Five Indian Americans — entrepreneur Dhar Mann, You Tubers Prajakta Koli, Michelle Khare, Samir Chaudry, and podcaster Jay Shetty — figure in the inaugural TIME100 Creators, a list recognizing 100 of the most influential digital voices.
“It’s a proud moment for TIME to recognize the individuals who are not only driving conversations online, but also inspiring communities and setting new standards for what it means to be a creator today,” said TIME Chief Executive Officer Jessica Sibley.
“Led by changes in consumer behavior, accelerated during the pandemic, digital creators, the entrepreneurs who have built businesses through significant online followings, have emerged to shape our culture,” wrote TIME Editor in Chief Sam Jacobs. “They are changing what we watch, how we spend our time, what we buy, and how we vote…”
Indian Americans on the inaugural TIME100 Creators list are:
Dhar Mann: Creator and entrepreneur Dhar Mann is making after-school specials for the digital age. His popular YouTube channel, which boasts 25.5 million subscribers, features high-production scripted shorts designed to deliver morally driven messages related to topics like bullying, abandonment, and resilience.
The 41-year-old is a two-time nominee for Favorite Male Creator at Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards, and Dhar Mann Studios—one of the largest creator-led studios in Los Angeles—nabbed the Studio of the Year designation at this year’s Shorty Awards. In June, the company announced its plan to expand into new genres and platforms, including a podcast and free, ad-supported streaming.
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Prajakta Koli: Over the past decade, Indian YouTuber Prajakta Koli has become one of the country’s most popular comedy creators. Since launching her channel @MostlySane in 2015, the 32-year-old has built a following of 7.3 million on the platform—and 8.7 million additional on Instagram—thanks to her comedic sketches that playfully riff on Indian traditions and family dynamics. (One of her most popular YouTube videos, “Every Family Meal Ever,” has 6.5 million views.)
Koli’s repertoire is expansive: she’s hosted Pretty Fit, a YouTube Originals series that puts her and her celebrity guests through rustic fitness challenges; she starred in Mismatched, a Hindi-language coming-of-age series streaming on Netflix; and, earlier this year, published her debut novel, Too Good to Be True.
An advocate for gender equality and climate action, Koli has partnered with First Lady Michelle Obama to champion girls’ education and was named India’s first youth climate champion by the country’s United Nations Development Programme.
Samir Chaudry: Samir Chaudry, 35, and Colin Rosenblum, 36, have been making videos together for over a decade and have become go-to interviewers for digital stars on their namesake YouTube channel.
It all started, improbably, with lacrosse. After meeting in 2012, the pair built and sold a digital media network focused on the sport. By 2017, they’d launched the Colin and Samir channel on YouTube and shifted their focus to the creator economy.
With nearly 1.6 million subscribers, they’re now known for hosting candid conversations with the biggest names in the business—including MrBeast, Emma Chamberlain, and Amelia Dimoldenberg—offering an insider’s look at how creators build their careers. Samir and Colin’s platform has since expanded to include a podcast and the “Publish Press,” a newsletter covering creator news and trends.
Michelle Khare: Early on, YouTuber Michelle Khare was forced to accept one of life’s common challenges: not getting the job. “When I was a kid, my dream job was to be a Disney Imagineer,” she wrote on Instagram in June. “I applied after college but didn’t get the job. I had no idea that rejection would take me on my own creative path to start my YouTube channel.”
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That channel has since amassed more than 5 million subscribers, who tune in to see Khare attempt some of the most stressful jobs and stunts in the world—from training to master Harry Houdini’s underwater box escape to attending the FBI academy to auditioning for the University of Kentucky’s top-ranked cheer team.
Khare has become so deft at accepting physical and mental challenges that she began issuing a few of her own—namely, successfully petitioning for her YouTube series, Challenge Accepted, to join the Primetime Emmy ballot for hosted nonfiction series this year.
Jay Shetty: Author, podcaster, and former monk Jay Shetty built a global following by translating ancient wisdom for the modern world. Drawing on lessons from his time as a monk, including in a Hindu monastery, Shetty offers guidance on everything from heartbreak to self-worth through his podcast On Purpose with Jay Shetty, which regularly ranks on Spotify’s top U.S. health and fitness chart.
Whether he’s speaking with Oprah, the actor Tom Holland, or the singer and rapper Lizzo, the 37-year-old aims to help people navigate life’s challenges with clarity and intention. His message has resonated broadly—he has more than 22 million followers on Instagram and TikTok, plus another 9 million across his twoYouTube channels.