PAPER Predictions: 100 People Taking Over 2019
Entertainment

PAPER Predictions: 100 People Taking Over 2019

For PAPER's 2019 predictions list, we looked across every aspect of pop culture — music, film, art, activism, social media, fashion, beauty — for fresh new faces that are about to look a whole lot more familiar. Tierra Whack, Slayyyter, and Tayla Parx are set to feature heavily on your pump up playlists. Justice Smith, Chance Perdomo, and Emma Nelson are starring in upcoming blockbusters in cinemas and on Netflix. Writers Sally Mao and Morgan Parker are headed to bookstore shelves, and artists like Damon Davis and Jessi Jumanji will headline gallery shows. We've figured out exactly whose profiles you're about to follow: Layla F. Saad, Allen Salway, Hunter Harris. Plus the people you'll be getting fashion, makeup, and self-love inspiration from: Isaac West, La'shaunae, Crystal Methnay. It's going to be a good year! These are the 100 names worth getting to know in advance.

Hilton Dresden

Illustration by Austin Call (@Duhrivative)

Who are you?

My name is Hilton Sterling Dresden. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

What do you do?

I'm a performer, and created the comedy series "5 Things With Hilton Dresden" for Out magazine with my friend and comedy partner Talia Heller. We're now working on another series about what it was like to create gay news videos called "Hilton Dresden Wants A Show," as well as hosting live comedy nights around NYC. You can also see me performing this year in a guest role on TBS' "Search Party."

I'm also a writer, and have written essays and conducted interviews for Out, Paper, Them, The Huffington Post, and NewNowNext.

And I'm an illustrator — my drawings have been featured in a variety of magazines, and a drawing I did of a weird parrot inspired Aquaria's "good twin" look on season ten of RuPaul's Drag Race. Most recently, I collaborated with Nicola Formichetti's fashion label Nicopanda to make a line of T-shirts featuring my illustrations that were covered by Vogue and featured in London Fashion Week.

My free time is mostly spent watching movies and battling problematic bowels.

What are you most proud of from 2018?

I would have to say conducting a video interview with Sarah Jessica Parker, my supreme goddess. That happened in January of last year, and everything after went considerably downhill.

What do you think will be your biggest challenge in 2019?

There are a few things that could slow me down this year—as I've mentioned, I'm often dealing with difficult poop issues. Just a few months ago I was walking down the street in a dress and jockstrap and accidentally shat myself on the sidewalk. I'm also fairly lazy, and expect fighting the urge to sleep away my twenties to be my main battle this year. Finally, I've been told I look like a mix of the orphan Annie and Voldemort when he's that little King's Cross fetus at the end of the last movie, so I'm a little worried about my marketability as an aspiring award-winning actress.

What do you think will be your biggest opportunity in 2019?

Hmm... well, I'm hoping that my guest appearance on season 3 of TBS' "Search Party" catches the eye of an important industry insider like Ryan Murphy or Nicole Kidman and launches me into the heart of young Hollywood.

Where can we follow you?

My Instagram is @hiltyhilthilt. My YouTube channel can be found at youtube.com/hiltondresden. My Twitter is @ramsleyy, though I don't recommend following that because it's pretty unsettling and I'm thinking I might need to change it. The name Ramsley comes from the creepy butler character in Eddie Murphy's cult classic The Haunted Mansion. Oh, and my website is www.hiltondresden.org.

As chosen by Justin Moran, Claire Valentine, Michael Love Michael, Kat Gillespie, and Jael Goldfine
Illustrations by Austin Call (@Duhrivative)