Sherweb

Forget headshots, demos, auditions, or even writing your own novel… in this day and age, with powerful, easy-to-use networking tools such as YouTube, MySpace, blogs and other social mediums- being seen and heard has never been so accessible, so immediate and reached such a wide audience. Whether it’s actual talent or just appeal to the masses, here are some of the Internet’s most prominent individuals, who have gone from zero to hero (well, maybe not hero but certainly famed status) and their path to success.

Perez Hilton

Just about everything is easier nowadays because of the Internet. You can run an efficient and effective business using exchange hosted services and web based CRM, and, like him or not, Perez Hilton (really, Mario Armando Lavandeira) has created an empire, ripping into celebrities and doodling and adding captions that poke fun at Hollywood’s biggest stars. With an estimated 2.6 million visitors to his site a month, perezhilton.com is one of the top entertainment sites in the world. The most expensive advertisement slot on the site, priced at $50,000. Hilton’s blogging career began with PageSixSixSix.com (now perezhilton.com), named Hollywood’s Most-Hated Website by The Insider in 2007. As of April 2009 PerezHilton.com was ranked by Alexa as the 491st most trafficked website on the Internet (143rd within the United States) with 2/3rds of users being American and strongest demographic being females between the ages of 18 and 24. His brand has become so popular that Perez is a celebrity in his own right.

Soulja Boy

At 19 years old, Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em has earned himself the title of rapper/record producer, hitting Billboard’s Hot 100 for his single Crank That; a single initially self-published on his YouTube and MySpace pages. Soulja Boy certainly knew how to work the digital age. He was already developing quite a following when he was posting songs on SoundClick in 2005. After releasing Crank That (which was originally produced on the program FL Studio) it hit #1 for seven non-consecutive weeks in September of 2007 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The little tin “Soulja” received a nomination for Best Rap Song for Crank That (Soulja Boy) at the 50th Grammy Awards.

Many critics had speculated that Soulja Boy would likely be a one-hit wonder though his other song Kiss Me Thru the Phone seems to have been quite successful. Ice-T referred to Crank That as “garbage”, while Snoop Dog and Method Man said it had appeal for the “lucrative ringtone market”. Soulja Boy has been quoted as saying that the reason he “gets so much hate” is because his music is so “unique” [Source]. Soulja Boy continues to post his music online and actively interacts with his fans on Twitter.

Matt Harding Where the Hell is Matt?

Matt Harding became an Internet superstar traveling and dancing his way around the world. His Where the Hell Is Matt? Web site has made him a worldwide phenomenon, so much that he now gets paid to travel and make videos. What’s more, he landed a book deal to write about his journeys.

Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson

Where does one get a name like Kimbo Slice? Kimbo is his popular childhood nickname. He acquired the last name Slice after leaving a large cut on his opponent Big D’s eye during his first taped fight. Kimbo Slice is a mixed-martial arts (MMA) fighter who started off a strip club bouncer, then became a limousine driver and bodyguard for a pornography production/promotion company. But at 6’2”, 240 lbs, Slice was destined for stardom. He began fighting as an underground bare-knuckle boxer which appeared in online fight videos on SublimeDirectory and YouTube.

Slice’s on-tape, street-fight loss against Sean Gannon, a former Boston police officer who also trains in MMA, thrust Slice into the spotlight. Slice made his MMA debut against former WBO Heavyweight champion and Olympic gold-medalist boxer Ray Mercer at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 5, in Atlantic City in 2007. Slice will now be part of the tenth installment of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights. The season will debut on Spike TV on September 16, 2009, following UFC Fight Night 19.

Julie Powell

In 2002, Julie Powell started a blog, chronicling her attempt to cook all the recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking without ever having so much as cooked an egg before (or so she claims). The blog was so successful that she got a book deal with Little, Brown and Company and wrote Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen (later re-titled Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously).

Powell’s success story doesn’t end there. The new film Julie & Julia contrasts the life of Chef Julia Child to that of Julie Powell and her goal of cooking Child’s 524 recipes. The movie stars Meryl Streep as Child and Academy Award nominee Amy Adams as Powell. Powell’s next novel Cleaving: a Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession is expected to hit bookstores next December.

Jon Lajoie

Talk about a fast-rise to success, Montreal-born Jon Lajoie hadn’t ever done any stand-up and yet his YouTube musical comedy videos garnered millions of views almost instantly. Parodying everyday situations, no subject has been too taboo for Lajoie- as is apparent in songs like Show Me Your Genitals, High as F*!@ or Pedophile Beards. He released his debut album this year, titled You Want Some of This? In 2008, Lajoie performed at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival. He has also landed a role in a new series called League- a show about guys, marriage and fantasy football, which will debut in early 2010 on the FX network. Lajoie is currently writing a musical feature and preparing a second album.

Bo Burnham

At 18-years-old, Bo Burnham has become a world wide Internet sensation, and now has a four album deal with Comedy Central Records. He began his “pubescent musical comedy” career in 2006, posting two of his songs on YouTube. The results were unexceptional at first however, after they got copied to Break.com, they became an overnight success. Burnham’s first full album, Bo Burnham, was released by Comedy Central Records on March 10, 2009. He has also received media coverage in magazines like Teen Vogue. (Surely an honor he could have only dreamed of.)

Tay Zonday’s Chocolate Rain

Zonday attracted major media attention with his unusually deep voice, distinctive mannerisms and infamous subtitle which became a repeated meme on 4chan “I move away from the mic to breathe in”. He went on to land live performance gigs on Jimmy Kimmel Live, as well as on BBC Radio 1’s Chris Moyles Show. Dr Pepper then paid him to create a new video for Chocolate Rain named Cherry Chocolate Rain.

Watch the Dr. Pepper video:

Obama Girl

I Got a Crush… on Obama was posted on YouTube by Barely Political in June 2007- became a viral video and made Obama Girl (Amber Lee Ettinger) an instant Internet celebrity. The video was featured on Maxim.com. and made headlines in the news. Obama Girl also landed guest appearances and interviews on Saturday Night Live, The O’Reilly Factor and Geraldo At Large as well as being featured on ABC’s show ‘icaught’. She was also named ‘Babe of the Month’ by Playboy.

Chris Crocker

Possibly one of the most disturbing videos on YouTube, Chris Crocker’s emotional plea to “Leave Britney Alone!” ignited a media frenzy, landing him interviews on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, The Today Show, Maury, The Howard Stern Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live and Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS-FM morning show. The video also helped set off a new music career for Crocker. His single Mind in the Gutter was released last year, and received a lot of radio play. In March 2009, Crocker leaked an unreleased song entitled Fell for the Enemy. He is currently working on a new single.