Next Gen 2012: Digital

Bright young things? Bring ’em on, as The Hollywood Reporter recognizes the 35 superstars 35 and under who are moving up fast (and having fun) in film, TV, digital, law and news.

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FELICIA DAY, 33
Founder, Geek & Sundry

The actress-turned-web guru created the business model for most online shows when she launched The Guild with one-time partners Microsoft and Xbox. This year, the former Southern belle (she’s from Huntsville, Ala.) and University of Texas, Austin grad launched Geek & Sundry, a YouTube channel for which she develops, stars and produces original scripted and unscripted efforts.

Big Break: Uploading my first video — The Guild, season one, episode one. That’s when my career started. I’m very lucky that the first thing I ever shot was something that I was passionate about.

Best Advice: My acting teacher Alice Klein told me, “The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.” [Day moved to L.A. after college to pursue an acting career and even landed a small arc on The WB’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer.]

Biggest 2012 Accomplishment: Launching Geek & Sundry and creating a start-up company from nothing. We started with no staff and now have dozens of people.

Can’t-Miss TV: Game of Thrones and the BBC’s Sherlock.

OnlIne ObsessIon: YouTube. I read comments on our videos even though I shouldn’t.

Lunch Spot: Hugo’s. It’s not too Hollywood-y and makes me feel self-righteously healthy.

When I’m not WorkIng I’m: Playing video games. I can deduct [the costs] because it’s work!

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LOGAN MULVEY, 28
GoDigital, Founder and CEO

While a student at Loyola Marymount University, Mulvey launched his company GoDigital (a music distribution service). The Solana Beach, Calif., native got a break when Master P agreed to let Mulvey handle his digital distribution. Today, the L.A.-based company has evolved to focus solely on the digital distribution of movies (and has done so for more than 500 films).

Best Advice: Clint Eastwood told me, “Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.” 10 years from noW I hope to be distributing Oscar-nominated films with GoDigital.

Biggest 2012 AccomplIshment: Securing funding from Preferred Ventures [nearly $1 million]. Within Hollywood, it let people know that big money and smart people have invested in us, and we are not a fly-by-night operation.

Movie Fix: Dumb & Dumber. It’s one of the more underrated films ever. Jim Carrey was so dead-on as Lloyd Christmas.

OnlIne ObsessIon: I check the iTunes trailer page. When I was a kid, watching trailers was one of my favorite things.

When I’m not WorkIng I’m: Surfing in Manhattan Beach.

I Wake Up At: 6 a.m.

The First ThIng I Do: Try to leave the room without waking up my wife, Jessica, and dog Bodhi.

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SOPHIA ROSSI,   31 
Hellogiggles, Co-founder

Since launching in May, the female-friendly-content site co-founded by the L.A. native (with Zooey Deschanel and Two Broke Girls writer Molly McAleer) has cultivated a fiercely loyal industry following. The site averages more than 10 million visitors (and 1.8 million uniques) a month, according to Google Analytics.

BIg Break: Being a talent producer for MTV’s The Hills. It was sort of like my college experience since I didn’t go.

10 Years Ago: I was a music video director for Dave Meyers. At night, I did bottle service for Bolthouse clubs with my friend Katherine Powers, who now runs the website Who What Wear? We probably made more money then than we do now.

MovIe Fix: You’ve Got Mail. Mindy Kaling and I developed our friendship based on the fact that we love that movie.

OnlIne ObsessIon: Facebook, Twitter, Who What Wear? and Astrology Zone.

Lunch Spot: I’m a control freak so I go to Whole Foods because I can build my own lunch.

Best Day: When I got to meet Judy Blume. I was able to bring one of our contributors, Maude Apatow. Her stories are timeless; Maude’s mom [Leslie Mann] loves her, too.

Worst Day: Early on, our server crashed. Our programmer said, “You’re going to need more memory,” and I was like, “What is a server? What are you talking about?” I still don’t know what that means.