Meet three Cincinnatians making the city more creative, connected and unmistakably itself, and then help choose the first ever Culture Maker of the Week winner.
Cincinnati culture doesn’t just happen. It’s built every day by artists, musicians, chefs, organizers, performers, business owners, neighborhood champions and wonderfully weird people who give this city its personality.
That’s why CityBeat is launching Culture Maker of the Week, a new contest celebrating the people who make Greater Cincinnati more vibrant, joyful, thoughtful and alive, whether they’re working center stage or quietly making things happen behind the scenes.
Nominees are submitted by you, and our editors pick the three up for voting. Read about this week’s contenders below, then cast your vote for the person you think deserves the title.
You can vote as often as you’d like until noon Friday, July 31. The winner will be announced Friday afternoon.
Yemi Oyediran
Nominated by: Jess Smith
Why Smith nominated Oyediran: Yemi Oyediran spent nine years making King of Them All, the documentary on Cincinnati’s King Records that aired nationally on PBS in October 2025 and pulled an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Directing. The film treats King not as a footnote but as the integrated Cincinnati label that put Hank Ballard, James Brown, and the Stanley Brothers on the same roster in a city that wasn’t supposed to allow it. He had his pick of major festivals and turned them down to premiere it at home, at the OTR International Film Festival, before it went out through PBS’s Open Call program for emerging filmmakers.
He’s a working jazz drummer with decades of sideman gigs in the local scene, and he’s served as music director at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and in theater around town. He’s taught computer science at Xavier and the University of Cincinnati. He sits on the boards of Friends of Music Hall and Carnegie in Covington, plus the national Percussive Arts Society. Right now he’s coordinating the King of Them All screening at the Garfield Theater and managing the tt stern-enzi Memorial Award campaign, a $5,000 prize for an emerging Cincinnati filmmaker.
What he does, mostly, is make sure this city’s overlooked stories get told well enough to travel. King Records sat half-forgotten for decades. He put it on national television, and he chose to show it here first. That matters.
Elizabeth Quinlan
Nominated by: Alex Henry
Why Henry nominated Quinlan: “Q” runs a dance company called “Dance HQ” that provides adults an opportunity and space to continue their passion for dancing and learning with expert training, amazing vibes, and a diverse range of dance styles.
As a former Bengals cheerleader, she also brings a flair of cheer into dance, which can let ages anywhere from 18 to 75+ have fun and get to dance again. She employs numerous other local dance teachers (ranging from former Bengals cheerleaders to the San Antonio Spurs Dance Team Coordinator) who all bring various styles of dancing, including hip-hop, salsa, ballroom, contemporary, modern and more! Her students all love to come lose stress from the week, have a girls’ night, create a date night space and get better!
Kayla Robison
Nominated by: Kelly Holtel
Why Holtel nominated Robison: Who doesn’t love a fantastic smash burger?! If you are a burger connoisseur in the city, chances are you’ve heard of the Commander ‘N Beef, Chef Kayla Robison.
Not only does she have a cult following for her spring/summer/fall pop-up smash burgers, but this year she’s taking it to a completely new level. In collaboration with Soul Goods Cincinnati (in affiliation with Christ Church Cathedral), Kayla has made it her mission this year to contribute 100% of proceeds from her smash burgers toward feeding our neighbors in Cincinnati struggling to find housing and consistent meals. That is real impact in action! Kayla’s generous donations of her and her staff’s time are exactly the kind of work toward making our neighborhoods feel inclusive, welcoming and connected that we need and that Cincinnatians crave.
Cast Your Vote
Vote once. Vote twice. Vote every time you reopen the tab. Then send this story to the group chat, neighborhood Facebook page, Discord server or overly competitive family member of your choice.
Voting closes at noon July 31. The winner will receive a featured CityBeat story, recognition across CityBeat’s social channels and eternal neighborhood bragging rights.*
*Not legally binding, but spiritually true.
Know Cincinnati’s Next Culture Maker?
Nominations are always open. Tell us about an artist, DJ, chef, bartender, muralist, musician, organizer, educator, performer, community builder or other local human making Cincinnati a more interesting place. Nominate a Culture Maker here.