An inaugural awards night in Newcastle proved an extra-special one for its host when she bagged the big title of the night.
TOWIE and Love Island star Georgia Harrison was at the helm of the first UK Top Influencer Awards which were organised by model and DJ Chris Henderson from Middlesbrough and took place in Newcastle at Event Northumbria. And during the night Georgia was also presented with the award for UK Top Influencer of 2024.
Georgia – who has also just announced she is make a new ‘docu-series’ about her revenge porn campaigning work which followed the conviction of her ex-partner Stephen Bear – said: “It’s so nice to be able to use your platform to inspire people and giving people recognition for what they are doing this evening is amazing.” Describing influencers as “beautiful souls with a passion for something – anything that floats your boat”, she added the work also involves taking a risk, which many people avoid for fear of being judged.
“But I’m here to tell you to do whatever you want and follow your dreams and passions,” she said, adding: “The word influencer sounds like you’re trying to get someone to do something and people don’t always understand what being an influencer is. For me, an influencer is someone who has a huge passion for something and a creative eye to really notice something that’s beautiful or attractive and showcase it to their audience.
“You have perhaps seen beauty in a moment and have got the ability to capture it in a way not many other people can. When it comes to influencing, it’s about the brand you create and the tools that you’ve got.
“You’ve got to enjoy it and stay ahead in whatever niche you’re interested or involved in.” She said some may think being an influencer is an easy life but that it can be incredibly hard, especially for those with social justice at the heart of what they do.
And finding content does not perform well can be a knock. She added: “Not everyone gets to go on Love Island or TOWIE and come off those programmes with a million followers – for most people, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to grow your online audience.”
She told the gathered guests at Northumbria University‘s events venue: “It’s great to meet people who are doing well in their particular area of influencing at these awards.” Among the other winners was ‘pole-dancing Pole’ Damian Kutryb, creator of gay-friendly GFFDamian Dance Studio in Manchester, who won UK Top Dance Influencer as well as UK Top Business Influencer.
Damian, who attended the ceremony with fiance and business partner Artur Biernat, said: “The two awards are linked together, as the idea for the business came from the fact that when I started pole dancing I felt like it was only for a woman and not a gay man like me.
“That gave me the inspiration to open my own place.” He now has 111,000 Instagram followers and his studio employs a team of instructors and staff.
Other winners included former convict-turned-actor Ian Griggs who now influences others to avoid a life of crime and ‘singing influencer’ Anuska Rattan. Following the success of the awards, which ended with guests hitting the dance floor, organiser Chris said he hopes to see them return next year.
Chris, who promotes mental health and wellbeing, added: “It was a brilliant event and Georgia did a fantastic job as the host and presenter.” Anyone interested in being involved in the 2025 awards can email hello@uktopinfluencer.co.uk.
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/love-islands-georgia-harrison-newcastle-29040785
