babe and brilliant

celebrating brilliant women who happen to be hot babes.

[babenbrilliant]

Jenna Wortham is many things - but she’s primarily known for her work as a writer for the NY Times.

There she writes mainly about technology and culture.

Prior to the Times, Jenna was a tech and culture reporter for Wired.com and a freelance writer for Wired magazine.

Her work has also appeared in Bust magazine, The Hairpin, Vogue, The Morning News, Fader and various other publications.

She is also the queen of side hustles.

From starting a zine celebrating women she admired, aptly titled GirlCrushZine to helping curate an Emoji Art show to co-histing a radio show called Heartline to a series about Sexting in the age of technology.

There’s nothing Jenna isn’t keen to explore in the digital realm.

Interviewer: Santilla Chingaipe

Artwork by Tegan Iversen

To find out more on the series, visit http://wearegriot.com/

[babenbrilliant]

Ajak Deng is one of Australia’s most successful international runway models.

She’s graced the covers of many magazines including fashion bible Vogue and walked for every major designer from Chloe to Valentino and every one in between.

The 25 year old was born in what was then part of Sudan and is today known as South Sudan.

She was forced to flee the conflict there and ended up in Kenya before migrating to Australia with her family.

But there’s much more to her story than that.

She’s also quite the thrill seeker and hilarious too.

But despite dominating runways overseas and headlining major fashion campaigns, she’s still relatively unknown here in Australia.

Interviewer: Santilla Chingaipe

Artwork by Tegan Iversen

To find out more on the series, visit the

http://wearegriot.com/

[babenbrilliant]

There’s very little that Yassmin Abdel-Magied hasn’t done yet.

She was named Queensland’s Young Australian of the Year for 2015.

She’s a mechanical engineer, writer, social advocate, and a self-described petrol head.

At 16, she set up her own not for profit organisation Youth Without Borders - which aims to improve access to opportunity and enable young people to work for positive change in their communities.

She’s been named one of Australia’s most influential women, writes for various publications, shakes things up on the ABC’s popular Q&A program and regularly speaks around the country inspiring other young people to live life fully and with purpose.

She literally is the definition of an over achiever - in the best way possible, and the world is certainly a better place because of her enthusiasm when tackling some of the most challenging questions in our community.

And by the far has one of the coolest jobs in the world - working as an engineer on an offshore oil and gas rig.

Interviewer: Santilla Chingaipe

Artwork by Tegan Iversen

To find out more on the series, visit the http://wearegriot.com/

[babenbrilliant]

Sarah Roberts is a quadruple threat and a name to watch.

She’s an actress, singer, dancer and DJ, and wears all hats with the same enthusiasm and passion!

She has worked in film, television and theatre, both in Australia and overseas, with recent credits including the feature film Felony opposite Joel Edgerton, Tom Wilkinson, Jai Courtney and Melissa George.

Sarah also performs in a DJ duo called VAMP, which plays at venues and festivals around the world.

Interviewer: Santilla Chingaipe

Artwork by Tegan Iversen

To find out more on the series, visit the http://wearegriot.com/

[babenbrilliant]

Piera Gelardi is a creative powerhouse - and she’s just getting warmed up.

As the Executive Creative Director and co-founder of Refinery29, a digital media brand for young women that’s grown significantly over the last decade.

There she oversees all things that make the site come to life visually — from branding and design to art direction, photography, video, and casting.

An entrepreneur from birth, Piera has always had new business ideas up her sleeve — from a zine called Team Rad: Let’s Get Awesome, to a Kandy Katering business, to a card game called Hair She Blows.

She’s based in New York.

Artwork by Tegan Iversen

Copyright Griot Productions

[babenbrilliant]

Piera Gelardi is a creative powerhouse - and she's just getting warmed up.

As the Executive Creative Director and co-founder of Refinery29, a digital media brand for young women that's grown significantly over the last decade.

There she oversees all things that make the site come to life visually — from branding and design to art direction, photography, video, and casting.

An entrepreneur from birth, Piera has always had new business ideas up her sleeve — from a zine called Team Rad: Let's Get Awesome, to a Kandy Katering business, to a card game called Hair She Blows.

She's based in New York.

Artwork by Tegan Iversen

Copyright Griot Productions

[babenbrilliant]

Hermione Underwood lives a varied and truly inspiring life.

Many in Australia may know her for her brief stint on reality television, as well as her beautifully curated social media profiles.

But as you’ll find out, she’s passionate about travel, style and entrepreneurship and managed to create a very exciting career out of those passions.

She relocated from Sydney to London over a year ago, and runs two businesses.

The first, the H Collective, is a boutique brand development and creative communications agency.

The second, HemoineOlivia.com is where she gives us a glimpse into her fabulous life, with tips and musings on travel and style.

Artwork by Tegan Iversen

Copyright Griot Productions

[babenbrilliant]

Award winning film maker Frances Bodomo was born in Ghana and grew up in Accra, Norway, California, and Hong Kong before moving to New York City.

At just 27, she’s already accomplished so much as a film maker.  

Her short films have played at Sundance, the Berlinale, Telluride, SXSW, New Directors/New Films.

Her first short film, Boneshaker, received critical acclaim on the festival circuit in 2013.

She is currently developing her first feature film, Afronauts, which is inspired by the true story of the Zambia Space Academy.

Artwork by Tegan Iversen

Copyright Griot Productions

[babenbrilliant]

At just 23 years of age, Liz Cambage has developed a reputation around world basketball that has people buzzing.

She debuted for the Opals, the Australian women’s basketball national team at the World Championship in 2010

That debut resulted in the Tulsa Shock picking her in the 2011 WNBA Draft, becoming the the highest Australian drafted since Lauren Jackson.

Liz created history at the London Olympics in 2012 when against Russia she became the first woman ever to dunk at the games.

She’s also played in China’s women’s basketball league and currently has her sights firmly set on next year’s Rio Olympics.

Artwork by Tegan Iversen

Copyright Griot Productions

[babenbrilliant]

Milisuthando Bongela, or more affectionately known as, Milli, is a young woman based in Johannesburg, South Africa,

Milli wears many hats, and refers to herself as a ‘professional observer’. She’s a writer, blogger, fashion consultant, newspaper columnist, one time boutique owner and currently working on a documentary on a subject close to her heart, hair and specifically African hair due out sometime next year.

She’s been awarded numerous awards in her native South Africa and runs a popular fashion and culture website, missmillib.co.za.

She is determined to make a difference in South Africa, and is actively working to shape the identity post-apartheid through her work.

Artwork by Tegan Iversen

Copyright Griot Productions

[babenbrilliant]

Graphic Design Edem Badu

[babenbrilliant]

Babe n Brilliant Ep 1: Jamila Rizvi

If you live in Australia and are a woman, you may have stumbled across one of the various websites that are published by the Mamamia Women’s Network. They include Mamamia, the Glow and iVillage Australia.

And if you pay close attention to by-lines, you’ll be familiar with Jamila Rizvi.

She's the Editor-In-Chief of the Mamamia Women’s Network.

At just 29 years of age, Jamila has already accomplished so much.

She once served as a political adviser to the former Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd; She’s been named among Westpac’s 100 Most Influential Women of 2015.

Artwork by Tegan Iversen 

Copyright Griot Productions

[babenbrilliant]

I think it's important that brilliant women step out there and be hot babes - Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie