Content creators on the 30 Under 30 Asia: Social Media, Marketing & Advertising list are inspiring others to pursue their passion and demystifying complex topics for a Gen-Z audience.

To mark Indonesia’s 80th independence day in August 2025, state-owned carrier Garuda Indonesia commissioned local artist and influencer Erika Richardo to paint a mural on a Boeing 737 aircraft. Richardo, who says it took months to sell the idea to the airline, produced a work infused with batik elements depicting 16 ethnic groups from across the archipelago. Her video documenting the process went viral, garnering thousands of views on social media. Using art as a vehicle for storytelling and creating social impact has earned Richardo over 18 million followers on TikTok. She’s one of Indonesia’s standout creators on the platform, winning awards for three consecutive years, starting in 2022.

Richardo is one of the content creators on this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia: Social Media, Marketing & Advertising list who is using social media to share her passion and inspire others to pursue theirs.

Richardo revealed her creative streak as a child, went on to enter art contests and take on small commissions. While her parents hoped she would join the family’s jewelry trade, Richardo continued to pursue her passion by painting on household objects such as doors and wardrobes and posting it online while studying business at Prasetiya Mulya University in Tangerang, near Jakarta.

She became an online sensation in 2021 after she painted a friend’s Porsche with motifs of the Balinese barong, a mythical lion-like creature. Together with her boyfriend, sustainability influencer Jerhemy Owen, she’s set up Rumah Mimpi Indonesia, a nonprofit that’s raised 1.7 billion rupiah ($100,000) to build schools in remote parts of Indonesia and provide art supplies to children. Richardo says she’s seeking to “inspire young people to experiment, try new things, and for those who have high creativity and love the arts, to become artists.”

Parth Bajaj is another listee using social media to share his passion for cooking. The self-taught Indian baker and digital creator has built a fast-growing culinary brand around his baking videos on Instagram, Tiktok and YouTube. Known for demystifying pastries and desserts for aspiring home cooks, Bajaj began creating cooking content in 2017 and now has more than 1.5 million followers across social media platforms. The industrial engineering graduate set up a home bakery, Plated by Parth, during the pandemic. Last year, he published his debut cookbook, Plated by Parth: Whisk, Bake, Indulge, with Penguin Random House, featuring fusion desserts that blend classic techniques with Indian flavors.

Bringing Science To The Masses

Gen-Z scholars are also leveraging social platforms to demystify complex science, making it accessible and entertaining for the general public.

Kirsten Banks, known to hundreds of thousands of followers on social media as AstroKirsten, is an Australia-based astrophysicist who makes the wonders of the universe—black holes, cosmic discoveries, the search for life beyond Earth—easier to understand. She uses her Wiradjuri heritage to incorporate Indigenous teachings about the stars. Banks is a brand ambassador for Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow program and a lecturer at Swinburne University of Technology.

In Thailand, Nattanon Dungsunenarn is a cofounder and editor-in-chief of Spaceth.co, an online media platform that aims to inspire young Thais to explore space and pursue STEM. Since 2017, Spaceth has covered a wide range of topics on its website, podcasts and social media, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers and millions of viewers. Dungsunenarn also speaks at astronomy-related events and workshops.

Aiming to destigmatize discussions around intimacy, Australian sex historian, author, and digital creator Esmé James launched her Kinky History TikTok and podcast series, which now boasts over 3 million followers. In 2023, she published the bestselling "Kinky History: The Stories of Our Intimate Lives, Past and Present." A second season of her mini documentary series "SexTistics," which examines modern intimate lives through data, airs this year. Her Ph.D. from the University of Melbourne explored erotic aesthetics in 18th-century literature.

Current Affairs

Beyond science communication, several list honorees are using their platforms to break down complex global news and current affairs topics, helping their followers navigate an increasingly complicated world.

New Zealand-based Lucy Blakiston is the cofounder of Shit You Should Care About, an online media platform that makes global issues digestible for younger audiences. Launched as a blog in 2018, the platform has nearly 4 million followers, primarily on Instagram, including high-profile followers such as Bella Hadid and Madonna. It also boasts more than 600,000 newsletter subscribers and has expanded into a podcast series and a book titled "Make It Make Sense."

In Australia, Hannah Ferguson cofounded Cheek Media, a news commentary media platform, to discuss topics that matter. Outside Cheek Media, Ferguson is a cohost of the news and pop culture podcast Big Small Talk, and the author of two books on feminist issues, Bite Back and Taboo. She holds a bachelor's in law and a master's in writing, editing and publishing from the University of Queensland.

Achievers in Marketing and Advertising

This year's list features top young minds in marketing and advertising, proving that human creativity can still shine—even as automated AI tools reshape the digital landscape.

India-based Makarand Narkar is a visual artist and cofounder of Boomranng Studio, which created the 13-second animation for Coldplay's song 'Good Feelings' in 2024. Boomranng is dedicated to breaking stereotypes about India with stories crafted for global brands. Last year, Narkar was a finalist at The One Club for Creativity's Young Guns, an award for emerging creative professionals 30 years of age or under. It produced an animation for the 2024 Paralympics and the Google Doodle for India's 79th Independence Day.

Léon Bristow is an art director at Auckland-based Colenso BBDO, part of the global BBDO network. Bristow, who has Maori, Samoan and Dutch ancestry, was ranked 4th best Art Director in the world by the Cannes Lions Talent Rankings in 2023. In addition, Bristow is the founder of BEINGS, a casting platform dedicated to diversity of talent, including people of color and individuals with disabilities.

Malaysia’s Daniel Woodroof is a cofounder of Pandan Social, a Kuala Lumpur-based boutique digital marketing and creative agency started in 2018. In 2023, the company was acquired by New York-headquartered communications consultancy company Ruder Finn for an undisclosed amount and Woodroof remains CEO.

Read our complete Social Media, Marketing & Advertising list here – and be sure to check out our full Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2026 coverage here.

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