Webster SOC Alum Earns a Spot on Forbes’ “30 Under 30” List

Stephen Works ’20, a graduate from the Webster University School of Communications Interactive Digital Media program was named to Forbes Magazine’s prestigious 2026 “30 Under 30” list, an annual compilation of those younger than 30 who are “up-and-coming visionaries who are shaping tomorrow.”

Works, 29, founded the online company SpringSims and uses the company’s platform to promote various charities to its nearly two million viewers and 140,000 followers. 

“I did get a little impostor syndrome after I learned I was on the list, so it felt weird at first, but then I remembered all that I achieved in 2024 and 2025,” Works said. “I think what really made me standout for this year’s list is that even though I have been building content online for more than 14 years, I have dedicated myself to live through the values of doing social good and spreading joy, authenticity, and representation. I believe I was put on Earth to do two things: to entertain people and to help people. And that’s what I plan to do for the rest of my life, no matter what may happen next.”

SpringSims was originally Works’ username on social media. When he was 14, he began creating and sharing original content that could be used in the popular Electronic Arts game franchise “The Sims.” That game is a “sandbox game,” which allows the players to determine all the actions of the virtual characters in the game and the overall environment that the characters interact with. Players build houses, decide careers, determine their moods, build families, and ultimately satisfy the desires of the virtual characters. It is one of the top-selling franchise of all time. 

“All the content that I strive to make is made to be comedic but in an educational way as you watch you'll find yourself learning new tools for building houses in The Sims or features you didn't know existed/wanted to learn more about,” Works said. “I’ve also crafted narrative stories from everyday life lessons, books, movies, etc. that players around the world could add to their Sims game, helping them build a personal connection to every character.”

Besides the content, Works also began producing YouTube videos with tutorials and commentary about The Sims and began hosting a livestream on the video platform Twitch where players could interact directly with him as they watched him build content or play the game. Within a year of him sharing his passion online, the viewers started to grow exponentially, so much so that in 2015, Electronic Arts – under their EA Games brand – invited him to join their creator network. In that role, Works shows up at EA sponsored events, helps with beta testing new content, participates in feedback sessions and plays in official EA live stream events and competitions. Because of the revenue created by these ventures from viewership and advertising, Works registered SpringSims as a limited liability company in 2021, to better track expenses and manage his taxes. 

It was through this venture that he saw an opportunity to give back to the community as well. He annually hosts fundraisers and awareness events for Hope for Haiti, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and the Trevor Project. Last year, he raised more than $246,000 for those organizations. He also hosts bi-weekly podcasts where he invites other content creators with different backgrounds and viewpoints to have honest conversations about the challenges they face. 

Works was nominated for the Forbes list in 2024 by a previous nominee but was not selected. Since then, he was named one of the top streamers on Twitch’s Sims channel, with 1.72 million unique Twitch viewers and more than 13 million minutes of viewing time logged. He also worked with EA Sports, Xbox, AT&T, Fidelity and Logitech and was named one of 20 recipients of StreamElements' Creator Diversity Program. In addition, he won the LGBTQ Streamer of the Year at the Gayming Awards. Works was notified last year that he had been “shortlisted” for possible inclusion in this year’s list.

More recently, he was involved alongside the Pan African Gaming Group in the development process of "The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy" expansion pack, which is set to release on February 12th. “Having West-African roots, my voice in the development of the pack felt empowering to ensure that the elements of West-African culture were present throughout the theme of royalty. I enjoyed getting to do CAS (create a sim), world, townies, name, and making moodboards,” Works said. “I believe that everyone who has played The Sims will enjoy this pack in any playstyle this coming February, especially celebrating The Sims franchise's 26th anniversary.”

He added that the Sims Team had “continued efforts to ensure that representation is not just treated as a completed assignment, and continuing to practice the understanding that blackness is not just a monolith. I always believe that representation matters in life and in video games."

Works said he credits School of Communications Lecturer Julie Smith with fully realizing the power of social media and its impact on viewers. He originally transferred to Webster from Southwestern Illinois College because he enjoyed the St. Louis community and knew Webster had a strong reputation for offering state-of-the-art tools to its communication students. But it was the professors that truly helped him grow, he said.

“It was August 2018, first day of class for the year, and the first for me at Webster, and I walked into a large classroom and there was a slide already up that said ‘Escape the Media Jungle.’ Behind it was an image from The Sims 4 Jungle Adventure, and I knew immediately that the teacher, Julie Smith, was cool,” Works said. “And over the next two years, she opened my eyes to communications, the role it plays in society, and how to access, analyze, evaluate, create and improve your messages overall.”

Besides the great classroom instruction, Works also believe his involvement in student organizations helped him further hone his skills. He urges all students to get involved at their schools.

“Those life skills gave me the experience I needed to plan large events both in person and virtually. If don't see it, create it,” he said. “You never know who's watching your work. What you're doing now can help you, create a better program, help increase literacy in your hometown, help you understand the world better, and even get on Forbes 30 Under 30 list. No idea is small, dream big and fun while doing it.”

Visit Work’s website to learn more about his achievements.

The complete Forbes 30 Under 30 list is online. Works’ entry can be found under the “gaming” category.

Visit the School of Communications page to learn more about its programs and to apply.