The TalentWorks Podcast

Bea Dux is a queer sex worker, digital creator and visual storyteller from Lancashire. Bea was fed up with the portrayal of sex workers in the media and, 6 months ago, applied to BBC Studios TalentWorks to become one of our Meta funded Creators in Residence.During her 6 month residency, Bea has worked on comedy drama scripts, drawing on her own experiences in the adult world.In this episode, Helen O'Donnell and Bea discuss -What kind of content Bea posts on each social platformWhat the media gets wrong about sex workersWhat Bea learnt about script writing during her time at BBC StudiosBea's clips - Early - A vlog of a shoot Bea did in IcelandMost significant - Bea's audition tape applying to be a Creator in ResidenceNow - Feedback on Bea from Suzy Cripps (Development Producer, BBC ScriptWorks) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nadir Nahdi is the founder and creator of BENI, an online project highlighting the stories of young people from diverse backgrounds with the aim of reclaiming the misrepresented narrative they face from mainstream media. He found online fame through his viral YouTube video "Happy British Muslims!" in 2014 and was swiftly chosen to be part of the YouTube Creators for Change fellowship program, as well as YouTube’s Internet Citizens program. He also founded the BENI run club a space for people from different cultures and religions to feel comfortable running, which recently received the global tick of approval, the much coveted Nike sponsorship. Here’s our interview with Nadir recorded in 2019 during our writers retreat in collaboration with the BBC Writers Room.This episode is dedicated to Nadir's father Fuad Nahdi who passed away on 21st March 2020 - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/01/fuad-nahdi-obituarywww.instagram.com/rightinthenadswww.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworks See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lotte Jeffs is a journalist, creative director and author. Her illustrious career includes being published in the Independent, the Guardian, the Sunday Times and the Evening Standard. She won Writer of The Year at the Press and Publishing Association Awards in 2016 and was shortlisted for Columnist of the Year in 2017 for her eponymous column Lotte’s Lexicon in Elle magazine. Lotte has always been on the pulse when it comes to seeking out the most creative talents of our generation and her eye for a story is second to none, it’s no wonder that after 15 years as a deputy editor and then Acting Editor in Chief of ELLE magazine that she was appointed Creative Director at global advertising agency Ogilvy to bring her storytelling expertise to the ad agency world. She has since published her first book 'How To Be a Gentlewoman', represented by digital first literary agency Gleam Titles and launched the LGBTQ parenting podcast 'Some Families'. We spoke to Lotte at our Writers Retreat in collaboration with the BBC Writers Room.www.instagram.com/lottejeffswww.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworks See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Gina Martin is an activist, writer and law changer. After a horrific experience at a music festival where a man took photos up her skirt with his phone in broad daylight without legal consequence, instead of brushing it off, Gina made the decision to act. With the help and support of her lawyer Ryan Whelan, Gina campaigned tirelessly for 18 months to have the law passed to make up-skirting illegal. Gina doesn’t fit into the typical conservative expectations of a law maker. She hasn’t worked in politics or as a legal practitioner, but through education and steely perseverance she achieved what is made to seem impossible. Her first book - Be the Change: A Toolkit for the Activist in You - was published in June 2019, and she was recently announced as a UN campaign advocate and one of Time magazine’s most influential people. www.instagram.com/ginamartin www.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworks See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Becky James created the comedy YouTube channel Bambino Becky as a way for her to explore her passion for presenting. Having always been obsessed with the online world she knew that YouTube was the vehicle to strengthen her network and build a future for herself as an entertainer. Her rise in popularity on YouTube came from various credits, the most important being from internet superstar KSI, who simply tweeted that he thought she was funny, but included the all important tag. After the shoutout, Becky’s channel shot up from thirty thousand to one hundred thousand overnight. This new found recognition gave her the boost to be able to move to London, get signed by a talent management company and of course attend the TalentWorks retreat in collaboration with the BBC Writers Room where this interview was recorded, enjoy.www.youtube.com/bambinobeckywww.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworks See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Phil Lester started making videos in 2006 from his bedroom in Lancashire, and now he has over a billion views. The road to his incredible career has been built on a love for Phil's humour and quirky perspective on the world. Alongside his friend and long-time collaborator, Dan Howell, Phil has so many accolades under his belt. These include but are not limited to; presenting a show on BBC Radio 1, becoming a New York Times and Sunday Times best-selling author, creating a store topping app, devising a hit board game, performing in two global live tours and writing two books. TalentWorks have worked with Phil on the filming and distribution of his 2018 successful tour show ‘Interactive Introverts’ which included a Twitter-live streamed premiere from Brazil. In this interview we will talk about Phil's perspective on his incredible YouTube journey to date and also his thoughts on what creative endeavours his future holds. www.youtube.com/amazingphilwww.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworksThis podcast was recorded live from VidCon London 2020. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kimmy Kimani is a content creator, actor and educator for equality and diversity in the workplace. Kimmy was born in Kenya and moved to England aged 8. She grew up with a passion for acting and dancing, but is currently best known as one half of the joyous YouTube channel James and Kimmy. We met Kimmy at one of our Commissioner Pitch Days in collaboration with YouTube, her personality and creative flair really stood out for us and so we were delighted to have her as part of our Unscripted Retreat in collaboration with the BBC Writers Room. www.instagram.com/kiimmykaywww.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworks See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Riyadh Khalaf is a man of many talents. He’s a TV and radio presenter, YouTube content creator, author, and podcast host as well as having an encyclopaedic knowledge of marine biology and aviation. He knew from a young age that he wanted to be a broadcaster, placing a godlike status upon the voices and faces of those who came through his radio and TV screen. He honed his presenting skills through stints at various local and commercial radio stations in Ireland and then moved to London where he got is TV break fronting the BBC documentary series ‘Queer Britain’. Since then he has hosted BBC Radio 1’s hit comedy podcast ‘Unexpected Fluids’, which was nominated for a British Podcast Award in 2019 and in the same year his first book titled ‘Yay! You’re Gay! Now What?’ was released in the UK and US and became a number one best seller. Here’s our interview with Riyadh recorded at our Unscripted retreat in collaboration with the BBC Writers Room. www.instagram.com/riyadhkwww.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworks See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Megan Jayne Crabbe known online as 'Bodyposipanda’ has over a million followers on Instagram thanks to her unapologetic feminism and body positive activism. But the path to where Megan is today hasn’t been an easy one. She has lived with anxiety, and was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa at 14. After a long period of being at war with herself, Megan was able to embark on a recovery period through discovering the body positivity movement. She began to study the cultural messages that can cause harm, and started to tell others about the alternatives to self-loathing and punishment. She has a No 1 bestselling debut book 'Body Positive Power' and a sold out show, Never Say Diet Club, both of which have taught thousands of women how to stop dieting and make peace with their bodies for good.This episode was recorded at the BBC Writers Room retreat in collaboration with TalentWorks. www.instagram.com/bodyposipandawww.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworks See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Taha Khan is a content creator, writer and producer. He makes videos for his eponymous YouTube channel and is known for his heart breaking stop motion music videos for artists such as CaveTown. Taha was also one of the original members of YouTube's Creators for Change a programme set up to support creators with big ideas to challenge xenophobia, racism and hate with stories that promote positive change. Taha took part in our first collaboration with the BBC Writer's Room and so we were excited to sit down with him and find out what he learnt and where his new found comedy toolkit has taken him since.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworkstwitter.com/khanstop me See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Caspar Lee is one of the most successful content creators of his generation. He launched his eponymous YouTube channel in 2011 when he was 16 years old and built his following by collaborating with his talented peers online.His ultimate ambition was to become an entrepreneur and as a result, he is the co-founder of two companies: Influencer a market place for content creators and brands and Margravine Management a digital talent agency which he started with fellow creator Joe Sugg. His first business venture was production company, Raucous Media, which he also started with Sugg in 2015 and made two travel documentaries, Joe and Caspar Hit The Road and Joe and Caspar Hit The Road USA, both with BBC Worldwide, now known as BBC Studios.We sat down with Caspar in front of a live audience for the first BBC Pitch Day in collaboration with YouTube. We spoke about the Hit The Road projects, how to go from short form to long form with a production company and what it takes to succeed as a creator today.www.instagram.com/caspar_leewww.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworks See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Daniel Howell is one of the world’s most popular online personalities. Since starting on YouTube back in 2009, he has successfully bridged the gap to mainstream recognition as a New York Times and Sunday Times best-selling author, BBC Radio 1 DJ, TV presenter, interviewer and festival-headliner. In 2016 and 2018, alongside his good friend Phil Lester, he also produced and starred in two global tours ‘The Amazing Tour Is Not On Fire’ and ‘Interactive Introverts’ each with over 80 global shows, playing at prestigious venues such as the London Palladium, Beacon Theatre on Broadway and the Dolby Theatre Hollywood. Dan is also proud to be an ambassador for Young Minds, a UK charity which provides free mental health support to young people.We spoke to Dan whilst at the BBC Writers Room retreat and got to hear a bit more about his reflections on a decade on YouTube, his creative ventures and how he feels he is evolving as a performer and writer. https://www.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworks/https://www.instagram.com/danielhowell/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Emily Seale Jones is an actor, writer and director. She began acting professionally at 14 and after graduating high school went on to train at drama school in London before moving to New York to train at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.Emily's acting career spans TV, Theatre and Film including BAFTA nominated short film, ‘Ralph’, and the DTLA Film Festival winning web series, ‘Frankie & Emma’.We chat to Emily about the role of being an actor, writer and director in her own projects and how she feels the internet has impacted the acting industry. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ed Moustafa is a writer and director based in London, he’s also the creative director of After Party Studios, a production company founded by content creator and entrepreneur Callum McGinley known online as Callux.After Party Studios had a huge hit with their feature documentary KSI: Can't Lose. The production followed the transformation of the UK's biggest gamer into a champion boxer and captured the biggest event in internet history. It also debuted at number one on the iTunes charts, not bad. We were keen to chat to Ed about his backround in production, what it’s like to be behind the camera of some of the biggest personalities on YouTube and what his writing ambitions are for the future.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworksinstagram.com/rvbberneckTalentWorks is a production arm of BBC Studios aimed at identifying forward thinking talent with whom it can partner. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Adrian Bliss is a film-maker and writer who produces satirical videos about being a YouTuber on his eponymous channel, launched in 2014.His mockumentary series Vlogvember and Vlune, followed the journey of Adrian Bliss, an online persona of the man himself, showing Adrian’s quest to get millions of followers on YouTube. Deep down the series reveals that Adrian just wants to be loved and accepted, but sometimes he makes questionable decisions that test his integrity and moral compass along the way.Originally from Hertfordshire, Adrian started working in film ahead of his A-Levels. He has been a camera operator, editor and director of photography whilst regularly collaborating with online talent such as Jack Harries, Caspar Lee and Will Darbyshire. We were really keen to sit down with him during our writer's retreat with the BBC Writer's Room and pick his brilliant brain on what it’s like being the real Adrian Bliss.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworksinstagram.com/adrianblissTalentWorks is a production arm of BBC Studios aimed at identifying forward thinking talent with whom it can partner. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Amelia Dimoldenberg is the brains behind the brilliant YouTube show Chicken Shop Date. Launched in 2014, the show’s format involves Amelia going on first dates with grime artists, rappers, comedians and sports stars to chicken shops in and around London. She asks them about their childhood, relationships and careers.Originally from and still based in London, Amelia studied Fashion Journalism at Central St Martins when she launched her YouTube channel. Prior to this, she had been writing a comedy column for an independent youth magazine called The Cut.In May 2018 she presented the Channel 4 documentary, Meet The Markles, in which she travelled to the US and interviewed numerous friends, family and past acquaintances of Meghan Markle. She has also appeared in a skit on The Big Narstie Show and we recently had the pleasure of working with her in partnership with the BBC Writers Room.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworksinstagram.com/ameliadimzTalentWorks is a production arm of BBC Studios aimed at identifying forward thinking talent with whom it can partner. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jim Louderback is a leader in his field, which he calls the intersection of media and technology. He has spent twenty years building his legacy across the publishing, media and technology industry. He is a champion of digital talent and the platforms they use to communicate their passions. As the CEO of VidCon, Jim led its sale to Viacom in 2018 and has been instrumental in globalising the event, which had its first European stop in Amsterdam last year and most recently London. We were honoured to have the opportunity to pick Jim’s brains about his love of online video and what has kept him so passionate about his job through such a monumental shift in the evolution of creators and content. This episode was recorded live at VidCon London.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworks See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Elle Mills, born in Manilla and raised in Canada, started her YouTube channel in 2017 with just over 15K subscribers, uploading regularly for two years. Her content consisted of reimagined versions of her favourite films and TV shows. The Washington Post quoted Elle as "both the Ferris Bueller and John Hughes of her own world: Each video feels like an entire movie, written, directed, edited and marketed by and starring Mills."In 2019 her numbers began to rapidly grow due to shout outs from top creators such as Caisey Neistat for her unique, creative talent. She also made headlines for her artistic and touching “Coming Out” video where she announced her bisexuality to her audience in her naturally imaginative fashion and inspired the LGBTQ community worldwide.Elle is personal, charming, romantic and hilarious. She has since surpassed that incredible 1 million mark on YouTube. She’s a shining example of the next generation of women in comedy and film-making, using YouTube as a platform to express her creativity. https://www.instagram.com/elle.mills/https://www.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworks See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hannah Witton is a content creator, broadcaster, podcaster and author who has reached over 800,000 followers across her social media channels. She has become one of the most influential young voices online having been named one of eight Girls' Champions as part of the BBC's 100 Women campaign, in recognition of her videos helping young women with sexual health and relationships.She released her debut book in 2017 Doing It!: Let's Talk About Sex, a book which concentrates on Sex and Relationships, including Hannah's own experiences and those of her friends. It rose to be Amazon UK's number 1 best seller in the Social Issues category and she’s since announced she is writing a second book, The Hormone Diaries: The Bloody Truth About Our Periods, all about hers and other's stories of their experience of menstruation and education around it. But most recently Hannah has been using her unique blend of positivity, optimism, and knowledge to document her experience of what it is really like to live with a stoma bag and tear down taboos in the process.https://www.instagram.com/hannahwitton/https://www.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworks/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rhett & Link’s YouTube channel currently has 23 million subscribers and garners 100 million monthly views. Their flagship talk show, Good Mythical Morning is the most-watched daily show online generating 3 million views every day.Beyond their channel they are successful podcasters, authors and film-makers.They also have a live stage show - which is a musical adventure of their world which they performed for its London debut at VidCon London. We spoke to them in the press lounge of VidCon about their inspirations for the daily show, the importance of trust in a production team and how they've honed their weird and wonderful strand of online entertainment. instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworksinstagram.com/rhettandlink/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nikki Lilly is 14 years old, but she started her YouTube channel when she was just 8. Her channel now sits at over 600,000 subscribers. Her cheerful videos feature makeup tutorials, baking tips, beauty product hauls, and other other digital doses of positivity, alongside honest discussions of her health. Nikki is living with an AVM, a rare condition that's characterised by an abnormal connection between arteries and veins. The condition that has caused the right side of her face to swellHowever, this has not deterred her from receiving some pretty brilliant accolades. Nikki has proven herself an accomplished baker - she won Junior Bake Off in 2016, and is an established face on CBBC - having her own interview series Nikki Lilly Meets where she has interviewed such stars as Gary Linekar, Nicole Scherzinger and Teresa May!In 2016 she won a Pride of Britain award. And she has had two episodes of My Life, on CBBC. The My Life strand is a documentary series following the highs and lows of children across the world, each with a unique story to tell.We talk to Nikki about her passion for the online community she has built, how she channels her creativity to overcome stress and feelings of isolation and also her exciting ambitions for the future.https://www.instagram.com/nikkililly_/https://www.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworks/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jamie Morton is one of the most sought-after creatives in British production, having worked on some of the UK’s most successful television formats including four seasons of The Apprentice (BBC) and two seasons of Simon Cowell’s The X Factor (ITV). We particularly love the fact that Jamie has been part of the digital revolution working on projects such as the international, Emmy award-winning series Battlefront II,YouTube's first ever live streamed entertainment series. But Jamie is mostly recognised for his role as one third of the podcast industry's most notable comedy formats, My Dad Wrote A Porno.My Dad Wrote A Porno has become a ‘global word-of-mouth sensation’ (The Hollywood Reporter), amassing over 80 million downloads worldwide, spawning a best-selling book, nominations at both the Webby and British Radio Academy Awards, and converting Hollywood megastars Elijah Wood, Emma Thompson and Daisy Ridley into mega-fans. Morton has performed the critically acclaimed My Dad Wrote A Porno live show to sell-out audiences the world over, from the Edinburgh fringe to Montreal’s Just for Laughs comedy festival and at iconic venues such as the Sydney Opera House and London’s Royal Festival Hall. http://www.mydadwroteaporno.com/instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworks See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Emma Gannon is an inspiration within the professional space. She's a Sunday Times best-selling author, podcaster and broadcaster based in London. She has published two books, Ctrl Alt Delete and more recently The Multi Hyphen Method, a modern day text book, reinventing the way we can approach business to fit in with modern day life. Off the back of her first book she started her own podcast series Ctrl Alt Delete which we're personal fans of and has reached millions of people in over a hundred countries. She has also performed this live in venues and festivals throughout the UK & in the US. She was selected in the Forbe's 2018 30 under 30 list and Management Today's 35 under 35, two incredible accolades.In this episode we'll cover Emma's early career decisions that set her on her own destined multi hyphen path. She covers why gut instinct is so important to her. And we'll find out who or what are the things that inspire her professionally.instagram.com/emmagannonukinstagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworksTalentWorks is a content label within BBC Studios aimed at identifying digital talent with whom it can partner. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Joe Sugg is one of the world's most celebrated YouTube creators with over 8 million subscribers on his channel, ThatcherJoe. Joe’s passions vary from comedy to music to gaming but the word that brings his output together is, entertainment. His love of entertainment has manifested in projects such as his graphic novel series, UsernameEvie, which was the fastest-selling graphic novel to date. He starred in the Hit The Road films with his roommate and best friend Caspar Lee which went on to tour the UK and Australia as a live show. He launched a successful merchandise line, Sugg Life, with his sister, Zoe Sugg aka Zoella And most recently he became runner up of 2018's Strictly Come Dancing, the ultimate entertainment show on television. In this episode we talk to Joe about what being a creator means to him and how he’s been able to build his childhood dreams into a reality and an incredibly successful career, as one of the early adopters of YouTube.instagram.com/bbcstudiostalentworksinstagram.com/joe_suggTalentWorks is a content label within BBC Studios aimed at identifying digital talent with whom it can partner. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An interview series hosted by Head of Development, Helen O'Donnell and Development Producer, Bronagh Monahan. They speak to top digital creators about their careers, creative process and thoughts on the future of online video.TalentWorks is a content label within BBC Studios aimed at identifying digital talent with whom it can partner. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.