Written in partnership with Ascend Agency

Around ten years ago, almost nobody believed that occupations such as social media influencer or content creator could be lucrative. With the rise of social media, though, people experienced a near limitless ability to spread their voices and opinions. Today, the influencer industry continues to grow at an astounding rate. According to Grand View Research’s Influencer Marketing Platform Market Size report, the influencer market was “valued at USD 10.39 billion in 2021” and will be ten times as much within the next 8 years.

As Shane Jordan explains, that creates a lot of space for people who are still looking to grab a slice of fame, as it only takes one moment in the form of a viral video, post, or tweet to become famous. But only those brave enough will achieve that goal. “Just a thin line separates people who dream of success and those who achieve success,” says Jordan. “It’s the courage to actually start following your dreams. You can talk about how you are going to achieve this or that for the next 100 years, but if you don’t get up and put your words to action, nothing will ever happen.”

Shane Jordan is a renowned author, musician, and actor as well as a manager of one adorable influencer—the world’s most famous French bulldog, Izzy The Frenchie. Shane Jordan was a part of the entertainment industry, working with the industry’s finest for over 20 years, all the while making a quiet name for himself. But as he points out, he never believed that one day his dog would become more famous than he.

“It all started when one of my friends got a French bulldog. I immediately knew I had to get one too,” says Jordan. “I contacted the same breeder, and she sent me pictures of the litter. When I saw little Izzy, I immediately knew that she was the one. When I took Izzy home, I gave her a bath and put that video on social media. The video was meant for friends and family, but when I woke up the next day, Izzy had tens of thousands of new followers on her account, and the video has had over a billion views collectively from all the shares.”

Thanks to his experience, Shane Jordan knew better than to pass this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even though Jordan originally created Izzy’s account with friends and family in mind, he realized that her account could also become a fun space where other people could enjoy these photos and videos of a very cute dog. Ever since, the duo has been charming the masses, especially with Izzy’s fashion sense. Today, Izzy The Frenchie is quite the star, collaborating with high-end fashion brands and famous stars from the entertainment world.

“After the video went viral, Izzy was featured in the ‘Break The Internet’ issue of Paper, and after that, her fame skyrocketed,” Jordan says. “Not long after, we were doing collabs with prominent figures from the showbiz. Izzy did a collab with the Kardashians and with Burberry, Moncler, Dyson, and more.” Izzy The Frenchie has even garnered awards. She was listed in People’s “21 Adorable Instagrams” in 2017 and in 2021, won a Webby People’s Voice Award for the social/animals category.

And their hard work never stops, as Shane Jordan and Izzy The Frenchie have many plans for the future. Izzy will be the new face of an exclusive jewelry line, which will cater to the world’s wealthiest pet owners, in collaboration with Twila True Fine Jewelry. On top of that, Jordan plans to open several dog parks in the metaverse and launch a series of high-profile NFT drops with the help of Animal Concerts, Binance, and Crypto.com.

Besides showing off Izzy’s new drip and bling, Shane Jordan uses Izzy’s account as a platform to speak up on social issues that matter and can help both people and animals. He and Izzy are always pushing for social positivity regardless of the topic.

“We are regularly donating a part of the revenue [from Izzy’s Instagram account] to animal shelters and projects that are about animal welfare,” says Jordan. “We also like to speak up on social issues, and it doesn’t matter if the topic is women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, or any other issue. I believe that the world definitely needs ambassadors that will influence people’s views on these problems and spark a change that will make the world a better place.”