Social Media Week Los Angeles Reveals 2014 ‘Social 25’ Honorees

Social Media Week Los Angeles (SMWLA), powered by Microsoft and part of Social Media Week Global, a worldwide event exploring the social, cultural and economic impacts of social media, and What’s Trending, curating the hottest internet culture every day, today announced its third annual “Social 25” list of digital media influencers and organizations.

The 2014 honorees include All Def Digital, Beats (Apple), Omaze, Sophia Bush, Grace Helbig, MiTú, Tinder, VICE, Roy Choi, Marlon Waynes, Weird Al Yankovic, and Oculus Rift.

Get an SMWLA Insider Pass and come celebrate with the SMWLA honorees at the VIP Social 25 Party!

The SMWLA “Social 25” recognizes this year’s top 25 most outstanding individuals, companies, and brands influencing the future of social media, aligning with the spirit of SMWLA by helping people and organizations connect through collaboration, learning, and the sharing of ideas and information. This year’s list joins SMWLA’s previous roster of luminaries including Ryan Seacrest, The Trevor Project, Jimmy Kimmel, George Takei, Scooter Braun, Kevin Spacey, Uber LA, will.i.am, and Snapchat, among others.

• 2013 SMWLA Social 25 Honorees
• 2012 SMWLA Social 25 Honorees

The “Social 25” list is curated by Drew Baldwin, Executive Director of SMWLA and Founder of Tubefilter, and Shira Lazar, Host and Co-Founder of the Emmy-nominated news show What’s Trending, and ratified by the Social Media Week Los Angeles Board of Advisors.

“Los Angeles has put itself on the map as one of the leading cities in entertainment, technology and digital media,” said Baldwin. “From traditional entertainment and new media companies to consumer electronic brands, the members of the ‘Social 25’ list are helping to fuel Southern California’s trajectory as a hub of social innovation.”

The scope of honorees will reflect the diverse programming of this year’s conference with a robust line up of panels, presentations, demos, workshops, talks, conversations, and parties. Themes include community, social action, and civic engagement, advertising and marketing, innovation and entrepreneurship, entertainment, and celebrity, lifestyle, and culture.

Lazar added, “It is an incredibly exciting time to be part of the LA startup and creative community. Each year it is getting more and more difficult to choose only 25 due to the city’s growth in tremendous contributions to the world’s tech and social media. We are thrilled to be able to honor this year’s list of true pioneers.”

Honorees are set to attend an exclusive VIP event during SMWLA’s opening night, Monday, September 22, at the Artists-in-Residence space 800 Main in Venice, California. Along with attending the VIP event, many of the honorees will serve as keynotes and panelists during the four-day conference.

Get an SMWLA Insider Pass and come celebrate with the SMWLA honorees at the VIP Social 25 Party!

The Social 25 list includes a wide array of savvy social media influencers who are leaders in their respective fields (listed alphabetically).

• Beatriz Acevedo, MiTu – @MiTuNetwork
• Sophia Bush, actress and activist – @SophiaBush
• Roy Choi, Kogi BBQ Taco Truck & Catering – @RidingShotgunLA, @kogibbq
• Caitlin Crosby, Giving Keys – @CaitlinCrosby, @thegivingkeys
• DJ Skee – @djskee
• Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine, and Ian Rogers, Beats (Apple) – @drdre, @interscopejimmy, @iancr, @beatsbydre
• Benny and Rafi Fine, Kids React – @thefinebros
• Danny Gabai, VICE – @dannygabai, @VICE
• Grace Helbig, YouTube celebrity and comedian – @gracehelbig
• Tony Horton, Beachbody Fitness – @Tony_Horton, @Beachbody
• Will Keenan, Endemol Beyond USA – @WillKeenan, @EndemolBeyond
• Bastian Lehmann, Postmates – @Basti, @Postmates
• Palmer Luckey, Oculus Rift – @PalmerLuckey, @oculus_rift
• Jason Nazar, Docstoc – @jasonnazar, @docstoc
• Abhi Nemani, Los Angeles Chief Data Officer – @abhinemani, @LAMayorsOffice
• Matt Pohlson and Ryan Cummins, Omaze – @mattpohlson, @ryan_cummins, @omaze
• Sean Rad, Tinder – @seanrad, @Tinder
• Meridith Valiando Rojas, The Digitour – @MValiando, @DigiTour
• Jonathan Shokrian, MeUndies – @shok1, @MeUndies
• Russell Simmons and Steve Rifkind, All Def Digital – @UncleRUSH, @steverifkind, @AllDefDigital
• Jon Skogmo, Jukin Media – @JonSkogmo, @JukinMedia
• Steven Spiegel, 26MGMT – @StevenSpiegel, @26MgmtTeam
• Marlon Wayans, What The Funny – @MarlonWayans, @WhattheFunny
• Marianne Williamson, author – @marwilliamson
• “Weird Al” Yankovic, musician and parodist – @alyankovic

SMWLA 2014 takes place at The Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center the week of September 22. For the full program, visit: http://smw.la/schedule

Get an SMWLA Insider Pass and come celebrate with the SMWLA honorees at the VIP Social 25 Party!