Below are just a few who’ve created a reputation for themselves by sharing their lives and pursuits on Instagram.
Take a glance and who is aware of? You could even be impressed to begin your personal or at the least uncover a brand new ardour for your self.
Art Influencers
Shokofeh Sora
Handle: @ssoraphotography
Followers: 20.1K
Contact: IG DM or go to her website
Born in Iran, raised in Canada, Shokofeh Sora now resides in St. Petersburg and makes use of her Instagram to showcase her graphic artwork and pictures expertise. “I inform tales 
Instagram: @ssoraphotographyand evoke feelings via my pictures,” Sora says. It’s not a matter of specializing in how to get more and more followers, her account is just a approach to present her real love and keenness for what she does. She’s realized that she’s happier placing her effort into her personal development as an artist and attempting new inventive routes.
When she had her first little one, she bought a Nikon DSLR digicam to freeze and seize as many moments as she may. With her important topic being her daughter, her followers have gotten the prospect to watch her journey of rising up.
“My footage transcend snapshots and incorporate loads of post-processing. I actually strive to create artwork,” Sora says.
Currently engaged on a few pictures initiatives, she plans on additionally placing time into modifying movies, tutorials, or popping out with a course for her followers. Visit her website to take a look at her weblog or schedule a photoshoot!
Lifestyle Influencers
Ayana Lage
Handle: @ayanagabriellelage
Followers: 49.5K
Contact: IG DM or electronic mail at [email protected]
Over the summer time of 2020, Ayana Lage revealed a few movies speaking concerning the aftermath of George Floyd’s homicide, which ended up catching the general public’s consideration. 
Instagram: @ayanagabriellelageHer posts went viral, flooding her account with new followers after she was featured on a number of publications together with BuzzFeed and CBS News.
A journalism graduate from the University of Florida, Lage labored in that area till she transitioned into more PR work. Then she received into what she does now, freelancing and operating her life-style weblog.
“I began sharing as a result of I felt so emotional and so not sure what to do, and simply speaking to a digicam is one thing that comes naturally to me,” Lage says. “I feel that it’s actually admirable that individuals change into activists and dedicate their lives to a trigger.”
Although she doesn’t take into account herself to essentially be an “activist,” she makes use of her account to share her genuine self and ideas by posting about her household, on a regular basis life, racial injustice, and psychological well being subjects.
When she first began attempting to carry consideration to her account, she struggled rather a lot, usually feeling stagnant although she was doing every thing proper.
“If something, it’s a testomony to how tousled the system, or the tradition is that individuals are not inclined to have interaction with individuals who don’t appear to be them,” Lage says. “The greatest roadblock was me wanting to give up.”
“There are so many black influencers domestically, however when you have a look at occasions, we’re very underrepresented,” Lage says. “I don’t know the way I might change that, however after I take into consideration being a local blogger, it’s one thing that I’m very conscious of and want to see completed otherwise.”
Give her podcast a pay attention, Asked by Ayana, to hear different’s tales about their journeys and the hurdles they’ve overcome to get to the place they’re as we speak.
Here is a video of Ayana Lage explaining why she does what she does.
Patrick D’Amico
Handle: @gospelofpatrick
Followers: 6K
Contact: IG DM or electronic mail [email protected]
Originally from New York, Patrick D’Amico brings his “NYC rock ‘n’ roll flava” to all of his Instagram posts, showcasing males’s trend and life-style. Some of his posts are a 
Instagram: @gospelofpatricka part of his totally different curated picture sequence, every with its personal theme comparable to Eras of Fashion, Gospel of Oz, and his private favourite, a Chromatic sequence the place he styled a glance primarily based on every tune on Lady GaGa’s album.
“I’ve liked trend since I got here out of the womb, and it has been a dream of mine to have my very own clothes line someday,” D’Amico says. “I used to be bored with being rejected by design faculties and so I taught myself to sew, and I’ve a Bachelor’s in enterprise, so I stated, ‘I’ll simply do it myself!’ ” Over time, he’s constructed his personal model via his Instagram, set a marketing strategy, and has begun engaged on his personal items, together with his subsequent objective being to create his dream clothes line.
Although beginning out with the objective of being an influencer was removed from simple, D’Amico says he has by no means been one to draw back from exhausting work. He credit that work ethic and his ardour for trend to his account’s rising success. Starting again in 2017, with no concept the place to start, he’s now gained the eye of larger manufacturers, comparable to Express and Dior.
“I’m all about being your self and that’s the principle message I want to carry to individuals with my Instagram,” D’Amico says. “Gospel is my alter ego so you’ll discover Gospel on my feed with the style and Patrick in my tales with the wackiness and my love for popular culture!”
Erick Cordova
Handle: @ierickcordova
Followers: 36.2K
Contact: IG DM, work electronic mail in IG bio for firms or creators desirous about collaborating
The greatest approach to describe Erick Cordova’s account is a creative life-style weblog overlaying all of skincare, make-up, trend, together with displaying off his important ardour: artwork, posting 
Instagram: @ierickcordovaunique art work, and his personal commissions and sticker creations.
Cordova, 25, is a 1st technology Latinx/e Mexican from Tampa who began his Instagram as a passion at age 16 to share his pictures.
“As I gained confidence, I began posting myself, my outfits of the day, and so on. and other people actually took a liking to it. I saved posting and sharing issues I used to be desirous about and it snowballed and blew up!”
Cordova continues: “I’ve been ready to work with so many wonderful manufacturers and have been supplied alternatives I couldn’t have dreamt of with out social media.” His ardour is clear via each particular person submit.
One of his proudest moments to date was being featured by Fenty Beauty for a make-up look he achieved utilizing their pores and skin and base merchandise. Currently his greatest undertaking is popping his double lofted barn type cabin he had customized constructed right into a tiny dwelling for himself. You can follow his progress on his account. If you like his content material, take a look at his TikTok.
Foodie Influencers
Jenn Thai
Handle: @thisjenngirl
Followers: 14.1K
Contact: IG DM
Full-time social media advertising and marketing skilled at John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Jenn Thai makes use of her free time to keep her weblog that includes all her favourite locations to 
Instagram: @thisjenngirleat and issues to do within the Tampa Bay Area. Focusing primarily on bringing the group along with the love of meals, Thai additionally sometimes posts about magnificence, type, and life-style.
“I actually strive to exemplify the concept of ‘what you see, is what you get;’ authenticity is basically essential to me, and that my viewers looks like they’re coming to a spot the place they are often themselves and likewise see probably the most practical model of me on-line,” Thai says. Her objective was by no means to be an influencer, and as her time and keenness put into her account has gotten her there, she nonetheless doesn’t deal with that, avoiding the stress and expectation of gaining followers. She considers it her “Passion Project,” attributing her success to her expertise in pictures/video, web optimization, paid media, and so on., and naturally her devoted followers and local manufacturers and PR/advertising and marketing professionals she’s labored with.
In school she used to weblog about nail artwork, however as soon as she graduated 7-8 years in the past, she determined to shift her model and focus.
“I turned my focus in direction of subjects that make up my day-to-day. You stand up, dress, placed on make-up and eat every single day, and that’s the gist of what my platform is all about,” Thai says. “My mission is to merely maintain this weblog going and be a fantastic useful resource for individuals who are planning their subsequent journey/meal.”
Alisa Golenko
Handle: @alisa_golenko
Followers: 12.2K
Contact: Email [email protected]
Instagram: @alisa_golenko
Alisa Golenko adopted in her mother’s footsteps when it got here to constructing her profession (her mother was a chef on the Ministry of Commerce in Moscow, Russia.) Born and raised in Moscow, she grew up and not using a father, getting via all of the robust post-Soviet Union occasions along with her mother by her facet. Seven years in the past, she pursed her ardour in changing into a personal chef and meals blogger.
“Choosing this profession gave me the power to journey the world and meet unbelievable individuals,” Golenko says. “From Sicily, to Paris, Barcelona to Qingdao after which Tampa to Los Angeles I’ve been very lucky to work alongside and study from very humble, pushed, and gifted individuals. I owe them each little bit of gratitude for my growth.”
She’s participated in a handful of various gastronomic exhibitions and occasions with TV hosts in culinary applications of Italy and Canada. Additionally, she’s labored and was the lead on manufacturing in writing video recipes for KENWOOD and Electrolux. In the previous she personally catered for the Embassy of Italy in Moscow, Ambassador of Great Britain to Russia and the Kremlin, was named winner of Food Network TV Show (Supermarket Stakeout) in season two, episode 12, and was listed in Bon Appetit Magazine as one of many high 10 cooks.
In the longer term she plans on taking part in more TV reveals and different initiatives in addition to opening up a YouTube channel. Her development occurred organically with Golenko posting her work and others loving it, bringing more and more consideration to her account.
“I saved it easy, I caught to the issues that I cared for and was most captivated with. Those issues was my content material,” Golenko says. “When you love one thing, it’s simple to really feel linked to it.”
Here is a video of Golenko at work.
Cristian Davila
Handle: @tampa_noms
Followers: 15.7K
Contact: IG DM or electronic mail [email protected]
Originally from New Braunfels, TX, 26-year-old Cristian Davila works in advertising and marketing for Datz Restaurant Group.
(*12*)Instagram: @tampa_noms“My ardour has all the time been with meals, and pictures since I used to be a child. I used to be all the time cooking, and I actually wished to get higher at taking images,” Davila says. In touring, he realized that he relied closely on accounts just like the one he’s created to plan journeys and work out the place the very best spots are to go to. “I assumed I ought to do this for Tampa, I used to be already going out rather a lot each week to strive eating places, why not make it more enjoyable and a problem? So, I began Tampa Noms and the remaining is historical past.”
With his consistency and high-quality pictures, his following has continued to rise over time taking this previous time and turning it right into a residing portfolio, showcasing his work and monitoring private development. His feed is stuffed with his favourite local Tampa restaurant dishes that catch his eye, and meals that assist construct visitors for these companies. After about eight months of operating his account, restaurant homeowners and managers began to attain out to him, additional emphasizing the significance he places behind his posts, producing the very best product doable, a powerful work ethic, and consistency.
Followers can look ahead to more upcoming content material whereas he works towards increasing his content material to function reels and different video content material. He additionally hopes to type more partnerships and work with more eating places, encouraging any that want to collaborate to attain out! “I feel success finds you when you’re actually loving what you’re doing and all the great things follows,” Davila says.
Gaming Influencers
Daniel Nyiri
Handle: @danielznyiri
Followers: 21.2K+
Contact: IG DM, Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok (all identical @)
Instagram: @danielznyiri
Originally from Budapest, Hungary, 32-year-old Daniel Nyiri, a full-time streamer and best-selling writer of Fitbiz: Secrets of a Seven-Figure Gym, moved to Tampa 10 years in the past. Originally loads of his effort and time went into his firm, 4U Fitness, which spanned from Florida to New York. The firm had over 40 wonderful employees with growth plans in Manhattan and LA. However, as COVID took its toll, it put a dagger in his plans, forcing his enterprise to be one of many first to shut and final to get again up and operating.
“It’s like placing cash in a slot machine. You win some and lose some every month,” Nyiri says. “Then all of the sudden, the proprietor of the machine (the federal government) comes by and says, ‘Hey, you can’t function your machine till additional discover.’ And they simply unplug it and take all of your cash in there. Then a few yr after, they plug it again in and say you can proceed, however in fact herald new cash.”
He posts all issues entrepreneurship and enterprise, internet hosting his personal Podcast through which he interviews wonderful enterprise homeowners like Stefi Cohen and Jordan Belfort. In the midst of the pandemic, he ended up shifting his plans which, in the end, put him on observe to what he does now; streaming video video games with a twist of filming and creating tales and characters.
After simply 9 months, he went from zero views to 1,000,000 on YouTube, proving his personal level that it’s by no means too late to begin. Nyiri has grown his platforms in reputation via testing, attempting out new issues, consistency, and displaying his true self on social media. His recommendation to aspiring influencers is to analysis every day, hop onto new issues/developments as quickly as doable, and submit content material particularly made for every platform, including selection and uniqueness to every of your accounts.
“Putting a smile on peoples face every day is my objective and I like seeing feedback on my reside stream about it,” Nyiri says. “If you are in want of every day leisure and laughs, come hang around. I’m reside each weekday from 12:07 pm till 5-6 p.m. EST.”
Travel Influencers
Aubrey Jackson
Handle: @imaubreyjackson
Followers: 13.8K
Contact: IG DM
Instagram: @imaubreyjackson
“I’m not your ‘typical influencer’ and I feel that’s what makes me stand out,” Jackson says. As a former information anchor, she approaches each submit with what was engraved in her mind whereas within the newsroom: Why ought to individuals care? Why would they really feel the necessity to cease scrolling for this?
“My content material is a real reflection of who I’m. I like to discover, study, and share, and my social feeds are indicative of that paired with ideas and insights about all issues actual property,” Jackson says. “I like to use social media to carry worth to individuals and every submit, whether or not it’s a local suggestion or a ‘selfie,’ I assure you there’s intention behind it.”
Currently representing consumers, sellers, and traders, she’d love to construct her choices and assist more millennials, first-time consumers, and veterans wanting to promote or relocate. Since she was fairly younger, she’s liked being “within the public eye.” Using her pure expertise in that and real inquisitiveness, for 5 years she thrived in working with local information, till stepping away to follow her entrepreneurial pursuits.
Her social media isn’t about gaining followers, she cares more concerning the people who she’s instantly impacting. She focuses on fostering relationships as opposed to aiming for a selected variety of followers. She hopes individuals see her web page and discover a new place to take a look at or study one thing new, after which return to her for each journey and actual property info, and in flip, carry her a brand new purchasers. Having labored on tv, many individuals would DM and ask her questions on her private life, and in creating her account she’s been ready to reply a few of these questions all whereas serving to others discover cool experiences and the proper place to name dwelling. Her deal with for IG is similar as her Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok accounts.
“I wouldn’t achieve success on this house if I didn’t ‘guess on myself.’ I took the time I wanted to find out about digital content material creation and perceive the enterprise facet of influencer advertising and marketing,” Jackson says. “Like anybody, making the transition from one profession to one other is rarely simple. I used to be scared out of my thoughts, however I actually consider that when you ‘make the bounce’ and settle for that you will come out on the opposite facet stronger… you will!”
Lauren Gay
Handle: @outdoorsydiva
Followers: 10.2K
Contact: Email [email protected] and go to outdoorsydiva.com
Instagram: @outdorsydiva
“I encourage Black girls to search out experiences in journey journey, solo journey, and embrace nature and the outside,” Gay says in explaining her account. “My ardour has all the time been to encourage.” Starting her account again in 2014, she didn’t see many ladies doing what she wished to do along with her life.
“I went searching for inspiration and didn’t discover it, so I grew to become my very own inspiration and, within the course of, inspiring others. I grew to become what I wished to see,” Gay says.
The path of transitioning into an “influencer” has been a sluggish and fascinating course of. Not wanting to follow all the latest developments to construct account reputation, comparable to pods, she’s relied on her genuineness along with her viewers and staying true to her area of interest as her avenue to success. Followers can count on more video content material to come.
Her web site/journey weblog options a wide range of posts stuffed with guides from out of doors journey, distinctive journey experiences, foodie adventures, to theme parks and more. Additionally, you can discover a hyperlink to purchase her pictures, and podcast on her web site. “Follow me if you want to chuckle, be impressed to step out of your consolation zone, and achieve some true perception into the Black American expertise,” Gay says.
Gabrielle Renè
Handle: @the_gadabout_gab
Followers: 17.2K
Contact: IG DM, electronic mail [email protected], www.thegadaboutgab.com
After residing in Tampa for the previous three years, Gabrielle Renè determined to take a yr hiatus to immerse herself into the van life.
Instagram: @the_gadabout_gab“I’ve all the time been a meticulous planner with a need to arrange and consumed with ‘resfeber’ (the tangled emotions of worry and pleasure earlier than a fantastic journey begins),” Renè says. “This life for me is about connection, not solely connecting with our surroundings and ourselves, however with each other. I want others to expertise the fortunes I’ve via life and journey!”
The start of the Gadabout Gab sparked throughout her 2017 Australia journey the place she discovered her area of interest in creating itineraries. She caught the eyes of the general public, giving her the prospect to share her journey ideas and methods whereas creating plans for them. As followers proceed watching her adventures of navigating a van throughout the nation, she will’t say for certain what’s subsequent.
“I maintain hardly something to myself on this group I’ve created. My IG fam is on this curler coaster of a experience with me each twist and switch, they expertise with me.”
Her favourite a part of being an influencer is the teaching she does for manufacturers and different influencers, nonetheless, the largest wrestle is staying on high of all her platforms and their algorithms.
“Countless hours of connecting, networking, and messaging, content material creation and having to give you never-before-seen concepts, posting and driving visitors to all totally different platforms, connecting and dealing with manufacturers, and a lot more,” Renè says, is all behind the scenes of each account.
During the month of October, she dedicates her content material to breast most cancers consciousness, #originatoroctober, due to the shut, private impacts it has on her life. Follow her travels and learn the way to pitch to manufacturers, funds, the truth of van life, modifying images, and more.
Additional social media accounts: TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, Website
Fitness Influencers
Cody Durakovic
Handle: @cody_dura
Followers: 46.5K
Contact: IG (DM, electronic mail, telephone quantity all on web page), Facebook, his enterprise web site
Cody Durakovic’s health journey began with Little League sports activities again when he was solely 4 years previous. Sports was his escape from the noise and hardships that include 
Instagram: @cody_durarising up.
“People round me would inform me I used to be by no means going to make it to school, that my GPA or grades to get into faculty wouldn’t get me there no matter if I used to be athletic sufficient,” Durakovic says. In not giving up, a chance got here to him his senior yr of highschool and he dedicated to play soccer on the University of South Florida. It “allowed [me] to see that it didn’t matter what anyone else thought.”
Once he hit his junior yr of faculty, issues started unraveling. At 20 years previous, he had to get two again surgical procedures because of this from pushing himself to the purpose of no return, combating an damage out on the sector for too lengthy.
“That was probably the most tough factor I had been via in my entire life,” Durakovic says. “My school soccer profession ended fairly immediately; docs informed me I wouldn’t be cleared to play sports activities ever once more.” Their evaluation spiraled him down right into a deep gap of despair.
After a few yr, he determined it was time to cease loafing in his despair and slowly get again into form.
“Fitness is basically what saved me and helped me discover who and what I want to be. … I feel it’s a fantastic outlet for different individuals to actually dive into their inside self, mentally and bodily, and see what they will unlock via their achievements,” Durakovic says. At age 21, he took his ardour and began his enterprise, Nutrishop, with the objective of serving to others in their very own, particular person health journeys. Additionally, he gives health, vitamin, and mentorship teaching.
On his Instagram, he shares the nice alongside the unhealthy, when he was in his greatest form and his worst. He desires others to hear his story, the struggles he went via and see that no matter demons you could also be combating, you’re stronger than you suppose. “It’s OK to fall right into a rut, however it’s not okay to keep there,” Durakovic says. “Adversity is simply a part of rising.”
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