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Lena Dunham
Kate McKinnon, 29
Known talents: Sketch actress, writer, SNL cast member, killer Ellen impersonator
Known collaborators: The cast of SNL
If anyone has been catching the most recent season of SNL, they'd see the bright, slapstick-ready McKinnon, who has a Wiig-esque ability to fit into any role, at any age, and make it hilarious. Like many (literally, many) of her SNL compatriots, McKinnon came from the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre and spent four years writing and performing on Logo's The Big Gay Sketch Show. Oh, yeah, there's this, too: McKinnon is the first openly lesbian cast member of SNL.
Photo: PatrickMcMullan.com
Known talents: Sketch actress, writer, SNL cast member, killer Ellen impersonator
Known collaborators: The cast of SNL
If anyone has been catching the most recent season of SNL, they'd see the bright, slapstick-ready McKinnon, who has a Wiig-esque ability to fit into any role, at any age, and make it hilarious. Like many (literally, many) of her SNL compatriots, McKinnon came from the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre and spent four years writing and performing on Logo's The Big Gay Sketch Show. Oh, yeah, there's this, too: McKinnon is the first openly lesbian cast member of SNL.
Photo: PatrickMcMullan.com
Jenny Slate, 31
Known talents: Actress, improv pro, writer, published author
Known collaborators: Lena Dunham, Marcel The Shell
Okay, let's get this out of the way: Slate is Marcel The Shell. Yep, that's her amazing voice that made you fall in love with one of the best viral videos ever. In fact, it helped land her a single season role on Saturday Night Live, but her contract wasn't renewed (some may think it's because she dropped the F-bomb on live TV). But that didn't slow Slate, who has appeared on Bored To Death, Bob's Burgers, and Parks and Recreation, while lending her voice talents to The Lorax. Oh, and fittingly, Slate has played opposite Dunham in Girls — as Hannah Horvath's obnoxious, successful rival.
Photo: Peter Brooker/RexUSA
Known talents: Actress, improv pro, writer, published author
Known collaborators: Lena Dunham, Marcel The Shell
Okay, let's get this out of the way: Slate is Marcel The Shell. Yep, that's her amazing voice that made you fall in love with one of the best viral videos ever. In fact, it helped land her a single season role on Saturday Night Live, but her contract wasn't renewed (some may think it's because she dropped the F-bomb on live TV). But that didn't slow Slate, who has appeared on Bored To Death, Bob's Burgers, and Parks and Recreation, while lending her voice talents to The Lorax. Oh, and fittingly, Slate has played opposite Dunham in Girls — as Hannah Horvath's obnoxious, successful rival.
Photo: Peter Brooker/RexUSA
Ilana Glazer & Abbi Jacobson, 27 and unknown
Known talents: Sketch comedy, writers, directors, and actors in their own show, artist and author (Abbi)
Known collaborators: Amy Poehler
So, yes, we are putting these two together, but both Glazer and Jacobson are the brains behind Broad City, a web series that has not only been picked up by FX to make into a larger show in the style of Louie, but it's being produced by fellow awesome-lady Amy Poehler. The show is — surprise, surprise — about girls in New York, but the Glazer/Jacobson product is less frantic and a little more light-hearted than Dunham's take. Oh, and you've already seen their work: The super-duper viral "S*** New Yorkers Say" was all Glazer.
Photo: Broad City/Eric Michael Pearson
Known talents: Sketch comedy, writers, directors, and actors in their own show, artist and author (Abbi)
Known collaborators: Amy Poehler
So, yes, we are putting these two together, but both Glazer and Jacobson are the brains behind Broad City, a web series that has not only been picked up by FX to make into a larger show in the style of Louie, but it's being produced by fellow awesome-lady Amy Poehler. The show is — surprise, surprise — about girls in New York, but the Glazer/Jacobson product is less frantic and a little more light-hearted than Dunham's take. Oh, and you've already seen their work: The super-duper viral "S*** New Yorkers Say" was all Glazer.
Photo: Broad City/Eric Michael Pearson
Issa Rae, 28
Known talents: Writer, producer, director, activist
Known collaborators: Pharrell Williams via his i am OTHER channel, Grey's Anatomy's Shonda Rhimes
Issa Rae isn't an awkward black girl at all, even though that is the name of her Shorty-nominated web series, which takes a real, three-dimensional look at young African-American life in the United States. Rae, who actually helms four (!!) different web shows, tackles the entire female gamut: sex, dating, work, pop culture, Los Angeles. In fact, the last part is the setting for her new series on ABC, which is being championed by producer Shonda Rhimes.
Photo: Molly Cranna
Known talents: Writer, producer, director, activist
Known collaborators: Pharrell Williams via his i am OTHER channel, Grey's Anatomy's Shonda Rhimes
Issa Rae isn't an awkward black girl at all, even though that is the name of her Shorty-nominated web series, which takes a real, three-dimensional look at young African-American life in the United States. Rae, who actually helms four (!!) different web shows, tackles the entire female gamut: sex, dating, work, pop culture, Los Angeles. In fact, the last part is the setting for her new series on ABC, which is being championed by producer Shonda Rhimes.
Photo: Molly Cranna
Lake Bell, 34
Known talents: Director, actress, fashion darling, car buff
Known collaborators: Michaela Watkins, boyfriend and tattooer Scott Campbell
Lake Bell isn't exactly a new face on the scene, but in recent years, the actress can't stay content with just, well, acting. Her directorial full-legnth debut titled In A World...tells the story of female voiceover artists, and has already elicited acclaim from the festival circuit and will be released later this year. On top of her already busy acting career, Bell is a real red-carpet pro — who also has her own automotive column in The Hollywood Reporter. Because who needs stereotypes?
Photo: Rob Latour/Rex USA
Known talents: Director, actress, fashion darling, car buff
Known collaborators: Michaela Watkins, boyfriend and tattooer Scott Campbell
Lake Bell isn't exactly a new face on the scene, but in recent years, the actress can't stay content with just, well, acting. Her directorial full-legnth debut titled In A World...tells the story of female voiceover artists, and has already elicited acclaim from the festival circuit and will be released later this year. On top of her already busy acting career, Bell is a real red-carpet pro — who also has her own automotive column in The Hollywood Reporter. Because who needs stereotypes?
Photo: Rob Latour/Rex USA
Greta Gerwig, 30
Known talents: Actress, playwright, director
Known collaborators: Boyfriend Noah Baumbach
Some have called the versatile Gerwig the "Meryl Streep of mumblecore," pointing at her penchant for hyper-real, awkward, and bumbling movies like Greenburg or Lola Versus. Gerwig, along with her boyfriend (and director) Noah Baumbach, just released Frances Ha this week, and while it tackles some of the post-college pangs of a particular HBO series, the movie is more of 2013's Ghost World than Girls. Gerwig has been touted as a rising star for quite some time, but as Baumbach's official muse, it's clear she's finally arisen.
Photo: Matt Baron/BEImages
Known talents: Actress, playwright, director
Known collaborators: Boyfriend Noah Baumbach
Some have called the versatile Gerwig the "Meryl Streep of mumblecore," pointing at her penchant for hyper-real, awkward, and bumbling movies like Greenburg or Lola Versus. Gerwig, along with her boyfriend (and director) Noah Baumbach, just released Frances Ha this week, and while it tackles some of the post-college pangs of a particular HBO series, the movie is more of 2013's Ghost World than Girls. Gerwig has been touted as a rising star for quite some time, but as Baumbach's official muse, it's clear she's finally arisen.
Photo: Matt Baron/BEImages
Ry Russo-Young
Age: 31
Movie To See: Nobody Walks
Ry Russo-Young is concerned with the young women of America. That transitory age, the one that is proving ripe for conversation from thoughtful actresses and directors alike, seems to be central in all of her movies. Her first film featured a brash performance from Stella Schnabel (Julian's daughter) and her second, L.A.-based feature Nobody Walks, features Olivia Thirlby in a complicated situation with John Krasinski. Like a certain other lady on this list, Russo-Young is from New York, went to Oberlin, and remembers how horribly awkward the early 20s can be.
If you like Welcome To The Dollhouse, you'd like Nobody Walks.
Photo: Courtesy of Gregory Pace/BEImages.
Age: 31
Movie To See: Nobody Walks
Ry Russo-Young is concerned with the young women of America. That transitory age, the one that is proving ripe for conversation from thoughtful actresses and directors alike, seems to be central in all of her movies. Her first film featured a brash performance from Stella Schnabel (Julian's daughter) and her second, L.A.-based feature Nobody Walks, features Olivia Thirlby in a complicated situation with John Krasinski. Like a certain other lady on this list, Russo-Young is from New York, went to Oberlin, and remembers how horribly awkward the early 20s can be.
If you like Welcome To The Dollhouse, you'd like Nobody Walks.
Photo: Courtesy of Gregory Pace/BEImages.
Benh Zeitlin
Age: 30
Movie To See: Beasts of the Southern Wild
Benh Zeitlin has accomplished the near impossible: On his first feature-length film, he went all the way to the Oscars with a cast of unknown (well, unknown then) actors. A start like that is a true testament of skill. With his own production company and everyone in Hollywood now knowing his name, we haven't heard what Zeitlin is up to yet — though we've no doubt it'll be major.
If you like Winter's Bone, you might like Beasts Of The Southern Wild.
Photo: Courtesy of Jim Smeal/BEImages.
Age: 30
Movie To See: Beasts of the Southern Wild
Benh Zeitlin has accomplished the near impossible: On his first feature-length film, he went all the way to the Oscars with a cast of unknown (well, unknown then) actors. A start like that is a true testament of skill. With his own production company and everyone in Hollywood now knowing his name, we haven't heard what Zeitlin is up to yet — though we've no doubt it'll be major.
If you like Winter's Bone, you might like Beasts Of The Southern Wild.
Photo: Courtesy of Jim Smeal/BEImages.
Jennifer Lawrence, written by Jodie Foster
"You’ll remember where you were when you first felt it, how you were stuck to one spot like a small animal considering its end. The Jennifer Lawrence Stare. It cuts a searing swath in your gut. A reckoning. I remember going to the cutting rooms of Winter’s Bone. I thought, Sure, this girl can act. But, man, this girl can also just be."
Photo: Mark Seliger for Time
"You’ll remember where you were when you first felt it, how you were stuck to one spot like a small animal considering its end. The Jennifer Lawrence Stare. It cuts a searing swath in your gut. A reckoning. I remember going to the cutting rooms of Winter’s Bone. I thought, Sure, this girl can act. But, man, this girl can also just be."
Photo: Mark Seliger for Time
Michael Kors, written by Zac Posen
"He’s larger than life, a ball of energy and so warm and personable. It’s his love of people, life, and culture that exudes in his fashion globally. Michael takes the wonderful heritage of American sportswear into the future, translating it internationally for every woman and man who wants to be a part of the American Dream."
Photo: Ryan Pfluger for Time
"He’s larger than life, a ball of energy and so warm and personable. It’s his love of people, life, and culture that exudes in his fashion globally. Michael takes the wonderful heritage of American sportswear into the future, translating it internationally for every woman and man who wants to be a part of the American Dream."
Photo: Ryan Pfluger for Time
Lena Dunham, written by Claire Danes
"Like all great comics, she has a joke ready to deflect any jeer. Hannah’s pathetic declaration that she could at least be 'a voice of a generation' invites and thwarts many a poisoned arrow. Lena’s true power, though, lies in her transparency. She is unflinchingly, unnervingly honest."
Photo: Via Time/Getty Images
"Like all great comics, she has a joke ready to deflect any jeer. Hannah’s pathetic declaration that she could at least be 'a voice of a generation' invites and thwarts many a poisoned arrow. Lena’s true power, though, lies in her transparency. She is unflinchingly, unnervingly honest."
Photo: Via Time/Getty Images
Tadashi Yanai, written by Celia Birtwell
"Yanai is clearly an inspirational leader, and Uniqlo is a tribute to him and his management style, which is so rarely seen in a large corporation. He allows his team to be confident enough to let the designers feel free to show their personality, and he is intent on producing good products, at the right price, that people want."
Photo: Adam Pretty/Getty Images For Time
"Yanai is clearly an inspirational leader, and Uniqlo is a tribute to him and his management style, which is so rarely seen in a large corporation. He allows his team to be confident enough to let the designers feel free to show their personality, and he is intent on producing good products, at the right price, that people want."
Photo: Adam Pretty/Getty Images For Time
Jenna Lyons, written by Prabal Gurung
"She’s allowed mothers and daughters to dress with the same kind of attitude. I buy J.Crew, my mom does, my sister does, my niece and nephew do. She understands our zeitgeist. Being fashionable doesn’t mean being trendy; it means having a sense of style. Jenna has made J.Crew more than a brand or a company — it’s a philosophy that believes in style."
Photo: Peter Hapak for Time
"She’s allowed mothers and daughters to dress with the same kind of attitude. I buy J.Crew, my mom does, my sister does, my niece and nephew do. She understands our zeitgeist. Being fashionable doesn’t mean being trendy; it means having a sense of style. Jenna has made J.Crew more than a brand or a company — it’s a philosophy that believes in style."
Photo: Peter Hapak for Time
Michelle Obama, written by Maya Angelou
"The philosophers tell us that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Mrs. Obama is as if it doesn’t touch her. She hasn’t tried to become anybody else’s idea of the First Lady. She has remained herself, with her grace, her gentleness and her sense of humor. That she would dare to wear clothes off the rack. Or go out and garden. Or have a grandmother in the White House. She knows how to be a public creature without being separate from her family."
Photo: Illustration by David Despau for Time
"The philosophers tell us that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Mrs. Obama is as if it doesn’t touch her. She hasn’t tried to become anybody else’s idea of the First Lady. She has remained herself, with her grace, her gentleness and her sense of humor. That she would dare to wear clothes off the rack. Or go out and garden. Or have a grandmother in the White House. She knows how to be a public creature without being separate from her family."
Photo: Illustration by David Despau for Time
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