Five years after Johnson started wrestling, a 2000 hosting stint on Saturday Night Live led to The Mummy Returns, which was followed by more than a dozen films including 2005’s Be Cool, 2007’s The Game Plan and 2008’s Get Smart. Still, the star knew something was missing. "I was told that I had to conform to a standard in Hollywood that would beget me more work, better roles," he explains. "Which meant I had to stop going to the gym, which meant I couldn’t be as big, which meant you had to distance yourself from wrestling. You essentially had to deconstruct yourself."
Austin HargraveThe Hollywood Reporter, the entertainment industry’s flagship media brand, today announced a partnership with MVPindex, the leading real-time social media intelligence platform for sports and entertainment. The two will launch a menu of social media-based charts ranking the weekly engagement of various entertainment categories, with Top Actors, Top Comedians and Top TV Personalities the first to premiere.
The charts will feature rankings culled from MVPindex’s database of thousands of active entertainment-related profiles on leading social platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. THR and MVPindex will release the charts weekly in print and on thr.com. The inaugural charts, revealed online this morning, can also be found in the June 7 issue of THR magazine.
Topping the debut Top Actors list is Dwayne Johnson, currently starring in Baywatch, the motion picture remake of the classic television series. Johnson’s Central Intelligence co-star Kevin Hart rules the Top Comedians chart, which measures the social activity surrounding active stand-up comics. Hart is also in the top 10 on the Top Actors chart. HGTV’s Fixer Upper co-host Joanna Gaines claims the No. 1 spot on the Top TV Personalities list, buoyed by social chatter resulting from a rumored tiff with HGTV neighbors the Property Brothers (Jonathan and Drew Scott). Other celebs appearing in top 10 slots on the various charts include Zac Efron, Vin Diesel, Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Ricky Gervais and Amy Schumer.
“As THR’s digital audience continues to expand to record levels, we’re excited to collaborate with MVPindex to introduce a new series of rankings that will provide our readers with a true glimpse into what people are really talking about and engaging with on the ‘third screen,’ ” said Silvio Pietroluongo, vp charts and data development for The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group. “MVPindex has set the standard for social measurement in the sports world, providing key insights into the most valuable personalities, brands and content on social media, and we are excited to join forces with them as they expand into entertainment.”
The relationship between THR and MVPindex has already resulted in rankings and analysis following the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Emmy Awards, as well as overviews of social conversation regarding the top TV shows of the fall season in the categories of news/variety, scripted/reality and new premieres.
In the coming months, THR and MVP also will collaborate on analysis and insight for the MTV Video Music Awards, ESPY Awards, Emmy Awards and much more.
“It’s an honor to partner with what we consider to be the gold standard in entertainment reporting,” said Kyle Nelson, co-founder and CMO of MVPindex. “The entertainment industry is in need of a true standard in measurement of social media engagement and value. This partnership allows us to leverage our platform and THR’s vast industry knowledge to deliver a complete and accurate social media index upon which the industry can rely. Previously, the only gauge for the performance of an entertainment entity was the reach of the entity’s follower base. But with this collaboration, the entertainment industry can look beyond just reach and start to evaluate social performance as a result of social engagement in comparison to all the parties in each particular entertainment category.”
