Proudly Canadian, obsessively Toronto. Subscribe to Toronto Life!

The most influential up-and-comers of 2015

Five Torontonians on the verge of big things

By Toronto Life

| November 30, 2015

Copy link

The Future Oscar Fave

Stephan James, 21

His supporting roles in Selma, The Book of Negroes and The L.A. Complex earned him a spot in the TIFF Rising Stars program (Tatiana Maslany is an alumna). His starring role in Race, the biopic about Olympian Jesse Owens, will mark his breakout.

The Digital Sage

Ryan Merkley, 37

The CEO of online-copyright company Creative Commons is a former advisor to David Miller, ex-COO of Mozilla Foundation and an authority on open government. The White House summoned him on three occasions to advise on open data, education and research.

The Pop Prodigy

Alessia Cara, 19

The Brampton singer ended 2015 with a Jimmy Fallon performance under her belt, an onstage appearance with Taylor Swift, a single that reached number three on the Billboard R&B charts, and both a debut EP and full-length album on Def Jam Recordings.

The Design Mastermind

Alex Josephson, 32

Through Partisans, the promising young architecture firm he co-founded in 2011, Josephson has helped revitalize Union Station; Toronto’s most stunning restaurant, Bar Raval; and the award-winning Grotto Sauna in Georgian Bay.

The Tech Titan

Michele Romanow, 30

The e-commerce phenom has founded four companies: Buytopia, SnapSaves (which was bought by Groupon), a caviar distributor and an eco-friendly coffee shop. This year, she joined the cast of Dragons’ Den, where she’ll mentor and fund like-minded entrepreneurs.

More of Toronto's Most Influential People

Culture

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #1, Drake

Today, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, Drake is Toronto

The Future Oscar Fave

Stephan James, 21

The Digital Sage

Ryan Merkley, 37

The Pop Prodigy

Alessia Cara, 19

The Design Mastermind

Alex Josephson, 32

The Tech Titan

Michele Romanow, 30

More of Toronto's Most Influential People

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #1, Drake

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #2, John Tory

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #3, Kathleen Wynne

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #4, George Cope

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #5, Gerald Butts

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #6, Guy Laurence

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #7, Ian Black

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #8, Jennifer Keesmaat

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #9, Larry Tanenbaum

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #10, Naomi Klein

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #11, Katie Telford

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #12, José Bautista

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #13, Patrick Brown

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #14, Piers Handling and Cameron Bailey

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #15, Randy Lennox

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #16, John Ruffolo

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #17, Nick Kouvalis

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #18, The Weeknd

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #19, Brendan Shanahan

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #20, Ted Livingston

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #21, Ratna Omidvar

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #22, David Thomson

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #23, Mark Saunders

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #24, Galen Weston

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #25, Charles Khabouth

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #26, Eric Hoskins

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #27, Tim Hockey

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #28, Josh Donaldson

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #29, Jeff Remedios

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #30, Tatiana Maslany

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #31, Zunera Ishaq

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #32, Margaret Atwood

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #33, Anthony Rose

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #34, Marie Henein

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #35, Tanya Taylor

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #36, Jeff Stober

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #37, Kirstine Stewart

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #38, Chrystia Freeland

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #39, Kevin Donovan

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #40, Saäd Rafi

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #41, Gary Slaight

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #42, Kristin Cochrane

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #43, Matt Galloway

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #44, Katie Taylor

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #45, Sam Mizrahi

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #46, Peter Gilgan

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #47, Andre De Grasse

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #48, Mathieu Chantelois

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #49, Robert Deluce

Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #50, Karen Kain

Big Stories

Inside the rise and fall of the Vaulter Bandit, the 21st century’s most notorious bank robber

Trump’s Loss, Toronto’s Gain: Meet the artists, professors, scientists and other luminaries ditching the US and moving north

Dancing Queens: Patrons, staff and performers share their wildest memories of Crews and Tangos, Toronto’s most storied drag bar

Edward the Conqueror: The unlikely ascent of Canada’s telecom king

Lady Parts: Inside Meredith MacNeill and Jennifer Whalen’s new show, Small Achievable Goals

Dark Horse: Inside the fall of Eric Lamaze, Canada’s most famous equestrian