When viral stars began taking off on social media in the early 2010s, Shira Lazar saw a gap: few outlets were making videos about figures like Michelle Pham and Jenna Marbles. She built multi-platform digital media brand What’s Trending to fill it. Fifteen years later, as publishers including CNN, Bustle, and The Washington Post now embrace creator-led media, Lazar is working to scale the business and strengthen the support and protections available to creators.
That early bet came with a bruising setback. Lazar launched What’s Trending, a creator-driven digital media brand with her as the face in 2011, covering internet culture, launched in partnership with CBS News, but the network cut ties after Lazar posted an erroneous tweet reporting Steve Jobs’ death. “It was really a heartbreak for me,” Lazar said.
Lazar continued building the show, first for YouTube and then adapted it for new social platforms as audiences shifted. The show is now across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, covering everything from other creators and celebrities to AI scammers and video games.
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