24 most influential Bristolians under 24

From music to film, technology to fashion, and politics to art, these are the 24 most influential Bristolians under the age of 24.

It is the third annual list compiled by Rife magazine aiming not to be a definitive roundup, but more of a conversation-starter and to stimulate debate.

“We want to celebrate everything they’ve done for Bristol and for youth culture in the city,” say the Rife team.

Here are 2016’s 24: 

Lewis Wedlock

Lewis is a Bristolian university student currently studying psychology with sociology. He founded Altiefe in February 2016, which amalgamates blogging, livestreaming and podcasting to inspire young adults to improve their lives and approach success from a different perspective.

Cameron Parker

Cameron is the UK’s number one schools motivational speaker, not only inspiring thousands of students in Bristol but also around the UK. Cameron also runs a business, working with and inspiring the younger generation in the UK.

Luke Barnett

Luke is a keen freelance film editor who works in digital marketing. He creates a host of online videos including rants and lifestyle vlogs. Driving around the country seeing friends is something he lives for and his family and friends are what he wakes up for.

Rosie Mclay

Whilst studying art at UWE, Rosie directed the Market at the Moon and started selling her artwork as well as managing large student exhibitions. Now she co-directs the Bristol Bazaar markets and pop up shops, runs her art business and is a technician at Spike Print Studio.

Ailsa Fineron

Ailsa is a part-time barista and full-time multidisciplinary artist, intersectional feminist and mental health advocate. She talks about mental health issues, race, gender and people and how they intersect.

Malaika Kegode

Malaika is a poet and promoter, always looking for stories to tell. She is the creator and host of Milk Poetry, a monthly event showcasing poetic talent from the South West and beyond. She has performed across the UK, with her debut poetry collection Requite published next year.

Jo Bligh

Jo is a producer and performer who runs THORNY, a club night and platform for outsiders in the city. It’s an inclusive show and a safe space, featuring live music, performance, drag and a lot of partying. Jo also plays synth in Oliver Wilde‘s live band.

Maya Gamble

Maya works behind the scenes in the music industry on live events and festivals. She has worked in production, accreditation, programming and artist liaison at high profile events, and is the Bristol city manager for DICE who are radically changing the ticketing industry.

Simran Randhawa

Simran is currently in her final year at the University of Bristol studying sociology. In her spare time she writes for online magazine gal-dem, models for the likes of H&M and Skepta, performs spoken word poetry, and plays basketball for the university second team.

Chanté Joseph

The chair of the University of Bristol student council and president of the African and Caribbean Association also runs the Bristol Is The New Black initiative. Chanté is also a trustee for the British Youth Council, a competitive cheerleader and writes for gal-dem.

Patricia Ekall

Patricia is a freelance journalist and photographer, whose CV includes creative directing a project for Citizen Cashmere Paris and contributing to publications including the Huffington Post, ThandieKay and Bristol24/7. She was also features editor at XXY magazine.

Joe Bryan

Joe came through the Bristol City youth team. He scored his first goal for City against Bristol Rovers in September, and his first league goal for the club came in November against Crawley Town. In June 2015 he signed a contract extension keeping him at Bristol City until 2019.

Eno Mfon

Eno is a writer and performer. Following her one-woman show Check the Label performed at Bristol Old Vic, her play Shipped hit the stage in Bristol. She hit national headlines this year when she challenged Bristol University over the lack of black writers in their curriculum.

Suzi Bird

Suzi is a professional photographer who specialises in dance photography. As a dancer herself, Suzi has grown up surrounded by the beauty and creativity of dance. One day she combined her life-long love of dance with her passion for photography, and everything just slipped into place.

Ebony Clark

Ebony was elected to the Bristol City Youth Council in 2015 for a two-year term of office. She is also a shadow safeguarding board member and an equalities champion focusing on disability.

Jay Carter-Coles

Jay is a filmmaker and producer whose recent achievements include winning two international film awards at this year’s COP22 Connect4Climate competition. He has also worked with a variety of organisations in Bristol, including Above and Beyond, Babassa and Knowle West Media Centre.

Myles Hoo

Cameraman Myles’ 365 Recordings Youtube channel films music for artists from across the UK. He also produces films for companies including Bristol Community Health and Bristol Night Stop, and is working on new content for 2017.

Anna Tehabsim

Anna is the deputy editor of Crack Magazine, and a cultural commentator who has written for the likes of i-D. She has also produced a documentary on Amsterdam’s dance music scene.

Hari Ramakrishnan

Hari is a writer and performer. He is an assistant producer for In Between Time’s flagship production of next year’s festival, The Record, and has performed his own original work at Bristol Old Vic, the Tobacco Factory and the Wardrobe Theatre.

Nasra Ayub

Passionate about violence against women and girls, Nasra is a junior trustee at Integrate Bristol who helps facilitate their nationwide education campaigns around FGM. She uses her Twitter platform to raise awareness on the stigmas surrounding mental health.

Cai Burton

Cai is an illustrator and designer who runs Cai Burton Design. Black and white is his speciality and his work is always based on patterns. Recently, he has been working on illustrations of various animals, and has previously created work for Upfest, Festival of Ideas and Off The Record.

Owain Astles

Owain is a filmmaker whose work predominantly focuses on political and social issues. He is currently directing Sleeping Rough, a film raising awareness of homelessness in the UK, based on interviews taken with rough sleepers from Glasgow to London.

Katie Finch

Katie Finch co-founded mental health festival Freedom of Mind and is the managing director of Freedom of Mind CIC. Freedom of Mind is her way of trying to help others have conversations about mental health even before it becomes a problem.

Estella Maloney

Estella has represented the South West England basketball team in Europe and currently plays in the senior national league for Bristol Storm.

Read more: 24 influential Bristolians under 24 2015