Last month, American business magazine Forbes published a list of 30 “disruptors and innovators” in 12 fields who, before the tender age of 30, have already made huge waves up their respective industries. Perhaps it’s not surprising that many of these people are working in digital media and technology – it’s still a relatively young industry and there’s plenty of moving and shaking still to be done – but some of the choices can tell us a lot about what spells success in the online world.
If you’re the ambitious sort and you’ve yet to celebrate the big three-oh (or even if you have), maybe you could take a few tips from these game-changing whippersnappers:
Alex Pareene - @pareene
Political blogger, 25
Alex Pareene cut his teeth writing characteristically ascerbic articles for Gawker.com, before being signed to Salon by former Observer staffer Steve Kornacki in April 2010. He’s now one of America’s most feared political commentators, recently setting his sights on the GOP presidential nominations.
Sean “Day[9]” Plott - @day9tv
E-sports promoter and additional pylon construction facilitator, 25
Known for his tireless dedication to e-sports broadcasting and daily videos on “being a better gamer”, Day[9] is the poster boy for those who want to bring competitive gaming out of the basement and into a multi-million dollar scene. His goofy casting style and sharp strategic insight make him a regular face at events like Dreamhack and Major League Gaming.
Tavi Gevinson - @TaviGevinson
Editor-in-chief of Rookie magazine, 15
Tavi began blogging about fashion aged just 11, and has since appeared regularly in Teen Vogue, French Vogue and at numerous fashion events around the world. She was recently described by the Huffington Post as going from “amusing industry oddity … to a regular working insider” in the space of two years, and is credited with inspiring countless other young fashionistas to write.
Scott Kidder - @skidder
Editorial director of Gawker Media, 27
The man at the helm of one of the internet’s most-read blog families, including io9, Kotaku and Jezebel, Scott Kidder certainly knows a thing or two about the transition from print to new media – and in fact was responsible for a good deal of it, having formerly worked at ABC News and music blog aggregator The Hype Machine.
Nicholas “Comex” Allegra - @comex
iPhone jailbreaker turned Apple intern, 19
Creator of the JailBreakMe website, which allowed even the most non-technical of iPhone users to hack the device and install third-party software with a single gesture, Comex was last year taken on as one of Apple’s newest interns. The moral here is that if you bloody the nose of a multinational technology behemoth, maybe they’ll just give you a job.
Pete Cashmore - @petecashmore
CEO of Mashable, 26
Aberdeen-born Cashmore was one of the few Brits to make the list, but his impressive credentials make up for it – growing Mashable from a one-man operation in 2005 to one of the world’s most profitable blogs today, while maintaining a Twitter account that consistently ranks in the top 40 for popularity. Last year, the first Mashable Connect conference attracted 300 social media executives and entrepreneurs.
What do you think of the list? Please leave your comments below!