Exclusive: Inside Paris Hilton's booming media business 11:11
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Paris Hilton (center) sits alongside 11:11 Media chief commercial & chief brand officer Rachel Webber (left) and 11:11 Media president, chief operating officer, and co-founder Bruce Gersh at Hilton's home in Los Angeles. Photo: Kevin Ostajewski
Paris Hilton's media company 11:11 has ballooned amid one of the toughest climates for the media industry in the last decade.
Why it matters: Hilton's fanbase is massive, global and family-friendly. "We have figured out an incredible way to integrate brands into culture and pop culture, and that's taken hold," said president and co-founder Bruce Gersh.
By the numbers: The bootstrapped firm, launched in 2021, expects to earn around $50 million in revenue this year with more than a 50% profit margin, executives told Axios.
- The company's ultimate goal is to develop franchises that it can monetize through a flywheel across media, commerce and brand partnerships.
- "Paris is our Mickey Mouse, and we're hopefully the next Disney," Gersh said.
Driving the news: On Tuesday, 11:11 announced a joint venture with direct marketing giant Guthy-Renker called 11:11 Beauty to house beauty and wellness products inspired by Hilton, who will be the creative director.
- Hilton will be a majority stakeholder. The venture will be led by Alexandra Marsh, a long-time beauty executive who has led multiple beauty brands at Guthy-Renker.
State of play: 11:11 Beauty is one of several joint ventures and partnership deals the company has launched as it ventures into different business lines.
- In May, it formed a joint venture with HappyNest Entertainment and 9 Story Media Group to launch a digital series catered to kids and families called Paris & Pups, with original music by Hilton.
How it works: Hilton's brand takes the center of almost all of the company's media, brand and licensing deals.
- To grow, the 25-person team at 11:11 is focused on building scalable systems to make sure Hilton's ethos is embodied as it launches new business lines.
- Hilton told Axios, "Everything we do at 11:11, from our TV projects to our impact programs to every new product launch, is designed with the 'Sliving' mindset" — referencing her catchphrase that combines "slaying" and "killing it" to mean "living your best life."
Zoom in: For years, Hilton has quietly built a fan engagement strategy that's heavily dependent not just on traditional media, but also newer platforms, like podcasts and the metaverse.
- 11:11 Media, the company's production firm, has a partnership with iHeartMedia to produce a range of podcasts spanning documentary-style series related to Hilton's youth impact work to a podcast about the history of the world's greatest nightclubs.
- It launched a metaverse experience called "Slivingland" on Roblox last year.
- 11:11 Media produced a YouTube Originals documentary in 2020 and two seasons of "Paris in Love" for Peacock.
- To grow bigger within those communities, 11:11 has made over 20 startup investments across companies with a focus on web3, gaming and AI from the profits off of its balance sheet, Gersh said.
Between the lines: Those media projects have created a massive fanbase for 11:11 to upsell Hilton's "Sliving" lifestyle to dozens of brand partners and licensing partners. Hilton leverages those brand deals to tease her other projects, products and impact work.
- For example, Hilton appeared in a campaign to relaunch the Motorola razr this year by integrating the smartphone into key moments throughout her Infinite Icon music album launch.
- 11:11 leveraged its "Cooking With Paris" show on Netflix to launch a cookware line at Walmart in 2023 that is projected to grow to $100 million in sales by 2025.
- Amazon, in particular, has become a major retailer for dozens of Paris-branded products, which span everything from handbags and fragrances to cookware and baby products.
The big picture: 11:11's success comes from taking Hilton's lifestyle brand and expanding it to audiences that are far more diverse than most people realize.
- "Our audience is many demographics with a shared psychographic of wanting to live your best life," chief brand officer Rachel Webber said. "Our categories tend to target different demos, and we can do that through partnerships."
- One of the big opportunities 11:11 is eyeing in its expansion is international, where Hilton's brand represents Americana, Webber said. "She's America's princess."
