apps. As Owen explains, “If I only have power within one app without direct brand relationships, and something goes wrong, I’m not earning a salary and I’m back in the job I had 10 years ago.”
Navigating the New Landscape: Access, Representation, and Agency Support
Despite the growing appetite for creator inclusion, the world of Cannes Lions can appear intimidating—even exclusionary—to digital natives unaccustomed to its old-guard traditions. Travel filmmaker Colby Banks, attending Cannes via the Creator Fund, notes, “Cannes Lions has always seemed like this out-of-reach, walled garden.” The new breed of agency-backed programs and Creator Fund scholarships address this anxiety by offering not only entry but mentorship, strategic networking, and exposure.Owen recounts the genesis of the Creator Fund: “The concept emerged from creators’ confusion about navigating Cannes events and maximizing the festival’s opportunities at the first Cannes Creators Rooftop last year.” This year’s expanded Official Creator Rooftop, backed by Meta, LTK, YouTube, and featuring speakers from brands like Rare Beauty, Matte, and Duolingo, promises an influencer-first space designed for genuine collaboration rather than fleeting transactional encounters.
The importance of these efforts is underscored by UTA’s Gildea, who argues that the growing variety of influencer backgrounds isn’t just a box-ticking exercise for Cannes; it’s a business imperative for brands: “If brands are really trying to maximize campaigns, Cannes is exciting to show all the different areas they could touch.” The open invitation to creators is about more than inclusivity—it’s a recognition that creative landscapes are fundamentally richer when informed by the lived experiences, insights, and audiences of diverse digital talents.
The Expansion of Creator-Business Collaboration
From deepened platform integrations to immersive panel sessions, the ways creators and brands interact at Cannes have evolved into strategic partnerships. Influencers aren’t just talking about their follower counts; they are demonstrating, on stage and off, how cultural moments are engineered and sustained.- Comedic live streamer Kai Cenat is partnering with State Farm in a “Co-Create a Blockbuster” demonstration, showing how influencers can contribute to the creative ideation processes behind major campaigns.
- Amelia Dimoldenberg, the British interviewer behind the viral Chicken Shop Date series, will host a discussion with BBC Studios’ Jasmine Dawson on transforming the rom-com genre for a digital-first world—drawing on her humorous, awkward-charm persona as a template for the “funny femme” influencer movement.
- Style influencer Campbell Pucket (known as “Pookie”) and viral entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel will discuss the economics of personal branding and business-building, offering candid advice on how creators can monetize authenticity beyond fleeting sponsorships.
- Food creators like Logan Moffitt and Keith Lee will unpack their outsized, real-world impact—from sparking a cucumber shortage in Iceland to transforming the fortunes of small businesses through viral reviews—with TikTok’s Sofia Hernandez.
Risks and Challenges: The Price of Influence
Yet, with influence comes the potential for volatility and risk—on both sides of the creator-brand equation. For creators, there is the ever-present danger of “platform risk”: sudden algorithmic tweaks or policy changes can evaporate hard-earned audiences overnight. For brands, rapid shifts in cultural sentiment or unanticipated controversies can render even the most carefully curated partnerships problematic.Industry insiders are acutely aware of the need for systemic resiliency. As Becky Owen notes, the evolution from platform-specific metrics toward broader media projects and brand-direct integrations is as much about diversification as it is about opportunity. Brands are eager for more durable brand-creator connections, while creators seek to future-proof their personal brands by expanding across multiple channels and even launching their own ventures.
Still, genuine representation and equity remain ongoing battles. Opening the doors to Cannes is only step one; truly integrating creators into the upper echelons of campaign planning, strategic decision-making, and business co-ownership will require continual advocacy, transparency, and investment from both agencies and brands.
The Future of Influencer Power: Lessons from Cannes 2025
If one message rings loudest from Cannes Lions 2025, it’s that the boundaries between marketing creative and cultural creator are dissolving. Opportunities, however, will be seized only by those who learn to play a longer game—translating fleeting virality into lasting, mutually beneficial partnerships and, ultimately, brand equity that transcends any single platform.Leading creators like Alix Earle are demonstrating what’s possible: using tools like Microsoft Copilot to build not only audiences but self-sustaining online communities; striking high-profile deals across fashion, sports, and consumer goods; and, crucially, lending authenticity to global discussions about the future of digital media. Meanwhile, agencies like UTA and Billion Dollar Boy are evolving their own support models, firmly establishing creators as not just “talent” but strategic partners and business builders.
The increasing presence of influencers in high-stakes tentpole events—whether the World Cup, the Olympics, or the Grand Prix—further underscores their mainstream acceptance. But as the influencer marketing space matures, issues of trust, sustainability, and value alignment will demand constant vigilance.
Critical Analysis: Strengths, Opportunities, and Cautionary Notes
Notable Strengths
- Diversity and Breadth: The 2025 creator class spans fashion, food, lifestyle, comedy, and beyond, ensuring campaigns are culturally attuned and widely resonant.
- Authenticity and Engagement: Creators maintain ties to niche but passionate communities, offering brands a level of credibility that traditional endorsements often lack.
- Collaborative Innovation: Events like Official Creator Rooftop and “Co-Create a Blockbuster” provide templates for hands-on experimentation, driving creative synergy between brands and influencers.
- Resilience Strategies: New funding models, brand-direct relationships, and cross-platform ambitions reduce creators’ dependence on any single app or algorithm.
Lingering Risks
- Platform Volatility: Shifting social algorithms and unpredictable monetization policies threaten creators’ earnings and impact, as cautionary tales from Instagram and TikTok ban waves illustrate.
- Brand-Influencer Mismatches: Misaligned values or inauthentic collaborations can quickly alienate audiences, turning potential wins into PR headaches.
- Representation Gaps: While entry to Cannes is opening, deeper inclusion in campaign strategy and brand decision-making still lags, especially for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and international creators.
- Sustainability of Influence: Short-lived trends and rapidly changing platform cultures require both creators and brands to focus on building durable brands, not just chasing virality.
Conclusion: Cannes and the New Blueprint for Creative Power
The 2025 Cannes Lions creator class is more than a festival guest list—it’s a blueprint for the next era of creative power in the digital age. By blending the strategic muscle of global brands with the grassroots authenticity and insight of digital creators, Cannes is no longer simply celebrating creative excellence; it is actively redefining who controls, creates, and benefits from culture itself.For creators, the message is clear: adapt, diversify, and leverage every opportunity for direct relationship-building with both audiences and brands. For marketers, the path forward is to treat creators as true partners, not just campaign accessories, investing in genuine, long-term collaboration. The lines between influencer, entrepreneur, and creative director are blurring—and in this new landscape, the winners at Cannes are those bold enough to embrace the transformation, with eyes fixed firmly on the future.
Source: Campaign US Meet the 2025 Cannes Lions creator class: Alix Earle, Amelia Dimoldenberg and more
