G.O.L.D. Spotlight: Ava Rikki ’15

Friends Seminary is proud to celebrate Ava Rikki ’15, who has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Marketing & Advertising, a recognition reserved for young creators who are reshaping how stories are told and shared in today’s entertainment landscape.

A director and cinematographer based in Los Angeles and New York, Ava moves fluidly between narrative film, music videos, commercial campaigns, and photography. Her portfolio spans work with cultural institutions and brands including Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update and Film Unit, Panavision, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, Tribeca Film Festival, IBM, Universal Music, Sony Music, Republic Records, NBC, Paper Magazine, Hypebeast, Nylon, Frieze x Paramount Pictures, Art Basel Miami, Microsoft, and Botanist Vodka, among others. Her images live everywhere from gallery walls to stadium screens and city streets.

At the heart of Ava’s work is a deep attention to people. Whether she is crafting a music video, framing a live performance, or designing a visual world for a campaign, she brings that same care to collaborations with some of today’s most recognizable cultural figures—from campaigns featuring Olivia Rodrigo for Lancôme x Vogue to fashion and beauty work with Kendall Jenner for Tory Burch, alongside projects for global brands like Microsoft and Spotify. Her projects often center on themes of identity, vulnerability, joy, and resilience—capturing small, human details within bold, cinematic compositions.

A graduate of Pratt Institute’s Film/Video program, Ava has shared that her time at Friends helped shape both her creative path and her belief in storytelling as a way to build community. We’re delighted to cheer her on as she continues to forge an ambitious, imaginative, and deeply human career in entertainment.