APRILE 2013 ISSUE

In each of the past two years, Details has compiled a list of Social Mavericks, a compendium of the biggest movers and shakers in the world of social media. This year, we've rechristened the portfolio Digital Mavericks. Why? Because technological innovation has become inherently social—even if it doesn't involve a website where you have "friends," it's changing the way we live and interact. The pioneers and renegades you'll find here are a varied bunch. They're creating better ways for us to buy products, document our lives, discover art, get involved with government, and more. But they have one thing in common: Their big virtual ideas are revolutionizing the physical world. Meet the Digital Mavericks, class of 2013.

Jared Leto (VyRT, The Hive)

The actor and musician has become a start-up specialist catering to fellow artists.

What's more rock-and-roll than telling The Man to fuck off? Empowering other musicians to do the same. That's been Jared Leto's mission since his band Thirty Seconds to Mars was slapped with a $30 million lawsuit by Virgin Records over a contractual dispute in 2008. A year later, the actor-cum-rocker added "Internet entrepreneur" to his résumé, launching the Hive, a social-media and digital-marketing firm that aims to give clients control over their brands, and Adventures in Wonderland, an online service that facilitates encounters between bands and fans—like, say, a backstage visit with the Jonas Brothers. Leto's basic philosophy: "Consumers are savvy. If a big company is pushing you to get follows or likes, people pick up on it quickly. An authentic connection is extremely important." In 2011, Leto, 41, further demonstrated his knack for creating meaningful online experiences by launching yet another company, VyRT, a live-streaming platform that captures the intimacy of a concert without the ads or chat-room aesthetics of other services. "As with crowd-funding platforms like Kickstarter, the artist makes an agreement directly with the audience," Leto explains. "'For this price, I'm going to give you something you believe in.'"

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