The 2025 Creative 100: Media, TV & Streaming Innovators Changing Storytelling

The competition for our attention has never been more intense, but audiences have shown they will show up for quality content. ADWEEK’s 2025 Creative 100 Innovators in media, TV, and streaming are the talent capturing our attention, especially in the fast-growing fields of politics and sports. Jordana Abraham, Aleen Dreksler (pictured), & Samantha Sage Founders, Betches Media Team players: Following LadBible’s acquisition of Betches in 2023, the women’s humor platform launched its newest vertical, Betches Sports, in September because “the barrier of entry for sports fandom tends to not only be very high, but also designed with the male consumer in mind,” CEO Dreksler said. It quickly caught the attention of the NFL, which tapped the brand to grow its female fanbase and led to brand partnerships with the likes of NYX, Athleta, and KFC. Spinoff project: Earlier this year, Dreksler launched Please Advise, a weekly advice newsletter on Substack that brings her years of cherished Instagram DMs from Betches fans to a public forum. “The past decade and a half running Betches has given me a wealth of knowledge and taught me skills—all on the job and without any mentors, investors, or bosses guiding me. This really inspired me to pay it forward.” Secret to success: “Don’t follow trends,” says Dreksler. She knows a thing or two about staying true to herself: She graduated pre-med from Cornell before ditching it all to launch Betches. Efe Cakarel CEO, Mubi Problem solved: Turkish entrepreneur Efe Cakarel founded the streaming service, production company, and independent film distributor Mubi in 2007—a year before Netflix switched from DVDs to streaming—after unsuccessfully trying to watch In the Mood for Love at a café in Tokyo. The studio released its biggest hit, the horror film The Substance, in 2024 to wide commercial and critical acclaim. Off the couch: Subscribers to a premium tier, Mubi Go, get a weekly movie theater ticket. Best advice: Take a stand. “Mubi, from day one, has always been really opinionated about cinema,” Cakarel told The New York Times. Alex Cooper Founder, UnwellPodcaster, Call Her Daddy New to market: The Call Her Daddy podcast host added a new product to her Unwell network in December: a functional beverage called Unwell Hydration. The pre-sale sold out in 10 minutes. Goals: Unwell Hydration was named an official partner of the National Women's Soccer League for the 2025 season. It was a perfect match for Cooper, a former Division 1 soccer player. Best advice: “Authenticity is your superpower," Cooper tells ADWEEK. "In today's crowded media landscape, the only way to truly stand out and cut through the noise is to be unapologetically yourself. Don't try to emulate what's already out there.” Oliver Darcy Founder, Status Going solo: In 2024, Darcy left his gig writing CNN’s Reliable Sources newsletter to launch his own media newsletter, Status. It’s quickly racked up 70,000 subscribers and is set to crack $1 million in annual recurring revenue. Major scoop: Status broke the story of RFK Jr.’s relationship with New York Magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi. If he’s being honest: “I was in a steady role at CNN, but deep down, I knew I wouldn’t evolve—personally or professionally—if I stayed,” he says. “Leaving to start Status was a leap into uncertainty, but it pushed me in ways a comfortable job never could.” Jay Graber CEO, Bluesky Sky’s the limit: As X has faltered, Jay Graber’s decentralized social network Bluesky is flying high: It hit 33 million users in April, with 15 million people signing up after the November election. From the start: Graber came to Bluesky when it was still an internal research project under Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. Name brand: Graber’s real name is Lantian, which means “blue sky” in Mandarin. But Dorsey swears he already had his project’s name before Graber got on board, and the shared moniker was just a coincidence. Her goal. “We want to build an ecosystem that developers can put their trust in,” she told the New York Times. Sarah Longwell & Tim Miller Publishers/Hosts, The Bulwark Not my president: Nearly 80,000 people subscribe to Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller’s conservative anti-Trump Substack newsletter The Bulwark, which began as a news aggregator in 2018. The Bulwark also produces a number of podcasts and marked its first year of profitability in 2024. Watch and learn: The multimedia project has made a name for itself on YouTube, sometimes uploading more than 10 clips per day. Why it’s working: “People just feel betrayed by some of the mainstream sources that they’ve been following,” Longwell told New York Magazine. “Just the sheer independence of a place like The Bulwark becomes attractive to people.” Janice Min CEO, The Ankler Friend in the biz: After leading legacy brands like Us Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, and Billboard for nearly 20 years, media maven Janice Min—a previous ADWEEK Editor of the Year—ventured out on her own in 2022 when she founded Ankler Media. Its flagship Hollywood business newsletter, The Ankler, is expected to reach $10 million in revenue this year. Catching the wave: Min has seen Tinseltown—and the way it’s covered—change drastically through the years, but for her, one constant remains: putting readers first. “Having ridden through several waves of media, I love the game of meeting the audience where they are now. I do not believe media is in decline; only certain formats and distribution.” Blad Norman Head of Global Marketing, Wondery Jargon-free finance: Blad Norman heads global marketing for the Amazon-owned podcast company Wondery, which last year launched a business vertical called Wondery Means Business. With the goal of making business approachable to a wider audience, Norman ditched the stiff corporate feel in favor of bright colors and playful fonts for its marketing. The artist’s way: Norman looks to artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Roy Lichtenstein for inspiration. Advice to aspiring creatives: “Experience culture. In a time when culture and diversity are the driving forces behind society, we spend much of our time experiencing it on devices. Don't just watch culture—participate in and drive it.” Tara Palmeri Founder, The Red Letter Seen and heard: The nonpartisan investigative journalist started a Substack, The Red Letter, and hosted The Ringer’s political podcast Somebody’s Gotta Win. In 2025, she took her reporting to YouTube. At previous jobs: “I’ve had to speak or write in styles or abide by editorial decisions that, in ways subtle or severe, had the effect of creating a barrier between me and the audience,” she wrote on The Red Letter. “Now I’m finally free to speak in my own voice.” Tom Quinn Founder & CEO, Neon Repeating the past: At the 2025 Oscars, Tom Quinn’s little indie studio that could took home its second Best Picture award in five years for Anora. In 2020, Neon won for Parasite, the first foreign film to win the top prize. Hot streak: Neon has picked up distribution rights for the past five consecutive Palme d’Or winners at Cannes. The Neon way: Quinn, who co-founded the studio in 2017, hosted sex workers—not Oscar voters—for Anora’s first screening. “We follow the beat of our own drum,” he told Variety. “We never play to the campaign. We always play to the film, filmmaker, and audience—in that order.” Anjali Sud CEO, Tubi Super stream: More than 15 million Super Bowl viewers watched this year’s Big Game at the same time on Tubi, making it the most streamed Super Bowl in history—and the first time the Big Game was available on a free streaming platform. Access for all: Anjali Sud is a child of Indian immigrants and champions not only free content but diversity in storytelling. “What other streamers often dismiss as niche,” she says, “we embrace as core.” Sky’s the limit: “When I face a tough challenge," she tells ADWEEK, "I have this voice inside me that says, ‘Anjali, the world and life will put limits on you, so why would you limit yourself?’” Michele Val Jean TV Writer, Creator, Producer Latest claim to fame: The veteran daytime soap writer and producer created Beyond the Gates, the first network soap opera in decades to center on a Black family; it premiered in February 2025. Real inspo: Beyond the Gates follows a wealthy family running an exclusive gated community. Val Jean modeled the show’s matriarch, Anita Dupree, on Diana Ross. By the numbers: Val Jean has penned more than 2,000 episodes of soap operas and taken home seven Daytime Emmys. Jessica Yellin Founder, News Not Noise Stopping the spiral: Jessica Yellin, a previous White House chief correspondent for CNN, saw firsthand the anxiety that comes with living and breathing the news. She founded News Not Noise so that readers could get what they need without going into a doom spiral. New identity. Yellin calls herself a “recovering political reporter” and “disinformation fighter” on Substack. Be the change. Leaving legacy media to launch her own outlet fulfilled a deeper calling: “I was taught it's our responsibility to take steps to heal the world.”

The Creative 100

The 2025 Creative 100: Media, TV & Streaming Innovators Changing Storytelling

The talent captivating audiences and showing what can happen when they follow their own creative vision.

Jordana Abraham, Aleen Dreksler (pictured), & Samantha Sage

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