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

Wedding content creation the big thing now for newlyleds
A wedding content creator's success does not rely solely in tech but in capturing emotions and bringing a couples love story to life.

Will Western companies return to Russia?
Easing restrictions could let some companies return to what was once a high-growth market under Trump's administration.

Chatbots pose challenge to guarding child mental health
Developers say AI companions can combat loneliness and improve users' social experiences in a safe space.

With blitz of policies, Trump goes beyond Project 2025's goals
Trump denies ties to Project 2025 but continues reshaping policies through executive power.

Almost half of chronic kidney patients in Malaysia lost their jobs - study
The study raises concerns about the future of chronic kidney patients, especially those who rely on long-term dialysis treatment.

Beware of scam tactics using AI
The drastic development of AI technology is being taken advantage of by scammers to reap huge profits by using various latest tactics.

Fired and rehired - the dizzying confusion of Trump's government overhaul
They have adopted a blunt force approach toward the wholesale firing of workers, often focusing on workers who are easier to fire.

Arab states scramble to counter Trump's Gaza 'Riviera' plan
Arab states trying to devise an alternative plan have yet to tackle critical issues like who will foot the bill for Gaza's reconstruction.

Chinese universities launch DeepSeek courses to capitalise on AI boom
Universities across China have launched artificial intelligence courses this month based on Chinese AI startup DeepSeek.

Astronomers reveal 3D structure of an alien planet's atmosphere
Astronomers find three layers on a scorching gas planet orbiting a star larger and hotter than the sun.

Public flips car involved in road accident to rescue child
According to JBPM, members of the public at the scene took initial action to rescue the victim before the fire brigade arrived.

Ramsay reveals hundreds of lucky cat statues stolen from new restaurant
Gordon Ramsay says about 477 Japanese cat models called maneki-neko were stolen from his Lucky Cat 22 Bishopsgate restaurant.

Zayn Rayyan case: Two child witnesses complete testimony today
So far, 20 prosecution witnesses, including the two children, have been called for this trial, according to the Deputy Public Prosecutor.

Macron says he will tell Trump not to be weak with Putin in Washington visit
Emmanuel Macron says showing any weakness to Russia's Vladimir Putin would make it harder to deal with China and Iran.

Israeli PM Netanyahu says Hamas will pay for not returning Shiri Bibas
Netanyahu accuse Hamas of acting "in an unspeakably cynical manner" by placing body of a Gaza woman in the coffin instead of Shiri Bibas.

Trump pulls US out of key global climate assessment, sources say
The US is a co-chair along with Malaysia of a working group on climate mitigation, or ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Japan to court Tesla on Nissan investment, FT reports
The group hopes Tesla will invest strategically, believing it's interested in acquiring Nissan's US plants, the report says.

185 children linked to GISB handed over to families - Exco
The children have been handed over to their families on bond with conditions by the court.

IRS fires 6,000 employees as Trump slashes US government
The move will eliminate roughly 6% of the agency's workforce in the midst of the busy tax-filing season.

Elon Musk wields chainsaw at conservative gathering, a gift from Argentina's Milei
This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy, says Elon Musk.