Content Creators on the 30 Under 30 Asia: Social Media, Marketing & Advertising list are spreading awareness about issues including the environment.
While majoring in environmental studies at the National University of Singapore, Woo Qiyun created “The Weird and Wild” Instagram page in 2018 to share tips with friends on how to go green. Since then, it has bloomed into an educational platform with 25,000 followers as Woo continues to simplify complex issues such as climate change through colorful illustrations and short videos. “The goal was always to create something that I, firstly, am very passionate about,” she says. “Secondly, it would be helpful to someone.”
Woo is one of the content creators on this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia: Media, Marketing & Advertising list using social media to educate her followers on environmental issues and encourage them to take action.
Woo, who now works as a senior communications manager at the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, also cohosts the Climate Cheesecake podcast, which discusses sustainability issues. In addition, she has designed infographics, animations and social media campaigns for corporate heavyweights, such as German car maker Mercedes-Benz, French sports-equipment retailer Decathlon, and Temasek Trust, the philanthropy unit of Singapore state-owned investment firm Temasek, to help raise environmental awareness. Her goal, she says, is to “change minds…and encourage people to take action.”
In 2023, Woo earned a place among National Geographic’s cohort of Young Explorers and a spot on the BBC 100 Women list of influential women. She has the “ability to balance scientific rigor with a deep sense of wonder,” JT Hardin, senior manager of National Geographic’s Explorer Programs in Washington, D.C., says in an email, “making sustainability feel both urgent and personal.”
Woo’s passion about the environment is shared by other influencers on this year’s list.
Indonesia’s Muchamad Ikhsan Destian, Rafly Pasya, Mochamad Agung Permana, Gilang Rahma and Muhammad Rifqi Sadulloh are the cofounders of environment-focused Pandawara Group. They gained fame in 2022 after posting a video of cleaning the Citarum river in Bandung—said to be one of the dirtiest in the world—racking up millions of viewers in just a few months. Their TikTok account with hundreds of short videos posted so far has over 12 million followers and more than 250 million likes. The group says it has cleaned up over 1.3 million kilograms of trash from rivers and beaches with the help of thousands of volunteers.
Another listee with a similar mission is Andrew Brule, an environmental activist and social media influencer popularly known as Andrew Kalaweit. Brule shares his daily activities in the Dulan forest in Indonesia’s Kalimantan province, where his family lives, as well as factoids and messages on environmental protection with his 3 million followers on YouTube and Instagram. Before starting his own social media channels, he regularly appeared in posts shared by his father, Aurelien Brule (better known as Chanee), the founder of Kalaweit, an NGO focused on protecting the Dulan forest.
Illustrators On The Rise
This year’s list also includes young illustrators from the region who are taking their artform to the next level.
Ka Yan Tam’s illustrations of Cantonese dishes and other foods have drawn over 300,000 followers to her Instagram account, Nomkakaii. Her current project, “Everyday Toast”—featuring toast slices topped with different ingredients—was suggested by Madison Moore, an artist-scholar and assistant professor at Brown University. Starting with a 30-day challenge, the Hong Kong-born artist has made over 400 toast drawings. Tam had her first solo exhibition in Tokyo in April 2024 and has collaborated with the Vivienne Westwood Cafe in Hong Kong and Midori Matcha, a cafe in Los Angeles.
From the Philippines, Visual artist Renren Galeno illustrated the 2024 Pulitzer Prize finalist in illustrated reporting and commentary, “Searching for Maura,” for the Washington Post, which recounted an incident of injustice suffered by a group of Filipinos at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. Her first book, Sa Wala (Nothing to Lose), won a 2024 National Book Award for Best Graphic Novel in English. A magna cum laude fine arts graduate from the University of the Philippines Diliman, she also contributed to the U.K.-funded climate change comic anthology Ten Years to Save the World.
Smart Influence
In an era where social media is ubiquitous, marketing entrepreneurs on the list are developing smart ways to better engage with influencers as well as consumers.
Yash Sakhlecha cofounded Indian social currency platform WYLD that helps nano influencers—those with 1,000 to 10,000 Instagram followers—monetize their content. Its Visa-powered, invitation-only WYLD payment card helps users get 30% to 100% cashback on purchases from partner brands by sharing their buying experiences. The company claims to work with over 200 brands and 10,000 influencers. In early 2024, WYLD raised 7.5 million rupees (around $90,000) from angel investor Anupam Mittal for a 1.5% stake, valuing the company at close to $6 million. The funding followed a $350,000 pre-seed round in 2022 led by Better Capital.
Also in India, college buddies Arihant Jain, Jaidev Kesti and Vivekanand Kilari cofounded Bangalore-based meme marketing firm Wubba Lubba Dub Dub (WLDD) in 2018. The company claims to have over 3,000 meme makers on its platform serving more than 120 brands, including Disney, Spotify and Sony Music. Besides meme marketing, WLDD also helps clients with influencer marketing, experimental marketing and on-demand content. In April 2023, WLDD raised $1.25 million in a seed funding round from Negen Capital.
Read our complete Social Media, Marketing & Advertising list here – and be sure to check out our full Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 coverage here.
This article was originally published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
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