A Bermudian social-media star who mixes history with entertainment said he was “genuinely surprised” to end up featured in Time magazine’s 2026 list of 100 most influential digital creators.

Dylan Hollis was recognised for his dynamic mixing of vintage and modern recipes, which has attracted millions of followers across social-media platforms TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

The accolade puts him among the world’s best-known influencers, podcasters and online personalities.

They include Olandria Carthen of Love Island USA fame; broadcaster, sports commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan; Alix Earle, TikToker, influencer and soon-to-be Netflix star; iShowSpeed, Twitch streamer and TikToker; comedian and social-media personality Druski; Alex Cooper, podcaster and host of Call Her Daddy; and Bretman Rock, social-media personality, make-up artist and YouTuber.

Mr Hollis told The Royal Gazette: “I must say, I was genuinely surprised to find myself on this year’s list.

“My first thought was that there had been a generous interpretation of the criteria.

“As someone whose content largely consists of shouting at a phone in a kitchen, I'm not quite sure how I ended up on Time's list alongside the who’s who. But I was grateful for the recognition and unexpected company.

“It thrills me to represent Bermuda in a space on this scale.”

At a Time event in New York City on July 30, he met other creators and honourees who wanted to learn more about Bermuda.

“I, of course, told them Bermuda’s creative influence is inversely proportional to its population and that we’ve always punched well above our weight,” he said.

“They’d just have to come and see us for themselves.”

Mr Hollis misses Bermuda and is planning to return to the island at some point.

He added: “I miss my island and my family. I’m in the process of obtaining my Green Card so that I can continue working and writing my books stateside and I cannot travel home while it’s pending.

“Though impractical, I’m almost begging someone to mail me a fish sandwich at this point.

“For now, I remain an islander on assignment, hoping to put our flag in front of as many faces as I can.”

Time magazine said his online content “mixes a pinch of history with a dash of entertainment and his popularity is a testament to just how irresistible a little nostalgia can be”.

It stated: “Pickled eggs from 1941, strawberry pretzel salad from 1968, canned Spam casserole from 1981: these are the vintage American recipes that B Dylan Hollis recreates for 10.2 million followers on TikTok.”

The former Warwick Academy student took the internet by storm as his love of exploring bygone recipes took off during the doldrums of the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.

The recipes were always filmed with a Bermuda flag in the background.

In 2023, he served up Baking Yesteryear, a cookbook packed with techniques subtitled “the best recipes from the 1900s to the 1980s”.

Last year, he released Baking across America, a cookbook featuring a journey of desserts across the United States.

He has more than ten million followers on his TikTok account, about 2.66 million subscribers on YouTube and two million followers on Instagram.

The Time100 creators list highlights digital influencers shaping culture across platforms and industries such as entertainment, fashion, comedy, lifestyle as well as sports and athletics.

Sam Jacobs, editor-in-chief of Time, said: “As a publisher, we’ve travelled across changes in how people want to access and receive information for 103 years, each time carrying your trust with us into new places and forms.

“Creators are poised to be that latest turn. Our answer isn’t to retreat from these personalities or the platforms on which they work, but to bring Time’s editorial judgment to them and their strengths to you.

“People’s first storytelling shouldn’t come at the cost of trust.”