The New Abnormal

Series Two In this reposted episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Julian Boulding, owner of 'thenetworkone' which is the world's largest independent advertising & marketing agency network, with over 1,200 agencies in 109 countries. They also provide “open source creativity” and communications services from independent agencies, for a growing number of leading int'l marketing companies. Before founding thenetworkone, Julian spent many years with the DMB&B Group (now part of Publicis) in a succession of senior roles in the UK, Europe, USA and Latin America. During this time, he directed global advertising campaigns for companies like Procter & Gamble, M&M Mars, Avon and Philips Electronics; rising to be President, International for DMB&B’s sister network, NW Ayer. He rightly has absolutely stellar reputation throughout the agency world, and in this episode, he illuminates his knowledge as we discuss everything from behavioural economics to customer experience, leading-edge agencies and the internal working cultures that enabled them to achieve their success, the vital need for empathy and the increasing role for a collaborative approach. 

Series Two This episode features the amazing Dan Burgess. He's spent 25 years working at the leading edge of creative engagement, eco-innovation, creative activism and cause-led campaigning. As he says "there's an enormous regenerative and creative potential in care, love, empathy, responsibility, generosity, co-creation and participation". In his opinion, these are the most positively disruptive innovation practises today. And who could argue with that? We talk about a wide range of issues, including what the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed to us about the systematic problems that were already all around us, and how we can try to solve at least some of them re: #TheGreatReset. Check him out at GoodForNothing.com or via his brilliant podcast 'Spaceship Earth'. 

Series TwoIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Stephen Colegrave, the Executive Editor & Co-Founder of the Byline Times, Byline TV and Byline Festival. He's also a film producer and author of three books. The Byline Times is a fearless independent newspaper, featuring a daily national news and investigation site that's all about "what the papers don't print". The Byline Festival is the world's only festival for independent journalism and free speech, where you can "dance, discuss, laugh and change the world".  In this episode, we cover a lot of ground regarding 'Facts / Argument / Reportage / Culture'.  So, please take a listen and hear all about topics inc the Climate Emergency, Democracy under Attack, Independent Journalism, Propaganda & Disinformation...and how to put on a festival where you can go to a discussion about corporate surveillance, hear a leading-edge comic, get drunk with a feminist punk band, learn about creative activism, then dance to a legendary DJ. (And not necessarily in that order). 

Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interviewed Richard Watson, Futurist-in-Residence at Judge Business School, Cambridge University.  He helps organisations to think, especially about emerging opportunities and risks. Particular interests include emerging tech, AI, robotics, education, energy, and water. Richard has written extensively on societal trends and the impact of technology, and has given over 300 talks to various organisations throughout the world. He's worked extensively on scenario planning projects having been introduced to the discipline by one of the founders of GBN. The author of five books about various aspects of the future (inc the scenario process), he's blogged on innovation for Fast Company and written for Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies and McKinsey & Co. He's also a visiting lecturer at both Imperial College Business School and London Business School, co-founder of 'Thinking Allowed' and one of the people behind Sci-Fi nights at the Royal College Of Art. So, we discuss all of the above alongside issues such as a potential corona chronology, leadership, the merits of studying politics, philosophy & economics, and the entrepreneurial mind. Finally, Richard outlines a strategic approach based on 'scenario worlds or a preferred future'...

Series TwoIn this reposted episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interviewed Matt Rivitz, founder of the activist community "Sleeping Giants". (He's also a freelance copywriter - his past jobs inc being Creative Director of TBWA/Chiat/Day and Senior Copywriter at Goodby Silverstein & Partners).  After witnessing the public rise of racism and sexism in the media and social media in 2016, he started Sleeping Giants, a crowdsourced campaign dedicated to advertiser safety and responsibility in the digital age. It now has an international network of Sleeping Giants chapters in numerous countries and territories including Australia, Canada, Brazil, and across the EU. In year three, Sleeping Giants is continuing its mission for brand safety and responsibility by working directly with advertisers to help them understand and navigate this complex and ever-changing media environment. Therefore, Matt and I discuss his inspiration for setting up the Sleeping Giants community, and issues relating to social trust, brand transparency, corporate responsibility, misinformation and disinformation. Oh - and the issue of 'moral neutrality' for brands and those working to promote them...

Series TwoIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interviewed Mark Vernon, a psychodynamic psychotherapist, writer and broadcaster, who has a keen interest in spirituality and the inner life. He has a PhD in ancient philosophy, as well as degrees in physics and theology. His books (which have appeared in translation around the world) cover subjects from friendship and belief, to wellbeing and love, and his latest one is 'A Secret History of Christianity'. Mark contributes to and has presented a number of radio programmes such as 'The Moral Maze' and 'In Our Time'. He teaches at The Idler Academy and also leads workshops and gives talks re: 'Ancient Greek Philosophy and How to See Spiritually'.  So, as you can no doubt imagine, I found it fascinating to talk with Mark about his thinking on subjects ranging from Plato to Freud to Blake to Augustine; and on issues ranging from  friendship to religion to generational angst  to Pandora's Box. Along the way, we discuss the Socratic Question, his viewpoints on the Stoics, Epicureans, Skeptics and Cynics, all things ego-related, why it's hard for science to question itself, along with the parables of Jesus and Buddha. 

Series ThreeIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Kathleen Higgins, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas, at Austin.  Kathleen's main areas of research are continental philosophy, philosophy of the emotions, and aesthetics.  She has published a number of books: Nietzsche's “Zarathustra” , The Music of Our Lives,  A Short History of Philosophy,  A Passion for Wisdom , What Nietzsche Really Said , and The Music between Us:  Is Music a Universal Language?  She has edited or co-edited several other books on such topics as  German Idealism, aesthetics, ethics, erotic love, non-Western philosophy, and the philosophy of Robert C. Solomon.  In this episode, we discuss her thinking on topics including post-truth, autonomy, the Noble Lie, filter-bubbles and echo chambers, public opinion and media narratives, heuristics vs critical thinking; alongside the lessons of today that we can learn from philosophers ranging from Rousseau to Kant to Schopenhaur to  Derrida. And, of course, Nietzsche. 

Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal series, I interviewed the billion-streamed, multi-platinum songwriter and producer Martin Jensen, who topped off a crazy year as an X-Factor judge. Martin’s breakthrough 'Solo Dance' had over a million streams daily upon its release and was the second-most played track of the past decade across BBC Radio 1, as well as going 8x platinum with international success. He also collaborated with #1 artist James Arthur,  and The Vamps, and was approached by Katy Perry and her team to officially remix ‘Bon Appetit’. He collaborated with Jason Derulo, regularly playing hundreds of live gigs each year (before the pandemic hit) taking his sound to shows everywhere from the world’s biggest dance festival Tomorrowland, to Lollapalooza, etc. At the start of lockdown, he launched a project called 'Me, Myself, Online' that saw him stream sets from stunning locations, solo in conjunction with Twitch and Revolut. So, in this episode we discuss his dynamic career, the day to day complications of being a mega-star DJ vs 'normal life' and how he related to the issues of 'hope, community and resilience' during the pandemic.

Series TwoThis episode of #TheNewAbnormal features an interview with Taji Chesimet, who is an activist, advocate, and student. He's Executive Director of 'Raising Justice' a nonprofit organization actively working to dismantle systems that deny young people their basic public safety. Their work combines Policy Advocacy, Grassroots Organizing and Education and Training that proves when we dismantle racial, generational, and class injustice and create safe public spaces, we validate young people’s need to feel welcome, safe, and treasured. In addition, he spent a year as an intern at the ACLU of Oregon - a nonpartisan dedicated to the defending and advancing civil liberties and civil rights, who believe that the freedoms of press, speech, assembly, and religion, and the rights to due process, equal protection and privacy, are fundamental to a free people. He's also a Project Lead at Black Male Achievement Portland (BMA) designed to assist City leaders in their efforts to improve the life outcomes of Black men and boys; doing so in four key areas: Education, Employment, Family Stability, and Criminal Justice. Finally, he's also a Legislative Intern for Representative Akasha-Lawrence Spence in Oregon. So, as you can imagine, I really enjoyed talking with Taji, an incredibly dynamic individual doing seriously important work. Oh, and he's still a teenager, at the University of Chicago...