Grit

Benjamin Southworth is a tech entrepreneur, speaker, writer and consultant with a background in startups, digital culture and innovation. In today's episode, we'll be discussing his insights on a wide range of topics including AI, startups, digital culture, and being off-grid.

This week we are trying a quite special experiment for Grit into a new frontier, we are talking or should I say chatting to the AI Large Language Model Application, Chat GPT.

In this episode we discuss what Chat GPT is, how it evolved, the challenges it faces and all the challenges/ opportunities this brings to the creative industries.

Dr Hayley Lewis is an award-winning psychologist specialising in leadership and management behaviour and how this affects the culture and performance of teams and organisations.

Hayley started her career at the BBC and then moved into local government where she held a variety of operational management and strategic leadership roles covering services such as organisational development, customer services, communications and digital services.

She consults across all sectors, coaching and advising managers and leaders up to and including board level on issues such as improving workplace culture and increasing resilience. As well as running her consultancy and coaching practice, Hayley is also the programme director for the MRes in Professional Practice in Occupational Psychology, at Birkbeck College.

She shares ideas and knowledge on LinkedIn and Twitter via her sketchnotes, which often go viral. In 2022, for the second year in a row, she was identified as one of the most influential thinkers in HR by HR Magazine.

In this episode we discuss the principles of leadership and management, psychological safety in the workplace and all the challenges/ opportunities this brings to the creative industries.

Dines is a celebrated Creative Director and international keynote speaker based in London UK. He's currently active as Founder & Creative Director of multi award-winning creative agency STUDIO BLUP® London.

Dines has had the pleasure of producing creative direction, brand consultancy and digital creations for a diverse array of companies and publications worldwide, and enjoys a collaborative relationship with many of the industry's top brands such as Universal Music, Nike, Adidas, Fifa, Levis, Hasbro, Sony Music and BBC.

In this episode we discuss starting your own business, creativity, school grades and how to tap into the zeitgeist. 

Live Dale Fasting is a recent graduate , and is now working as a Production Manager for 00Nation. Having grown up on the internet, she never decided if she wanted to do music, film, tv, gaming, streaming or Youtube. With the media-industry evolving, 00Nation emerged, bringing the best of all youth culture and merging it. Being new in the business, she shares her experiences working in an ambitious start-up with the internet at its core.

John Robertson is an award-winning editorial photographer working for national and international newspapers and magazines.
He supplies photos on a regular basis to The Guardian ,The Telegraph, The Sydney Morning Herald and many other newspapers since 1987.
He also shoots commercial, PR, advertising, TV and film stills, stock and corporate photography.

John is an Ambassador for Manfrotto, who he regularly writes articles and photographs for. He has worked with the photographic equipment firms Sigma and Interfit and continues to supply both video and photos for national charities, including Alzheimers Research and Cliksargent.

Alison Grade, spent 15 years working at senior level in many media companies — predominantly in international television and film production, rights management and strategy — but she also has formal academic training and is a Nesta-accredited Creative Enterprise Trainer.

Alison is also an entrepreneur who has established her own businesses and is in high demand by many creative businesses as a consultant and non-exec. She is also in demand teaching the next generation of entrepreneurs how to turn their creative passion into a career — hence the publication of her Penguin book The Freelance Bible in early 2020.

The book covers starting from day one as a freelance, helping you develop your personal brand, pick up the financial essentials, grow your client base, manage your work — life balance, negotiate deals and value your time as you become more established. The Freelance Bible is your complete guide to turning your talent into a fulfilling and sustainable career.

In this episode we discuss in detail insights, tactics and things to consider in being a successful freelancer. Alison brings important perspectives that can help new and established freelancers up their game in the competitive world of the creative industries.

FInd out more: alisongrade.com

An expert in 3D and XR technology, Taran has more than 15 years experience researching & developing cutting edge immersive applications for a range of sectors including heritage, arts and culture. He heads up an innovative, passionate team that collaborates with clients to bridge the digital divide, bringing their projects to life and improving audience engagement.

Digital creative storytelling is at the heart of Taran3D and they use their vast XR skills to tell stories, show projects or bring lost relics back to life. All digitally reimagined on any screen or in the palm of your hand.

Taran’s vision is to make immersive technology accessible for all and is committed to supporting individuals, businesses and industries explore the awe-inspiring world XR and understanding the benefits it can bring.

Taran has spearheaded projects bringing museum and gallery spaces to life digitally specifically, the Anglo Sikh Virtual Museum.

Matt Campion is the Founder & Creative Director of Spirit & #IAMWHOLE.

Spirit Studios is a purpose-driven content business on a mission to effect change through entertainment and storytelling. Creating and distributing ‘Content With Spirit’, their TV, digital, audio and branded output aims to positively impact people’s lives through entertainment.

Matt’s work at Spirit includesThe Stand Up Sketch Show for ITV, Comedy Against Living Miserably for Dave/UKTV, BAMOUS, SHAMED: You Are What You Tweet and Instagrammification for BBC, Trigger Happy, The Whole Truth and First Impressions for Channel4. Along with podcasts Private Parts with Jamie Laing & Francis Boulle; Teenage Mixtape with Joel Dommett & Steve Dunne; Homo Sapiens; Vicky Pattison’s The Secret To…, Russell Kane’s Man Baggage and ‘UOKM8’ with the LADbible Group.

In this episode we talk about how to develop format ideas, grow an audience and navigate the ever changing landscape of the content creation space.

Dr Neil Fox is an Associate Professor of Film Practice and Pedagogy at Falmouth University in UK. He leads the Sound/Image Cinema Lab, a multifaceted partner, funder, resource and research centre dedicated to the production and education of independent cinema. In 2020 the Lab won an innovative pedagogy award at the University Industry Innovation Network. The Lab has been involved in feature films including Bait (dir. Mark Jenkin, 2018) and Make Up (dir. Clare Oakley, 2019).

He wrote and produced feature film 'Wilderness' which was funded by The School of Film & Television as part of an innovative micro-budget filmmaking model developed. The film was picked up for distribution by Sparky Pictures and released digitally around the world in April 2021.

He is also the co-founder and host of the acclaimed film podcast The Cinematologists in partnership with Dr. Dario Llinares at the University of Brighton. Mark Kermode says "for intelligent, informed cinema debate, The Cinematologists are hard to beat" and Sight & Sound call it "consistently one of the finest film podcasts around.

In this episode we discuss the delicate balance between media education and professional practice.

Nicole Kassell is an award-winning film and television director based in New York City. She received a BA from Columbia University in Art History and an MFA from NYU’s Film Program, and her first feature film “The Woodsman” premiered in competition at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

Kassell also directs episodic television, including acclaimed series Westworld, Castle Rock, Better Call Saul, The Leftovers, The Killing, The Americans and The Following.

In January 2020, Kassell won the Directors Guild of America Award for Dramatic Series for directing the Watchmen episode “It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice”.

In this episode we deep dive into the role of the director, coverage of a scene, how to set the tone on set and within your work and lots about Nicole’s own journey from film student to award winning director.

Steve is a partner and Head of Creative, Digital and Marketing sector at BLM law firm in Manchester. He specialises in Intellectual Property, Media, Social Media, Marketing and Privacy Law. He works mainly in the Media, Digital, Creative, Film, Television, Publishing, Advertising and PR sectors.

He’s a regular media spokesperson, and has given interviews to the local and national press through BBC Breakfast, Sky News, ITV, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live and LBC London. He’s been featured in the Times, Financial Times, Daily Star, Manchester Evening News, GM Business Week, Computer Weekly, PR Week, Insider, Credit Today, Information World Review, Prolific North, Sky Movie News, UK Screen, Financial Director, TSG Life and OUT-LAW.

Steve’s first Book, “Legal Issues of Web 2.0 and Social Media”, was published in June 2010, and his second “Legal Issues Of Corporate Communication in the Online World” in July 2011.

In this episode we discuss the legal arenas that face creators, particularly copyright, distribution and areas that often affect creatives in the business side of the creative industries.

Silja is a freelance graphic designer and digital marketer with over 15 years of experience, working in advertising agencies and in marketing and communications departments. She teaches Digital Marketing at Noroff in Oslo focussing on training in design, user experience, text for the web, creativity and Adobe programs.

Silja studied graphic design at Arts University Bournemouth in England, and enjoyed herself so much in the country that she moved to London and stayed for a total of 10 years. For Silja, music is as important a part of life as design, and in her spare time she and the family arrange Indiefjord, an international indie pop festival in Norway.

Chris has worked in the television industry for over 20 years, initially as a Runner, Camera Assistant, Camera Operator and most recently, over the past 13 years as a freelance Lighting Cameraman, Director of Photography (DoP) and Lighting Director (LD).

As a Camera Operator he has covered all genres of live television; producing DVD’s for the likes of Beyonce & REM to Superslo-mo coverage of the Brazil World Cup Final in the Maracana.

He has worked all over the world as a Camera Supervisor for clients such as ITV, BBC, Sky and BT covering the Olympics & Commonwealth games, along with Football tournaments including the Champions League and Premier League. He’s covered live opera and theatre from The Royal Opera House, Shakesperes Globe and the RSC and worked on shows such as Question Time, Crimewatch & Young Musician.

​As a Lighting Director & DoP he has won innovation awards as part of the Discovery & ITV teams for mixed reality studios in Korea & Russia, Baftas as part of the ITV Horse Racing and Rugby World Cup 2019 teams, along with winning the prestigious Knight of Illumination award as LD for ITV’s Euro 2016 presentation studios in Paris.

In this episode we talk about working ina multicam environment, remote production and mixed reality studios, along with a deep dive into tips and tricks Chris has learnt over his years in the industry. 

Richard Janes is an Emmy winning entertainment entrepreneur and film producer. He burst onto the scene with his directorial debut Fakers in his early 20’s. He launched Digital Ad Agency Fanology, followed by setting up Green Pastures Studio and The Oklahoma Film & TV Academy

In this episode we talk to Richard about his facinating career path, the state of Hollywood now and the shifting sands of opportunity for new producers and some deep dives into all the arenas of being an entrepreneurial producer.

Colin is a Grierson nominated Series Producer and Director who has worked across a number of genres including talent-led travelogues, investigative documentaries, observational documentaries, factual, entertainment, music and formats. His work has been broadcast across Netflix, BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Channel 5, TLC and Sky has worked for most of the UK independent production companies.

In this episode we chat about the role of the Series Producer and directing documentary, particularly focussing on his work on Netflix’s Dark Tourist series, with insights on how to manage all the complexities one can find when working with factual productions.

Arren has worked in production for over 18 years, starting out as a runner and production assistant, moving up to production co-ordinator across an assortment of productions. He was Line Producer and Production Manager at ITN Productions, overseeing a busy slate of productions before moving to Viacom UK as a Production Executive.

In this episode we get under the hood of production management and how it is the heart of the production environment.

Simon set himself a new year’s resolution in 2020 to get onto Tik Tok. Within months his account had grown and made a hit with his character Kent-Simon.

Now with over 6million likes and nearly 150k followers, Simon is one of Norway’s growing clan of influencers building a cross platform media career for himself.

In this episode he explains his rise on the platform, some of the trials and tribulations of being an influencer as a full time job, along with the perks.

Maya Daisy Hawke is an editor and experimental filmmaker. Her recent project, Unfated Yet, a live online video installation, was first presented in March 2020 by First Look at Museum of the Moving Image and Sundance Documentary Film Program.

She is the creator of the interactive social media video novels, Box of Birds and Currency of Despair, both Facebook based. She was co-director of Little Ethiopia, a love story between two editors, told as a live documentary, which was performed at the Sundance Film Festival, Frames of Representation and First Look (2018–19).

Maya is the editor of over a dozen feature length documentary films, including Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Amy Berg’s Janis: Little Girl Blue and Nahiza Arebi Freedom Fields. Also the BBC series House of Assad: A Dangerous Dynasty, and Moon Landing Live for Channel 4.

Harvey started filming at 18 years old. He shot his first feature length documentary following DJ Carl Cox from London to Sydney then onto Hawaii, welcoming the year 2000 in two different time zones.

He has traveled the world shooting for the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery and many more. In 2008, he transitioned into shooting commercials and scripted work.

He was based in Dubai shooting high end commercials until 2015 then moved to LA, where he shot Netflix Specials, Comedy Series and Commercials with many high profile actors and comedians.

Harvey is currently based in London and represented by Berlin Associates

Tyler studied Digital Media at Full Sail University before embarking on a career in post production at The Mill in New York.

He later joined Grey Advertising working in Motion Graphics and cinematography with Canon. Since going freelance Tyler has worked with a wide array of clients across advertising, documentary, music and dance videos.

In this episode we talk about the ins and outs of Motion Graphics, remote working and the art of being a freelancer. 

Ziggy started her career as a camera operator for Rapture Television before moving into event co-ordination for film promotion parties at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2003 she became general manager of Babzoo, a broadcast kit hire company and diary service for freelance crew.

Re-training in Hair & Make-Up at Iver Academy in Pinewood Studios and since has worked on a number of international feature films and tv series.

In this episode we talk about the role of the make up artist, how to be on set, Covid Production and the art of bein diplomagic. 

Nick started his career as a Researcher, AP and Producer in Children’s TV with Carlton Television. Here, he began studio directing, before joining CBBC Presentation, then moving on to direct programmes including Tikkabilla and Newsround.

Nick has specialised in fast paced, technically complex live programmes and worked for BBC News, TRT World and CNBC. He has directed live OB debate programmes, including The Press We Deserve for Thomson Reuters at the height of the UK phone hacking scandal, a Brexit debate featuring British Prime Minister David Cameron to launch Facebook Live in the UK, and Ask Attenborough for the Eden Channel.

His forthcoming work in 2021 includes directing new sporting concept Aphetor in Greece, and directing Olympics coverage of Tokyo 2021 for Olympic Broadcasting Services. 

In this episode we catch up about the  ins and outs of producing multi camera production, the mindset needed, the challenges and how Covid has impacted the industry. 

Clive Lewis is a British Labour politician who has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 2015. He worked as a TV reporter for BBC News and served as an infantry officer with the Territorial Army. He served a three-month tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2009.

He became shadow defence secretary in June 2016, and shadow business secretary in October 2016. He left the Shadow Cabinet in 2017 in protest over the Labour Party’s decision to trigger Article 50 to leave the EU, but rejoined the front bench a year later as shadow minister for sustainable economics.

In this episode we talk about grassroots journalism, tribal politics, the Corbyn movement, his time in Afghanistan and the future for progressives.

Marco North is a filmmaker, photographer, author and musician based in Moscow, Russia. Born in Brooklyn, and educated at SUNY Purchase.

In this episode we talk about the production and recent release of his award-winning episodic series Blackbetty. His recent debut album Heaven Get Behind Me, and his Songbird podcast, a brutally honest, behind the scenes look at the songwriting and recording process.

We deep dive into a fascinating chat about the trials and tribulations of creative personal work, the mindset and attitude that goes with it and some of the frustrations that go with it. 

You can follow his work at marconorth.com

Prior to starting Season 3 of Grit, I caught up with Martin Ruby of Songbird Podcast for a little chat about the joy of podcasting.

Zoë is part of the writing team for Netflix’s new show Zero Chill. She also writes for Netflix teen-drama Free Rein and is a regular writer for Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, having written over 40 episodes. Zoë also writes for children’s drama such as CBBC and Netflix’s Worst Witch, CBBC’s The Dumping Ground and Disney’s comedy-drama-musical The Lodge.

Zoë’s acting career has seen her star as a series regular Zoe Carpenter in Hollyoaks, web series Staff Room and numerous other roles and voiceover work.

In this episode we discuss the writing process for a series and working in a writing team, with story conferences and pitching your ideas in the room to get episodes commissioned. We also explore acting jobs that required jumping out of planes and being entirely digitised for a smartphone app. Enjoy!

Zillah is an Emmy-nominated creative leader and strategist with a long and varied professional life in the media industry. Most recently as the Director of Content at Satore Studio.

She was Commissioning Editor for Virtual Reality at the BBC and headed up the BBC VR Hub following being the Executive Editor for BBC Research & Development.

In this episode we discuss innovation within media and journalism, how VR can change both the creative and production process along with the importance of critical thinking with emergent technology. 

Lovise graduated a bachelor in media production in 2019 with internships at Kitchen in Oslo and Motlys on the NRK series Heimebane.

Throughout her studies and upon graduation she worked as a web designer at Smart Media. She is now working as a UI/UX Designer at TRY Pearl in Oslo.

In this episode we talk about the important and multi-faceted role of a UI/UX Designer, starting out in the industry, growing as a media professional and continuous development.

Daniel Stewart trained at the esteemed California Institute of the Arts in LA, where he continued to live and work in film and television, then extensively in regional theatre (On and off Broadway) in NYC, along with a thriving career as a go to Brit for voice over work. 

He returned to the UK in recent years with shows in The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, The National Theatre and The West End. 

He has co-starred as a series regular alongside his father, Sir Patrick Stewart in the Starz series Blunt Talk and is the co-host of the esteemed podcast series The Foxhole Companion, a compelling history of World War 2 cinema. 

In this episode we talk to Daniel about growing up surrounded by acting royalty, the differences between US and British approaches to acting, the future of the arts and the role of the jobbing actor.

Tet Kofi is a director of Journolink, a service which helps to seamlessly link journalists with small business experts when they need them,  and a working broadcast journalist. He has consulted as a crisis management expert for UK and European multinationals and trains senior execs in media management and presentation. He started in journalism at the BBC World Service.

In this episode we talk to Tet about the relationship between journalism and public relations and how the two are not as different as people think, the importance of media’s role in diversity representation and how often that is not discussed in a meaningful and truthful way.

Sumo’s work can be seen all around Luxembourg, but also in numerous cities around the world. Although an important, formative stage in his artistic development, graffiti and street art are merely one aspect of Sumo’s work on images. Bursting with statements, slogans, motifs, and intense colours, Sumo’s compositions represent an abstract documentation of moments. 

In this episode, we talk about how Sumo’s early work led to his emergence as a renowned artist in his own right. How he learned the art of selling from the Wolf of Wall St and the benefits of e-commerce for independent creatives.

Simon Dean is the Creative Director and Founder of Spark & Glory, a short form branded content production studio that specialises in creative seamless 360º Marketing and
Brand campaigns.

Simon has had a long and fruitful career as a Creative Director for WarnerMedia, Walt Disney Company, and Bloomberg TV.

In this episode, Simon talks about the role of the Creative Director in shepherding creative projects with production and marketing departments, the importance of being 50% creative, 50% organised, and truly understanding audience, platform, and storytelling.

Adam Richardson has been cutting films for the UK’s major broadcasters for over 20 years. He specialises in documentary and current affairs, working on BBC investigative documentary series Panorama and Channel Four’s Dispatches. His films cover a broad range from investigative exposes, drama reconstructions, and undercover stings to archive-driven narratives. 

In this episode, we talk about the role of the film editor, the art and craft of editing, and debate the skills and tools of the job.

Matt Cuttle is an award-winning multi-skilled senior producer working in the entertainment and video game industry. He works as an Executive Producer for ADVNCR formulating and producing online streams, video content, and eSports events.

In this episode, we talk about the role of the exec producer and content creator in the realm of live streaming, the gaming community, and brand communications. A great listen for people wanting to work in an innovative and exciting part of digital content creation.

Dave King began his career in comic books and publishing. He co-art directed a U2 music video and worked with many of the UK’s leading animation houses. In the episode we talk through Dave’s rollercoaster career, arriving on Hollywood sets, cold calling studio executives to secure development deals and the art of boxer shorts.

Elida graduated a bachelor in media production with internships at Monster in Oslo and PMA Film & Television in London.

Upon graduation she started as a production assistant at NRK Super working on flagship show Fantorangens Verden. She is now operating in a co-ordinating role. In this episode we talk about the important and multi-faceted role of a production assistant, starting out in the industry, leaning into vulnerability and building up confidence. 

Sally has experience in theatre, film, and voiceover. Her recent work includes narrating an audiobook about love, corporate explainers and playing a vengeful vampire in a radio drama.

Sally spent more than 10 years as a subeditor on national newspapers including The Sunday Times, worked in television for companies including Buena Vista Productions and for a year in Stockholm writing financial news for SEB.

In this episode we talk about the art of voice over work, acting techniques and the challenges of exploring creativity in our lives.

Jonas started his youtube channel in 2015 and started making short films with regular youtube collaborator Jonas Ems. Growing his channel with over 300k subscribers and more than 60million views.  In 2019, he launched his web series and started a original, branded and influencer content company. In this episode we discuss Jonas’ inspirational journey to success, the importance of storytelling, the life of an influencer and the differences of making content across multiple platforms.

Ingeborg Aarø is a Content Creator for the Oslo based PlusCulture. In this episode, Ingeborg gives insight into the first year as a media producer after graduation, the role of the professional content creator and the mindset one needs to get started. 

David Allison produces live comedy formats with his company This is Your Laugh. His strong background in producing for television, both documentaries and entertainment shows has given him great insights into development hell and the challenges of making shows happen.

In this episode we talk about how Covid has affected the live comedy scene, his newly commissioned TV format Monster Court for CBBBC. How he started out as a runner on a popular daily live entertainment show and how David has honed his creative skills into the role of Producer.

With over twenty years of experience at the top of the entertainment industry, Dave Emery is a prolific Camera Supervisor and Remote Camera Specialist.  In this episode, Dave gives us great insight into the world of remote camera and jib operation in multi camera and single camera environments ranging from drama to studio and large scale event productions. In particular we discuss the effect the Co-Vid Pandemic has had on the industry, along with top tips for those starting out in the industry.

In this episode we join Jim Mortram, a British social documentary photographer and writer, based in Dereham, Norfolk. His ongoing project using photography and writing, Small Town Inertia, records the lives of a number of disadvantaged and marginalised people living near to his home, in order to tell stories he believes are under-reported. We speak to Jim about his work and ethos around photography and how important it is to amplify the voices of the people he collaborates with.

We are joined by Sara Deane, a freelance cinematographer who has over 20 years experience of shooting feature films, commercials and TV shows. Sara explains her role, what inspires her and some top tips for aspiring cinematographers. 

This time we are joined by Claire Bee, Head of Production at EA Create Capture in Vancouver. Claire explains to us the behind the scenes world of motion capture for award winning games and her exciting career in film-making. 

For our first episode, we are joined by Håvard Bjørnerem, a social video producer at Norwegian broadcaster NRK.