Lucy Blakiston

Lucy Blakiston is a New Zealand media founder and writer and the co-founder and chief executive of Shit You Should Care About (SYSCA) — the youth-focused media platform that turns global news, politics, culture and internet moments into something people actually want to read.

Blakiston started SYSCA in 2018 with her two childhood best friends from Blenheim, Ruby Edwards and Olivia Mercer, while the three were students at Victoria University of Wellington. The idea arrived in the back of an international relations lecture: Blakiston, frustrated that the news felt as though it had not been made for her, texted the others to suggest they start something. What began as a WordPress blog between friends grew into one of New Zealand’s most recognisable social-first media brands, with a global audience built through Instagram, a daily newsletter, podcasts and a sharp, unmistakable editorial voice.

The premise was simple but powerful: make people care without making them feel stupid for not already knowing. SYSCA spoke in a language native to the internet, mixing serious world events with pop culture, humour and personal reflection. Some of that instinct traces back to Blakiston’s teenage years running a large One Direction fan account, where she learned how online communities form, how attention moves and how to tell a story quickly.

The platform found its moment during the upheavals of 2020, Covid-19, the Black Lives Matter movement and the US and New Zealand elections, when locked-down young people were hungry for information but unsure where to start. SYSCA’s following surged and the project grew into a global media ecosystem spanning newsletters, podcasts, events and the 2024 book Make It Make Sense, which Blakiston co-authored with poet and writer Bel Hawkins.

Over time, Edwards and Mercer moved on to other ventures and by 2023 Blakiston had taken sole ownership of SYSCA, running it as founder and CEO, for a period from her bedroom in Wellington and later from her home region of Marlborough. The platform now reaches millions across its channels and Blakiston has been signed by talent agency WME. In March 2026 she was named Go Media Young New Zealander of the Year, recognising her work helping young people engage with the news in a more human, accessible way. She has also been named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia.

Blakiston’s story is noteworthy because she built a media company without waiting for permission from the old media system. She understood that younger audiences were not apathetic, they were overwhelmed, under-served and tired of being spoken down to and proved that serious information can be useful, funny, emotional and culturally fluent all at once.

Sources: Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year · CNBC · RNZ