AOL Spotlight: The Feature That Introduced Me to the Digital World

In 2016, when the digital creator landscape was still defining itself, AOL published a profile titled “Tate Lovett is the rising social star you need to know about.” At the time, I was 15 years old — armed with a camera, an overactive imagination, and an obsession with building something bigger than myself on the internet. I didn’t realize it then, but that article would become one of the earliest public markers of the career I’m still building today.

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The piece was part of AOL’s #KanvasLive series, covering Playlist Live in Orlando — a hub for early YouTube and Vine creators. The article introduced me to a much wider audience and captured the momentum of those early years: the videos I had been making since MySpace, the viral loops on Vine, the 160,000+ views piling up on YouTube, and the unexpected moments where strangers started chanting my name at meet-and-greets.

For a teenager, it was surreal. For the future version of me, it was foundational.

From Early Social Media to Long-Form Creative Work

At the time of the AOL feature, my life revolved around uploading weekly videos, printing my own merch, learning how to produce events, and navigating being a full-time student while selling out VIP meet-and-greets on weekends. The article captured the spirit of those early days — raw, experimental, and community-driven.

AOL highlighted what I loved most about creating online:the ability to design a life outside of the traditional path, to build something from scratch, and to connect directly with an audience that resonated with the work.

That same drive eventually evolved into Crisis Magazine, Round Two Magazine, and my larger ecosystem of creative production — but the root of it all traces back to the same place: doing what I love on camera and finding ways to bring people into that world.

Playlist Live, Viral Moments, and Early Lessons

The article recounted stories that feel impossible now — getting mobbed in malls, dropping my phone off a balcony during a fan meet-up (and somehow getting it back without a crack), and realizing that this “internet thing” wasn’t just a phase. AOL captured a moment in time when digital creators were only beginning to be recognized as legitimate artists, entrepreneurs, and cultural voices.

That period taught me how to work with brands, how to manage an audience, how to build a consistent presence across platforms, and how to turn creativity into something sustainable. Those skills still fuel everything I do today across fashion, media, livestreaming, and publication.

Why This Article Still Matters

Nearly a decade later, the AOL piece serves as a reminder of two things:

1. I’ve been telling stories and building communities online since the earliest era of social media.

2. Every chapter — even the teenage Vine years — has shaped the creator, producer, and publisher I am now.

Today, my work spans magazines, livestream productions, IRL events, artist interviews, multi-platform media, and ongoing editorial storytelling. But before all of that, there was a 15-year-old kid being profiled for chasing his passion with no blueprint.

That article marked the beginning — and I still carry that momentum with me.