A major network isn’t producing the next big reality series coming out of Miami — it’s being built by a University of Miami sophomore who wants fellow Canes at the center of it.
Christian Yeagley, founder of Miami Influence Magazine, is launching a new competition-based reality show, “Miami Influence: The Reality Series.” The show will follow 10 young creators through the fast‑moving, high‑glamour world of Miami’s influencer scene. More than 500 creators have already applied, including over 100 UM students eager to represent the University on screen.
“One day I was making a magazine for old people, and the next I was doing a yacht shoot with influencers looking over the Miami skyline,” Yeagley said.
Yeagley is producing the series through his magazine, which has highlighted Miami’s creator community for the past five years. He’s now expanding that mission into a full-blown reality competition.
Yeagley said he plans to outsource filming to Miami production companies, using multiple camera crews to follow contestants rather than building a traditional set. He’s funding the project through revenue from his magazine, self-funding and additional support from UM students, whose involvement will help offset production costs while giving them hands-on experience.
The series is designed to showcase personality, ambition and the real lives of emerging influencers. Contestants will be selected later this year, with Yeagley emphasizing that UM students are not just welcome but actively encouraged to apply.
While Yeagley is keeping many details under wraps, he describes the show’s vibe as “‘Entourage,’ but make it Miami influencers.” Viewers can expect a mix of high-energy events, brand collaborations, influencer cameos and the kind of spontaneous, chaotic moments that reflect Miami’s social scene.
Instead of manufactured drama, the series will follow contestants through their day‑to‑day lives — the friendships, the hustle, the nightlife and the work behind content creation. Multiple camera crews will capture each storyline as it unfolds, highlighting the authenticity of Miami’s influencer world.
Yeagley emphasized that the show won’t rely on scripted conflict or exaggerated tropes.
“These people are living lives that are already so crazy,” he said. “I don’t have to fabricate anything.”
Yeagley launched Miami Influence Magazine at just 19, despite never having read a magazine from cover to cover. What started as a publication aimed at Miami’s luxury market quickly evolved into a platform for the city’s booming influencer scene.
As he began collaborating with creators, hosting shoots on yachts and private jets, and partnering with Miami businesses, Yeagley realized he wasn’t just documenting a lifestyle — he was embedded in it.
“Miami’s the influencer capital of the world right now,” he said. “There’s more influencers per capita in Miami than LA or in any other big city.”
That pivot from traditional luxury media to creator‑driven storytelling sparked the idea for the reality series. If the magazine could capture Miami’s influencer culture in print, why not bring it to life on screen?
His entrepreneurial path is unusually accelerated for a college student. While most sophomores are building résumés, Yeagley is building franchises. He recently launched a second publication, Naples Influence, and is now raising funding, securing production partners and planning a multi‑season reality competition — all while taking classes.
Yeagley’s decision to center the show on UM students isn’t just sentimental; it’s strategic. In the past few years, UM has not-so-quietly become a hotspot for breakout creators across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
Bigger social media stars like Alix Earle and dozens of micro‑creators that focus on fashion, wellness and campus humor have built loyal audiences that extend far beyond Coral Gables.
UM’s student body is uniquely positioned to make an impact: diverse, entrepreneurial, plugged into Miami’s culture and fluent in digital storytelling. Many students treat content creation as a legitimate career path, balancing brand deals and managing schedules alongside coursework.
Yeagley has already collaborated with several UM creators through the magazine, which is why so many students recognized his casting call immediately.
“Our actual audience is UM,” he said. “We’ve worked with so many UM influencers already.”
The result? A flood of applications, over 100 from UM alone, making the University one of the most represented groups in the casting pool.
For UM creators, the series represents something rare: a platform built by one of their own. Yeagley isn’t an outside producer parachuting into campus culture; he’s a student who understands the rhythms, personalities and chaos of UM life. And he believes those stories deserve a bigger stage.
“We’re looking for personality,” he emphasized. “We want people with interesting lives … not just a bunch of followers.”
The show promises visibility, collaboration and a chance to break into Miami’s creator ecosystem — a space that can be notoriously hard to enter without connections.
The winner will be flown out on a private jet to the Bahamas for a magazine cover shoot, but Yeagley insists the real prize is the chance to be seen.
UM students can apply at influencemia.com/show; the form takes less than two minutes to complete. Casting closes at the end of the year, and contestants will be announced on the magazine’s Instagram. Filming begins in 2027, and the series is expected to release in 2028, just in time for Yeagley’s senior year.
If the early buzz is any indication, UM students won’t just appear in the show — they might define it.