In an effort to attract more celebrity
endorsements around its line of Ray-Bans wearables, Meta has hired Snapchat’s former senior director of content partnerships Jim Shepherd as the company’s new director of content and
creator partnerships, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
“Don’t be surprised to see a lot
more celebrities wearing Meta Ray-Bans, or creators filming original content using their glasses,” the report starts, referencing Shepherd’s decade-plus history of leading Snapchat’s
relationships with creator and celebrity talent across media, sports, and music, as well as the social media company’s content strategy, editorial and community initiatives, such as the recently launched Snappy’s awards
show.
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At Meta, Shepherd will reportedly be focused on building creator relationships around the company’s AI wearables, including its
Ray-Ban smart glasses.
Since their initial release in 2021, Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses have been
increasingly popular with consumers, selling millions of units and tripling sales in 2025. Holding a $3.5 billion stake (3%) in the Ray-Ban manufacturer, Meta has been able to expand its smart glasses
products with additional EssilorLuxottica brands, like Oakley.
As Apple, Google, and Snapchat develop competing wearables, Meta has announced new styles and functionality details for its
forthcoming AI smart glasses, as well as software updates, including neural handwriting on Display models.
The company may also be developing additional wearable products, such as a pendant powered by Meta AI and AR glasses expected to launch sometime next year.
Overall, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is betting on smart glasses to eventually replace smartphones, warning both
industry leaders and consumers that “if you don’t have glasses that have AI, you’re probably going to be at a pretty significant cognitive disadvantage compared to other
people.”
Shepherd’s involvement in the creator side of Meta’s evolving wearables business could help the company’s product line reach
more consumers due to high-profile promotions and use cases.
