PARIS Hilton commands as much as $1 million a night working as a celebrity DJ, entertaining partiers at clubs in China, Dubai and on the Spanish vacation island of Ibiza.
This New Year’s Eve, she will be playing an electronic set for the revelers who drop by a venue of a different sort -- her virtual island on Roblox.
Hilton created an island in the online virtual world, dubbed Paris World, where visitors can explore digital replicas of her Beverly Hills estate and its dog mansion, stroll a boardwalk inspired by the neon carnival wedding celebration she and husband Carter Reum hosted earlier this year at the Santa Monica Pier in California, and explore the island in a luxury sports car or Sunray yacht.
Like other virtual hangouts, Paris World will collect small payments for purchasing virtual clothing or booking a ride on a jet-ski.
“For me, the metaverse is somewhere that you can do everything you can do in real life in the digital world,” said Hilton, who worked to create aspects of her globe-trotting life for fans. “Not everybody gets to experience that, so that’s what we’ve been working together on over the past year -- giving them all my inspirations of what I want in that world.”
Hilton, 40, joins a clutch of celebrities and brands rushing to embrace the metaverse, a broad term referring to a persistent virtual world. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg popularized the term this year he renamed the company to Meta to emphasize the metaverse's central role to the company's future.
Brands such as Tommy Hilfiger brand launched a line of digital ready-to-wear fashion for Roblox avatars. Nike opened a virtual world called Nikeland in November, where visitors can play dodgeball with friends, lace on a pair of virtual Air Force 1 sneakers and win medals. Rappers Lil Nas X and Travis Scott have also held concerts last year for millions of virtual concertgoers.
For the socialite and reality TV-star turned entrepreneur, Paris World is the latest venture launched by her new media company, 11:11 Media. She and veteran media executive Bruce Gersh aim to capitalize on the burgeoning creator economy, in which celebrities like Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James leverage their influence to produce films, television shows and podcasts, brand marketing and to sell merchandise.
Hilton is most widely known for the reality television show “The Simple Life,” in which she and celebrity socialite, Nicole Richie, ditched their limos to travel America aboard a Greyhound bus.
Hilton says the dumb blonde act was a put-on, “I was always in on the joke, but I knew exactly what I was doing. Behind the scenes, I was building a brand.”
She has leveraged her gossip pages notoriety into 19 different consumer product lines, including perfumes, apparel, lingerie, cosmetics, sunglasses watches, shoes, handbags and jewelry, which together generated an estimated $4 billion in revenue over the past decade, the company disclosed.
Investment-banker husband Reum introduced Hilton to Gersh, a former Walt Disney Co and Time Inc executive, to create a media enterprise around one of pop culture's original influencers.
Since those early discussions, 11:11 Media has launched “This Is Paris,” a podcast in which she speaks candidly about her family and friends, and a pair of reality TV series, “Cooking With Paris” on Netflix and “Paris In Love,” about her engagement and marriage to Reum.
Hilton has also tapped into the mania for non-fungible tokens, collaborating with designer Blake Kathryn to sell three unique pieces of digital art -- one of which fetched in excess of $1.1 million, according to online auction platform Nifty Gateway.
“The final piece of the digital space is the metaverse,” said Gersh. “ We think that there's a real opportunity for Paris to influence, even at a younger level than who her core customer is. We've built a fantastic, whimsical world that we believe her fans and new fans will just love.”
Reuters
Wed Dec 29 2021
Hilton created an island in the online virtual world, dubbed Paris World, where visitors can explore digital replicas of her Beverly Hills estate and its dog mansion, stroll a boardwalk. - REUTERS
The genetic risk of depression is a stronger predictor of heart problems in women than men: new research
Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally in both men and women.
South Korea's Yoon survives martial law impeachment move after his party boycotts vote
Only 195 votes were cast, below the threshold of 200 needed for the vote to count.
Mammoths topped the menu for North American Ice Age people
The researchers deciphered the diet of a woman who lived roughly 12,800 years ago based on chemical clues in the bones of her son.
Tennis - Sinner and Swiatek doping rows take sheen off stellar campaign
The two cases shocked the tennis world with many fuming at how they were handled by the authorities.
Muhammad was most popular boys' baby name in Britain in 2023
The ONS says the world of celebrity seems to have influenced the rising popularity of some names.
After Trump's win, his election denial movement marches on
Since winning the 2024 election, President-elect Donald Trump has gone quiet on his false claims of voter fraud.
South Korean President Yoon dogged by scandals before botched martial law
South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol was already grappling with controversies, including calls for his impeachment.
What to expect when Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens on Saturday
Five and a half years after fire destroyed its roof and spire and caused major damage throughout, Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral reopens.
Macron, defying calls to resign, struggles on in search for stable French government
Emmanuel Macron rejects demands he quit to end a crisis he said was driven by the far right and extreme left's "anti-republican front."
From decree to defeat: Inside South Korea's failed martial law attempt
Under South Korea's constitution the president must rescind a martial law decree if the parliament votes to oppose it.
Communications, delivery mechanisms key to effective RON95 targeted subsidy rollout - Experts
As Malaysia prepares to roll out a targeted RON95 subsidy scheme next year, experts are raising concerns about implementation challenges.
Rattled by China, West scrambles to rejig critical minerals supply chains
China's trade restrictions on strategic minerals are starting to hit Western companies where it hurts.
France's Macron says he will appoint a new prime minister in the coming days
French President Emmanuel Macron says he would name a successor to Barnier "in the coming days."
[COLUMNIST] Analysing the Gus Miftah-Sunhaji incident from humour theories perspective
According to the superiority theory of humour, jokes originate when a person perceives himself as superior to others.
Bloodstains found in murdered student's dormitory, Court told
Upon inspection bloodstains were found on the floor and on the mattress belonging to the victim.
Batu Puteh RCI report reveals weaknesses, elements of betrayal - PM
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says the country must defend every inch of its land to the fullest.
Singapore's civil service ranked world's best in Oxford University study
Singapore finished ahead of Norway, Canada and Denmark in the inaugural Blavatnik Index of Public Administration.
Flood victims can use MyJPJ app for lost, damaged vehicle documents - JPJ
Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli says all the relevant documents are accessible via the MyJPJ application.
NASA announces further delays in Artemis moon missions
Bill Nelson announces delays in NASA's Artemis program, postponing the return of astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972.
Appeals Court dismisses Lim Guan Eng’s defamation appeal against MCA VP, The Star
The court also ordered Lim Guan Eng to pay RM30,000 to Datuk Tan Teik Cheng and RM40,000 to The Star Media Group Berhad in legal costs.