U on Sunday’s Hot 19 for 2019: this is who made the list
They are the 19 young, rising stars from Queensland, who we predict are in for a huge 2019. From actors to singers to artists to writers, they are the creatives who you’ll be hearing a lot more from in the year ahead.
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They are the 19 young, rising stars from Queensland, who we predict are in for a huge 2019. From actors to singers to artists to writers, they are the creatives who you’ll be hearing a lot more from in the year ahead.
SAPPHIROULA PELECAS
23, Fashion designer/model/influencer
STAR FACTOR: A social media savvy skill set saw her go from walking the runways to showcasing her own creations on them
Quitting a corporate job at the tender age of 21 to pursue a living in the fickle world of social media influencing sounds risky by anyone’s standards but for Brisbane fashion designer Sapphiroula Pelecas, it led to the launch of her own clothing label. The model, who studied marketing and events management at Griffith University, decided to take a leap of faith in the hope it would propel her closer to her dream of working in the fashion industry when her growing Instagram following saw brands beginning to pay to collaborate with her.
DANNY HARLEY
29, musician
STAR FACTOR: Eclectic artist adds another string to his already heavy bow by taking out the 2018 Grant McLennan Fellowship gong
Better known by his stage moniker The Kite String Tangle, Brisbane-based musician, singer and producer Danny Harley has established himself as one of Australia’s leading alternative electronic artists since bursting on to the scene in 2013 with his debut single Given the Chance. That track made it No. 19 on the Triple J Hottest 100 and went on to earn Harley a gold record.
EMILY GRUHL
26, actor
STAR FACTOR: Highly trained actor will land in LA with dreams and determination
If last year was her breakthrough year, then Emily Gruhl intends 2019 to be her blockbuster year. As the 26-year-old actor heads to Los Angeles with her boyfriend, fellow Brisbane-raised actor Alastair Osment, to pursue larger-scale work, she does so with an impressive portfolio.
Gruhl scored a global audience as Minnie in Foxtel’s reimagining of Picnic At Hanging Rock last year, a role played by Jacki Weaver in the original 1975 film. She followed that up by co-starring with Swedish actor Noomi Rapace in the feature Angel Of Mine.
RYAN PRESLEY
31, visual artist
STAR FACTOR: An ability to cut to the chase in a confronting and entertaining manner
His debut in a graduate exhibition at the Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, in 2010 was the first sign that Ryan Presley was someone to watch. His paintings of Australian currency featuring leading Aboriginal figures were a way of embracing his indigenous heritage while commenting on our colonial history. Since then Presley’s star has been on the rise and last year a solo exhibition at the Institute of Modern Art in Brisbane marked his arrival as an artist of note.
ELLEN REED
30, singer/songwriter
STAR FACTOR: She’s the vocal powerhouse with passion and prowess to burn
Few could forget the moment this flame-haired beauty bowled over one of the biggest names in the music business with her phenomenal rendition of Sia’s Chandelier, snapping up the last spot on team Jessie J on The Voice in 2016. The Brisbane performer went on to make the Grand Final of the reality singing competition, cementing herself as one of Queensland’s most exciting voices and becoming one of the state’s most in-demand talents.
JESSICA TOWNSEND
33, author
STAR FACTOR: Fantasy goes fantastic as her Nevermoor series is optioned by Hollywood
Sunshine Coast author Jessica Townsend has been predicted to be the next J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter creator), ever since the publication of her first book N evermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow in 2017. With Townsend’s second Nevermoor novel published last year,
the series has been optioned by Hollywood A-lister Drew Goddard and 20th Century Fox.
Townsend is currently bunkered down in her home at Caloundra, on a strict writing schedule.
REMY HII
31, actor
STAR FACTOR: Yet-to-be-revealed role in Spider-Man franchise looks set to spin some crazy riches
He’s just finished filming a major role in the next Spider-Man film; he’s still riding the high that was Crazy Rich Asians; but Remy Hii is unsure if he can pull off his next major engagement. “My next big project is going to be a little holiday,” the 31-year-old who grew up in Townsville says with a grin. “I say that now, and then, who knows, something will come up that I’m not going to be able to say no to.”
TIA GOSTELOW
19, musician
STAR FACTOR: Early pub gigs gave this talented teen Thick Skin plus experience beyond her years
Not many 19-year-olds can be described as music industry veterans, but Mackay-raised and now Brisbane-based singer-songwriter Tia Gostelow, who has been playing guitar since the age of seven, is not like most her age. Gostelow first came to national attention in 2016 when her song State of Art won Triple J’s Indigenous Initiative.
FINN LITTLE
12, actor
STAR FACTOR: Meet the boy who is storming the big screen in the Storm Boy remake
Finn Little may only be 12, but he is creating a storm in the Australian film industry.
Currently on cinema screens in the Storm Boy remake, he not only holds his own in the titular role against actors of the calibre of Jai Courtney (playing his dad, Hideaway Tom) and Trevor Jamieson (as Fingerbone Bill), but he doesn’t allow himself to be upstaged by a trio of adorable real-life pelicans.
ELLIE GONSALVES
27, model/actor/social media influencer
STAR FACTOR: The beauty of hard work and talent pays off
Take one look at Ellie Gonsalves, and you’ll quickly realise she’s no ordinary woman.
Aside from her flawless complexion, million-dollar smile and washboard abs, there’s something else about her that takes your breath away. A former John Paul College student and National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) graduate, Gonsalves built her modelling career in Australia before moving to LA in 2015.
GEORGE PULLAR
22, actor
STAR FACTOR: Two major TV roles to his name, he needs to hop the next flight to LAX, pronto
The ex-Brisbane Grammar lad had a huge 2018. Coming off his role on A Place To Call Home, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts graduate appeared in not one, but two, major TV dramas last year. Witty and wide-eyed playing an AFL recruit in Network 10’s Playing For Keeps, he then shone as Private “Toasti” in the gritty and gunning Foxtel series Fighting Season. And on top of that, he followed in Chris Hemsworth’s footsteps, with
his very own Foxtel ad. Pullar was also named among the Casting Guild of
Australia’s 10 Rising Stars for 2018.
AMELIA TOWNSEND
19, ballet dancer
STAR FACTOR: She began dancing when she was 3, now she’s a right royal performer
Growing up in sun-soaked and sea-breezed Manly in Brisbane’s east, Amelia Townsend now finds herself in freezing, snowy London as a rising star of The Royal Ballet School. The protege of acclaimed dancer and instructor, Annette Roselli – who also happens to be her mum – Townsend moved to London in 2015 after being accepted into the RB school, advancing to the RB’s elite Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme (2018/19 season). Fingers crossed for mid this year when she finds out if her apprenticeship turns into an offer to join the RB.
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MARIA TRAN
33, producer/director/actor/stunts
STAR FACTOR: No braking for this Breakout Female Action Star (Action On Film Fest, 2016)
If you saw Street Smart on Channel 10 last year, you’ll recall Tran’s character Trans Phat’s nasally catchline: “You under-staaand?” Well, we understand one thing, Tran is an over-achiever. Growing up in Ipswich, the multi-skilled actor has done stunts for The Meg and Bleeding Steel; written, directed and produced docos and short films; was a 2014 DreamGirl pageant finalist; and this year will be seen in the TV vampire-comedy Bondi Slayer.
LUKE SPARKE
33, film director
STAR FACTOR: Unique creative flair and an irrepressible let’s-make-a-movie attitude
His sci-fi romp Occupation was an indie hit; so much so he’s enlisted Crazy Rich Asians star Ken Jeong to be in the sequel, Occupation: Rainfall, currently in production. Also in the cast are Lisa McCune, Vince Colosimo, Temuera Morrison and regular collaborator Dan Ewing. With backing from major US distributors, Gold Coast-based Sparke’s films are only going to get bigger and bigger – so watch out! As he told U on Sunday recently: “It will be good one day when I have a massive budget and my imagination can run wild!”
RHYS WAKEFIELD
30, actor
STAR FACTOR: From soapie to serious drama, Wakefield is making all the right moves
This Cairns-raised actor has come a long way since playing Lucas on soapie Home And Away. He made a splash as a lead in James Cameron’s Gold Coast fizzer Sanctum in 2011 before heading to the US where he has been in steady work ever since, including the top bill in last year’s The Grand Son. 2019 is his year, though, with a turn in the highly anticipated return season of True Detective, alongside Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali.
TOM OLIVER
26, actor/musical theatre
STAR FACTOR: Triple threat is a triple treat. He can sing, dance and act ... all at the same time!
Brisbane’s own Tom Oliver has a portfolio that includes, music, theatre, film, television and cabaret. He was terrific as the star of RENT: The Musical at QPAC last year, and toured Australia and NZ as the lead male vocalist in global disco phenomenon VELVET opposite Queen of Pop Marcia Hines. This year he will be touring his show Jive Talkin’: The Songs of The Brothers Gibb, and will tour again with Hines in a new show.
ALEX RAINERI
25, classical musician/pianist
STAR FACTOR: He’s handsome, charming, in demand and boy can he tickle those ivories
This award-winning young musician has been described by Limelight magazine as “a soloist of superb virtuosic skill and musicality”. Raineri is a Brisbane recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician who has toured the US, the UK and Europe. In 2019 he will play in NZ, London and Berlin; will accompany renowned clarinetist Andrea Ottensamer at the Sydney Opera House in May; and will also launch two solo albums.
BECKY LUCAS
29, comedian/writer
STAR FACTOR: She’s funny, sassy, talented and flying the flag for female comedian s
Brisbane-born Lucas got her start in 2013, as a National RAW Comedy finalist and in 2014 was hand-picked to perform at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s The Comedy Zone showcase. A year later she performed her first solo show Hightide to sellout crowds. She co-wrote Josh Thomas’s Emmy-nominated show, Please Like Me. This year, she’s on stage at seven Australian comedy festivals, including Brisbane next month.
SAHARA BECK
22, singer/songwriter
STAR FACTOR: This former Sunshine Coast songstress is on song for greater things
Since the release of her acclaimed 2016 album Panacea, Brisbane-based Sahara Beck’s career has been right on song. She gave voice to Queensland Tourism’s Somewhere Only We Know campaign in 2017, and has shared the stage with the likes of Paul Kelly, Bernard Fanning and the Cat Empire. Working on her next album with ARIA Award-nominated producer Tony Buchen for her new label Dew Process, her single Here We Go Again is a taste of things to come.
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