Read this: #48 - Ed Talks 2016 - The Media Podcast with Olly Mann

Alastair Campbell I'm the festival director of the Edinburgh International television festival and we're in our lovely Farringdon offices, I'm here to tell you about TED talks which is a series of short punchy inspirational Talks by people across the creative Industries so what you're about to hear Media podcast listeners is for speakers from a talks.

We have Simon Stevens the Tony and Olivier award winning playwright.

We've got June Sarpong and we've got Karen blackett.

Who is the CEO of mediacom she was encouraged to be a nurse as there as a young girl so we going to hear about her rise and her views on authenticity and diversity and we are also going to hear from David Glover who commissioned Gogglebox he's had a specialist factual at Channel 4 and he's talking about the TV but most inspired him.

OK that's enough for me.

See you on the other side with some exciting news about this year's TV Festival

I give everyone and welcome to head to the sociation with UKTV an event that is so the Jewel in the Edinburgh festival crown or so it says here now.

What can I learn this script but I remembered on my TV presenter so I read sheet for a living so I would just read this instead all Abid festival goers will be nice Rangers see Ted Talks I remember hearing from outstanding speakers including tennis coach Judy Murray news and could Jon Snow space scientist Maggie aderin-pocock and director corinda to name.

Just a few however if you like me a bit of a virgin to this festival welcome.

This is the fourth outing at prepare yourself to be inspired.

I don't normally do this stuff specially for free but but but I thought you know I've been in the industry for 20 years now.

I need a bit of inspiration.

We got some fantastic.

Looking slightly nervous over there to inspire so I would like 75 minutes or we're going to do is be hearing from for amazing speakers at least give us a different perspective on the theme of inspiration like a usual TED talks star is for speakers will be against the clock I suppose in a way because I got 12 minutes and only 12 minutes to deliver their inspiration to us and this is slightly different we got to Golden questions.

I will be asking one golden question and you little be asking the other so I'll come back on stage after done the Tortoise if you think of anything to ask her are all speakers then please put your hand up when I come up later and I'll choose one of you to ask the question, so I don't speak if you tonight will be playing right side and Simon Stevens me.com chairwoman Karen blackett and head of specialist factual Channel 4 David Glover ok, but kick yourself gotten into a future in your like.

This is good this really picks you up.

Is a woman who is known for energy and intellect who is as comfortable grilling politicians as she is extracting gossip from A-List stars is the Everton TV presenter and charity campaigner.

Julie's welcome to the stage.

I can take everywhere I go to and I go way back and we were lamenting about the old times those whistles showing our ages.

It where it's an absolute, pleasure and honour to be with you all this evening at thank you very much for the organisers for inviting me and the theme of inspiration so on the topic of inspiration when they first told me that that's what we wouldn't be talking about this evening at the world what inspires me and I thought well the thing that inspires me and and the son of issue that I am most passionate about is how.

You create a fairer and more equal Society and that being really around the issue of gender equality for a number of reasons.

I am a woman at least I was last time.

I checked you do things can change of Caitlyn Jenner and so I am a woman and but also I think when you look at the data and and you are look at where we are going as a society it just makes more sense to have a society where everybody has a shot at becoming at their best self so being as passionately as I am about this issue about 6 years ago.

I was living in New York at the time and I co-founded a women's conference and in that American wedding know the same thing would have happened in this country, but in the American way.

We somehow managed to get Ariana

Avington Donna Karan and Sarah Brown to to help us in in launching this conference and as a result we became the market leader in the States and I bought it here 4 years ago and my family are from Africa so we also took it to Africa one of the things that we are so passionate about the work that we do at we is looking at how you create a framework that creates a society that enables both sexes to be their best.

I've been in television for about 20 years now and one of my passions for sure is connecting with people I was born and raised in East London but my parents are from Ghana and one of the key elements of Ghanaian culture is mythology and folklore and this tradition is passed down from Generation to generation and we've all grown up understanding.

Azhar mythology and all the folk laws that have governed Ghanaian culture, so there's a fantastic book by Joseph Campbell called the Hero's Journey and in that book.

He looks are all of the world's great mythology as soon as one central theme in the seems a bit like this so the hero gets call To Action and notice that I say the hero as in a man.

It's always a man a man at first.

He should have said no sounds like too much work and decides not to do it then something catastrophic happens, and he has no choice but to answer the call so he embarks on the heroic journey and comes up against the powerful adversary at first.

He fails then he finds a mental and somehow succeeds.

He loses a battle but then eventually finds the strength to win the war and a long the journey discovers himself and discovers what he's really capable of and Returns home a hero.

And so in Ghanaian mythology there is the story of Anansi the Spider and we all grew up with the story and a Nazi starts off as a low spider in the animal kingdom.

I looked around the decides he wants a somehow rise to the top of the kingdom and so he goes to the sky god and he says to the sky god and what is the most valuable possession in our Kingdom in the sky god says our stories, so it's ok.

Well.

I want to buy them in the sky god says to them the stories and off for sale, so he says to them him well.

How can I get them? So you said why you can't because we've had Kings from many other regions come here who's tried to get these stories and they have failed.

So what makes you think that you are low spider will succeed so and as it's as though I think I can do it to the Spice plot the Sky Go system.

Ok? Don't have a short.

See what you can do.

So he's somehow I won't go to the whole story but he cunningly enable.

Manages to get all the things of the sky god asked for these are the things that seemed impossible he brings them back and the sky god is completely flabbergasted but at the same time very impressed and as a result crowns hymn, the king of out of the animal kingdom as a the reason why a reference these Anansi stories is for two reasons because there are two key elements within the story that shows why and how when you said there's your mind to something and you create the right framework.

Anything is possible for two elements hear that made Anansie success happen, the first was equal opportunity because even though the sky god didn't think that and as he could complete the task is still gave him the same shot as he had given all of the seemingly more worthy candidates and secondly and Nancy believed in himself and I will either those of the two elements that more or less guarantee greatness when you have equal opportunity and self-belief so

When we look at those issues, how do we create a society that enables women to have an equal shot as men with if we look at all of the jet does the data and we look at the imbalance that we have at the moment.

There is so much that we are being robbed of a society by not empowering are women in a way.

It's almost like driving with one hand yes, you can do it, but it's so much safer and better to drive with two well.

That's a leisure in a dropped up but alas you were in a job job.

It is so much safer and better to drive with two and I think that when we look at the sum of the word that we've been able to do with we over the years.

We have been able to empower young women who come to our conferences who network who don't understand just how capable they are but we put them through programs that empower them and

Nurture them and give them the access for them to be able to rise throughout their careers.

We've been able to put young women with women such as Ariana such as Donna who's there not been able to rise through the ranks of the media industry in the state as well as the fashion industry to know recently joined the in campaign and this is a really interesting campaign for a number of reasons at the moment the conversation is being dominated by men but the outcome will actually be decided by women the two groups that are in play are young women young women who most of whom have not voted before and women who are mothers mainly in the middle of the country who were torn as to which way to go.

So these two groups are gonna decide Britain's future in Europe and I believe that if you look at what's the outcome will be on the European elections we can use that as a way of looking at how.

Things are going to move forward because it's women it's empowering women that will secure our future not just as a country on our own but also has a country within the EU so what I want to say is I truly believe that the economy that is efficient enough to capture the Talents of all those are available to contribute and is capable of utilising his greatest Minds will produce a model that the rest of the world will be desperate to emulate.

I'm not in a kind of missed but I'm a feminist and can only imagine the positive impact that this will have on 21st century GDP where is the new thinking and ideas rather than the industrial might of the twentieth century that will win the day.

There's a wonderful quote by Margaret Mead and she says that when you ever Everytime We liberate a woman we also liberate a man and what I'm excited to see is a new generation of men.

Who will be liberated to levels that they did not realise we're possible for them because for the first time ever they will be actually playing on a level playing field.

Thank you.

Very good empowering women I agree with that change your gender equality is important to me cos I've got three daughters.

So my first golden? I come to you guys.

There is some who's getting it right terms of an industry of company and movement who's getting 200 quality going to say a country which is quite random Innocence is Rwanda and it's by default because of the genocide that happened in Rwanda as a result that they had no choice but to empower their women because there weren't as many men leftover chilli and so there a parliament is 55.

In fact is that a little bit more something like 53% female and a lot of the leadership roles in the Industries are equal and the funny thing.

They are the only country that was able to reach the Millennium Development Goals and that's because they've had to empower their women it wasn't through choice, but it's actually working out for saving Vietnam when I went there years ago because of that war order for the dustman.

What does swimming I was always gonna die so that your solution to the gender equality killed a man off so don't be shy, please raise Your Hand someone.

I think you need both really.

I think you need a mentor in your industry.

That has done whatever it is that you want to do and then it's good because I didn't be used you seem quite young hello and then your generation.

I think even more so than mine actually said multitask, so you may be in one industry, but in your part in your spare time you do something else.

I'm so I think it also makes sense to make sure you have a mental from other Industries but definitely think relationships with with people in your industry.

That has been able to achieve what it is that you want to do is pretty good for gender equality.

I would say at the top top level no in the same mid-level.

Yes, and then actually and production for sure but if you look at all the sort of network heads the top bosses.

Ok.

Thank you very much.

Do you spell everyone around the floors are thinking.

I know next week.

I've got great speakers here.

He is a Tony award winning playwright.

Who is brought an incredibly successful Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time to the stage both of the West End and on Broadway please welcome Simon Stevens thanks.

Thanks very much Tim I'm a huge fan of the comedian, Richard Herring I I like him for many reasons.

I like his stand-up.

I like his column in the Metro I like the dignity with which he has dealt with the his one-time partner.

Stewart Lee becoming an increasingly celebrated and significant figure in the same field as he works in I like his podcast Richard Herring was at the Vanguard of podcasting years ago.

He does several podcast my favourite is a podcast called the Richard Herring Leicester square, theatre podcast which he he brought.

Hehe record 16 every year at the Leicester Square Theatre in which he interviews the most significant figures in British comedy a huge range of Acts of being on what he calls the blister pack Stephen Fry was on their ideas are but then also comedians what the beginning of the career on the universe second year on the second year on the circuit at his interviews a searching and interrogate re and fascinating and they're very funny and I urge you to listen to them when is interviews run out of steam.

P.s.

What he calls emergency questions these are particular highlight the really good the emergency questions are really good.

He's made a list of random questions to ask all of his get any given time in the interviews.

I want to talk about my second favourite of these Richard Herring emergency questions my favourite my favourite question is brilliant and I meant I'll tell you what it is in passing of a not talk about it.

I won't dwell on it, but it's brilliant his favourite emergency quest my favourite Legends question is who would you rather date a man who actually was as 6-ft tall penis dressed as a man or a man who instead of a penis had a tiny little man.

I want another dwell on that question.

I just going to let that linger in your imaginations and I'm going to go a Linstead on my second favourite Richard Herring emergency question which it is in the US is all of his guests include.

Eddie Izzard and Stephen Fry yes some where do you get all your crazy ideas from it's a funny question because it's absurd it's absurd because on the surface.

It's unanswerable and the qualifier crazy.

In acknowledging the silliness of the question is beautifully poised and as a writer I like a beautiful poised qualifier.

What makes it a genius question that is that while on the surface it seems absurd the great and answerable of creative arts.

Where do you get your ideas from who asks anybody that in fact is the most important question you can ask any artist in any form?

You could almost say and there are people here who interview artists you could almost say that every other question that you would ask an artist is actually aware of engine towards the more direct question, where do you get your crazy ideas from it's a question and I speak as an artist.

There's a question that artists dread.

Weed read it I would suggest because there's a romance that lingers around the process of making art that I think all of us to varying degrees cherish.

We like the romantic idea that songs novels poems plays as the Socratic Shane MacGowan one said exist in the atmosphere in the Aether and we just have to catch them before anybody else does it's a compelling idea this romantic idea because it's charged with notions of magic and the notion that the artist is on one level ACA visionary who has access to Worlds and tarifas the other mi amor immortal people would never have access to it is also I would suggest a spacious idea.

That is a silly as it is reactionary.

In rebuttal of the notion of ideas existing in the atmosphere and to make sense of this important question and in the hope that one day Richard Herring might make a massive administrative error and invite me on his podcast by over the past few years.

I spent some time thinking about the question as I've spent some time thinking about where I get my crazy ideas from over the past 15 years.

I've written 26 original stage plays than having produced in theatres throughout the world.

On reflecting upon the Genesis of all these plays it strikes me over however it strikes me you're not however crazy or actually in my case crushingly mundane the ideas that underpin the place might be they originate from the synthesis of five different types of experience and I've spent some time excavating and analysing those experiences and I thought I talk to you tonight about the five experiences that lead to my crazy ideas.

I think the first type of experience.

The ideas come from his personal experience shit that I have lived through my players are peppered with characters that grew up in small towns and had to leave that soaked in alcohol and the experience of living with alcoholics.

I was unusual in my generation of playwrights people here probably television conference you're not gonna know about 15 years ago.

There was a big outburst of British theatre, playwriting that coincided with Brita none of those playwrights wrote about families and I was unusually my generation inputting children on stage and putting marriages on stage and putting parents on stage and I was unusual because I was a parent and because I was married so that experience of parenting and of marrying define my place.

I grew from that experience my oldest friend came to see one of my early plays in Manchester afterwards in the bar over a pint he looked at me and he said to me you're mad you are we.

Veronicas have been recently diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and that's actually the truth use your hands you are you stick your hand in your heart and you'll rip it out and throw it on the stage and ask people to judge it you recognise the extent to which I drew from myself from my own life my own experiences.

It's such a familiar thing to those who know me that my eldest son my 17-year-old often asked me when I'm going to actually just make something up for once in my life the 2nd of experience.

I draw from is observed experience be careful making friends with writers.

We are watching you Henrik Ibsen the great Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen once attended a conference of the European thinkers for the end of the 19th century.

They were discussing the political ideas in the philosophical ideas and the century ahead and they've been talking for days in a in a in the oven.

Eating Central cover of a conference centre in Oslo and he lost patience with all this talk.

He slammed his fist down on the table was going to slam my fish dramatically on this Lexon but I just thought it's just going to fall over so I was going to do that his face down on the table and he glowered at the people gather there and he said to them tell me the colour of the wallpaper in your room.

And I was slightly confused.

He repeated the question tell me the colour of the wallpaper in your hotel rooms and they thought that you know Henrik mate.

You've missed the point here we're talking about the 20th century some of the ideas head but the world to come with some up philosophy and art and you read them that they were the ones missing the point they were in the missing the point of their jobs.

He roared at them I notice everything.

Raymond carver's and much more kind of avuncular and friendly man said he said something beautiful said you don't need to be an intellectual to be a writer.

You don't need to even be the cleverest kid in your class on the cleverest clinic kidding you're Street all you need is the capacity to stand and stare open mouthed in a wonder of the world in the theatre.

We write about humans is possible to write a poem about a tree or a song about a cat is not possible to write a play about anything other than what it is to be human being in this sense.

We need to stand and stare open mouthed in wonder at humanity.

We need to notice everything about the people that surround as I try to and I try to see the things that I notice and use those things in my plays the third type of experience.

I would identify would be researched experience for me.

Please start with what Peter Brook being incredibly important French director Peter Brock described as a form of Huntsville

But there is something we don't know what it is.

There's something perhaps drawn from personal experience or observed experience that I want to write about the first thing.

I do when I get an idea.

There's something I want to write about his I leave it.

Embark on a lengthy period of mulling this is when I procrastinate it's really important.

You've got to let the ideas stew so many ideas have damaged because writer start writing too soon the morning.

O is then followed but what I would describe a research.

This might involve factual reading in my involved interviewing people who are experts on my Fielder of LIVE through experiences and fascinated by its through this that I've interview 28 year old detective sand South London pubs and 19-year-old prostitutes in theatres in Hamburg

I've lost my place it in my talk with him.

Pops up involved.

You need a script is not improvised.

It's not improvised I can't do what you do.

So beautiful just talk.

I just read a script.

It's identifying artworks that relate to my subject or other players or films or novels of poems other writers other writers have identified a need for isolation from other people's work when they write and the total opposite of that I spend months pondering these source materials and making notes on them scraping ideas from the edges synthesizing with them synthesizing van with my lived and observed experiences IV experience is the theatrical experience I write for actors when I see a scene in what we might might be call my mind's eye.

I don't see fictional made up characters I see actors.

I want to work with I want to see stages.

This is why I take commissions because when I see her seen it takes place not in Nottingham emetic otherworld.

It takes place on a stage in an Auditorium I write for audiences the actuality of Theatre architecture in tandem with any given 30 specific audiences makes me want to write the final type of experience would be my experience of my own place each play to me feels like a conversation with the last play that I've written this might be a formal conversation to a monologue might be followed by like a huge big cast a musical might be followed by a to hunger or it might be that conversation in terms of gesture what I'm trying to do to my audience a brutal played about teenage murders and most of my players and brutal plays about teen murders.

They might be followed by a kind of romantic love story about a 75 year old Butcher

This makes sense to me Ted Hughes suggested in his study of Shakespeare that right is don't come up with new ideas every time they write but that they return to the same of sessions the same it's each time.

They were right and they interrogate the menu it strikes me that an understanding of this crystallizes ideas one of my favourite observations about where we get our crazy ideas from comes from Tom Hanks movie big in this film.

He plays a little boy was frustrated by controlling father and wishes that he could wake up one morning and be a grown up and the next morning he wakes up and he's a grown up in fact.

He's a grown up that has the same body and face of a young Tom Hanks his life takes so many times and Adventures he becomes a brilliant adventure and a children's toy factory and befriends of female colleague.

Isha and Anand one night he invites her back to his house.

She's excited by this idea seems very hot he looks exactly like a young Tom Hanks for goodness, so she is keen to go to him.

He's just inviting friends over for a sleepover and he comedy and suit evening together as she asks him where he gets his crazy ideas for toys from is the most brilliant thing it says with a childlike clarity and directness that he thinks of the toys he wishes other people have made up in real life so that you can play with them and when you notice if they haven't invented them.

He invents them in self.

I love this idea because it describes exactly what I do what I don't do and what Hanks his character doesn't do is draw, please from the Easter because that is no such thing as an ether that is in my opinion.

No such thing as genius and if we cling onto the romance of the idea of genius because it flatters us or console.

We need to be aware that in that Romans has a sense of exclusivity and it is a sense of exclusivity that has in its history letters to suggest for example that women can't write plays the black people can't write plays that working-class people can't write plays the only white middle class men can access the Aether is not either it's hierarchy and it's one that can be punctured ideas come not from inspiration, but from work and work is accessible to anybody with the inklination and determination regardless of gender class ethnicity or sexuality.

Where do I get my crazy ideas from will not from any ether not from any air that I put them from before any other white middle class men does but rather from the players that have read the films that I've seen the photos that have been to the actors of admire the music I've heard the people have met the things that I've watched and the life that I've lived the synthesis of these things leave me to like Tom Hanks

Big imagine plays I wish other people had written so I can go and see them and when I noticed they haven't well, then I start writing really sorry golden questions first one is a 6-ft man.

Who's a penis or a man with a man instead of a penis because he goes to play with them and nobody else would notice him.

I'm not wasting my garden?

I found it brutalising and belittling I found the development process great.

I have I found the development process continues humiliating.

It's a journey that started with a gesture normally starts will gesture or flattery somebody telling me how brilliant I am and then it goes up to rejection is the journey of form of Flattery from rejection everytime that mean commissions get involved in eventually don't do it for years.

It's only 3 weeks to write curious incident and it's been produced in 70 different Productions throughout the world is taken about 5 years to write screenplays that have never existed in any life at all and I find that really and if you know and the thing is the mediums changing is got to change because so many people can make TV programmes on their phones and distributes on the internet and let's people catch up with the acceleration of thought of young filmmakers.

The medium is going to become outdated as going to actually become more like Punk Theatre as people can be doing it themselves distributor not on Twitter distributor.

Umbrella and it's going to Brenda the Institute sorry, you know you can be more of that you can be more insights if you can be more at you, you don't have to give no afternoon after know you can just make a work.

I've only got one question but I'll speak to his wife asking what about reviews? What do you think about written television reviews as well my god television television critics makes Theatre critics.

Look like lucid geniuses people tweeting about you won't search for my play but if people to eat at me.

It tends to be quite nice such as Twitter and I'm not being trolled really.

Even been trolled so yes, could I listen to people who I think can teach me about my work and can teach me about what what my phone can do and and it strikes me that increasingly Theatre critics.

Can't do that.

They're not giving the word count of the space some of the blogger can and that's another it's like with the future music industry music and she was completely blindsided by the distribution of music on the form it can happen in the film Media is happening criticism as well all of a sudden you've got bloggers.

Who are writing 2000 word essays that are much more Incisive and eloquent and anything a guardian cryptic rite hear the people.

I would read anyone got a question come on someone's go I have a question.

I've talked about anyone there for the microphone.

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Come to learn more hold on to your dragons the final season of Game of Thrones

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Right time to welcome our third inspirational speaker ozonator who Sheikh 2015 one of the top 10 influencers in the UK and a true powerhouse review of the terms used to describe her.

She is a government advisor and the chairwoman of one of the world's leading Media agency is Karen blackett.

Thank you.

So I want to talk about how we can all make better as I also want to talk about how I believe we can all make better programs.

I also want to talk about how I think we could all work for more successful companies and organisations and I also want to talk about how we can make the population of the UK happier so I think it's a win win win situation, but you won't be.

Surprised that I believe that the secret to all of that lies in authenticity and diversity because it's the title of my slide and I do absolutely believe that that is the the future and how we can achieve all of that but the next 12 minutes isn't going to be about me talking about employing a diversity and inclusion officer that is not what I am saying although.

They are fantastic.

I want to talk about what we can do as individuals so I am going to start with a truth that I face every single day working in the advertising industry which is what I do as my day job and working in the advertising industry in this is a truth that we don't like to say out loud very often but consumers aren't interested.

They are not interested in advertising and this is something that we have known for quite a while but advancements in technologies have meant that that is even more prevalent.

Consumers will try and avoid advertising 30 years ago.

You had people watching almost 100% of the ads which are on television now.

It's more like 20% of the ads actively being viewed on television and for every piece of technology which we develop as a industry to try and target people more cleverly and better and more fine-tuned.

There's a piece of technology which allows our audience to avoid what we are trying to tell them and this is a truth which is happening in the industry.

I also think that one of the reasons why people are trying to avoid advertising as because we started bombarding people with advertising again 30 years ago people would be targeted with round about 500 hours a day today.

It's around about 5000 hours a day that you are bombarded with now.

I do believe.

As well as creativity being one of the cool things which will help us target and make sure that people look at advertising and want to consumer advertising I actually do believe that relevancy is really important as well and I do think that is a factor which we have suffered in my industry in the advertising industry, but the ads do not reflect multicultural Britain anymore and whether or not be as a representative of what's happening in the UK and I think it's really important that we think about what is happening in the UK because part of the advertising industry and part of the reason why those ads may not be reflective of multicultural Society may not be gender representative is because of the makeup of the people in the advertising industry and the makeup of the people out in the advertising industry not recognising what is going on in modern Britain and the valuable audiences that we should be building a relationship with so we have.

83% of all purchases are made by women pretty important.

I would say to make sure that you have some senior women and quite influential rolls if you're going to be targeting those people as consumers 60% of car purchases are actually made by women and also 50% of home computers purchases are made by women if we actually look at grocery shopping 93% of May by women if we actually look at holidays 92% and made by women and actually if you look at beauty products 96% made by women so it is actually quite important to make sure that we have seen your women in my advertising industry now if you get again making sure that we are reflecting modern Britain a multicultural Britain if you look at children in primary and secondary schools now one in four.

Come from a black.

Asian or minority ethnic background those are future consumers and if you look at the train from minority ethnic groups over the last 10 years.

We've seen their purchasing power increase tenfold from round about 32 billion in 2001 in 2011 that purchasing power was about 300 billion.

These are valuable future and existing audiences which apart of modern Britain and if the advertising industry is failing to recognise his audiences.

We are failing to actually build these valuable relationships and I think something similar is actually going on in the TV industry as well.

So if we look at some major top performing programs which have performed over the last 6 years we have seen a decline in viewing for some of these programs and that decline in viewing of course can be filled by advances in.

Of course it is because people are viewing differently and any technology development that means that people it changes consumer behaviour it will change how people watch TV of course it will buy also have a hypothesis that maybe just maybe again.

What is happening in the advertising industry in terms of not having people in the industry reflecting modern Britain the same to be true of the TV industry in terms of TV programming and again do we have people as commissioning editors as the peas working in the TV industry which reflects modern Britain and it's incredibly important now if we don't have those people in the industry.

Are they commissioning the right programs are we creating the right programs which will appeal and of course people are attracted to a program because of the narrative because of the story but people are attracted also because they see themselves in that store.

So when I was growing up, I'm a girl of the 70s growing up in Reading which is known as many Barbados I distinctly remember programs such as The Fosters which was one of Lenny Henry's first acting roles I also remember a program called mixed Blessings because it was a program which talked about the interracial relationship between a black woman and her White husband and that's something that was happening and being spoken about in that culture at that time.

I also really remember The Cosby Show not sure if I should mention bill console but I Remember The Cosby Show because it was the first time that you saw and middle class Black family where the dad was a doctor the mum was a lawyer and that was aspirational for my family for years.

I thought I was related to Trevor McDonald because of the sense of Pride that came on in our household when Trevor came on the news and he read the news he was one of us and he was there.

Making a difference on TV so I distinctly remember those programs because I could see a narrative that reflected my reality and it was something that I was a tune into and I think bring your tunes to culture is incredibly important, but there's a common thread.

There's a common thread across those programs which is as relevant to me as it is to a white counterpart Desmond's which I used to watch the story about a black hairdressers in Peckham the narrative was about a family wanting their children to do well and wanting the best natural for their children and it was told from a different perspective so that was me when I entered the advertising industry in the early 90s.

I had failed as my first ambition which was to be a backup for Pepsi and Shirley being had seen as a standing but that was me as I entered the industry in the early 90s and this was what the industry looks like when I entered in the

90s I don't look like any of those people in the one woman there at the bottom Christine probably had more balls than all of them and put together but that was the only woman leading the sort of advertising Industry at the time when I entered things have changed the things have got better if I fast forward 20 years.

This is what the industry looks like now, so we now have 30.5% of the industry is being led by women so great with recognise the fact that women have a purchasing power and actually might have a viewpoint which allows us to target women better, but we could still be doing better when it comes to ethnicity as well.

We could still be doing much much better so in our industry in the advertising industry 31.1% of the industry comes from a black ethnic minority background but only 8% of the senior management in the industry comes from a minority background and we all know each other so I know Magnus very well.

So we are changing but it could be moving fast and we could be doing better and again.

I think the same is happening for the TV industry.

We absolutely are seeing more people from different multicultural breakdowns on our screen in primetime.

TV my one ask is to make sure that their cultural background is not ambiguous and also to make sure that they have friends and family which reflects their culture that it is not one individual surrounded by a sea of white faces, but they do actually have friends and family that come from that background.

I do think it's really interesting British TV only 1.5% of our British TV comes from being directors, and I think that has to change to make sure that we're more inclusive and we can change their viewing figures.

But there is a business case so I talked about how we can make better TV programme so we can make better as and there is a business case to make sure that we could have organisations which should more successful the McKinsey diversity matters report demonstrates that those organisations and companies which are more gender balance actually outperform those Alesso by 15% The truth is said when it comes from ethnicity as well again those which are more ethnicity balance that would they outperform those Alesso by 35% so there is a clear business case for embracing diversity, but I also talked about making sure that we could all be happier in the UK as well, because something really strange is happening in the UK but in order for us to progress.

We are becoming imposters, so a survey and a study done by Deloitte University identify this.

Which is covering the process by which you actually suppress one of your identity Azura true identity in order to fit in the with the mainstream and progressed at work and progress in your company that can be based on appearance.

It could be based on a filiation.

It could be a based on advocacy, but we are suppressing our true selves.

You do not have to be Sigmund Freud to realise the if you're spending your time in your organisation not being your true self that you're going to be unhappy 61% of the people surveyed and this was across all different levels of seniority and across 10 different industry sectors admitted to covering that figure changes to 66% for women 83% for people that are identified as gay.

So there is an awful number of people in this room who are probably covering in order to succeed at work and fit in with what is the mainstream.

And I firmly believe that in advertising the media and on TV we are the ones that detect actually dictate what mainstream is we are the ones that are determining what the normies so we are the ones which are determining whether or not people need to cover based on what they see and what they hear.

So what can we do about it? What am I asking? You guys to do about it? What am I trying to do about it in my organisation the first thing is focus on who we are higher.

So I talked a lot about making sure that I hire an Avengers Assemble of people so lots of people who are very very different all of whom have their own superpower and they all superheroes, but they are all incredibly different but they work together as a team so I think we need to focus on making sure that we cost Annette wide and we hire different people.

Secondly to make sure that we absolutely celebrate our differences again.

I think this is incredibly important to make sure that we don't live up to stereotypes and that we make sure that we have happier people because they are not covering for making sure that we celebrate difference is really key and lastly avoid becoming jack-o is the other thing that I talked about so if you have your Avengers Assemble of people if you are celebrating differences.

It means that you're surround yourself with people that will tell you the truth people that will tell you if a program and idea is actually you're playing to a stereotype people that will tell you if actually having somebody in an ad is actually playing to a stereotype and is actually insulting rather than actually beneficial to the brand for making sure that we surround ourselves with people that tell us the truth is incredibly important so Michael Jackson when he started his solo career beautiful-looking ran by the end of his career.

Nobody was telling him the truth because everybody depended on him for an income so make sure we have people that tell the truth I firmly believe I really do believe that if we embrace those differences that we hire people that are very different and from diverse backgrounds, but if we absolutely make sure that we tell each other the truth then just maybe just maybe this wouldn't have happened.

Just maybe the programming team behind it would not have confused Idris Elba with Frank Bruno whilst they were both trying to be the first black James Bond thank you very much Darren fantastic.

Really good 2000 questions if you no get thinking you not come on.

I need a good question here but install lots of

How did you make it to the top young got 12 minutes on the table? I celebrated my differences absolute cos I think I have a uniqueness that I could use to contribute to what I do with the day job so I accidentally went in thinking.

I had a valid view and a valid opinion, but I absolutely need a cheerleader's behind me so I found myself a cheerleader she open to it is just there was enough people coming forward like you get absolutely and I think because I was quite different to that fly.

I put up it meant that I was memorable and I absolutely grab the news that opportunity second question anyone got a question here nobody was responsible for the news if anybody got a question are fantastic with a question.

Pass that's what I've got on screen so part of it is never ever work for an organisation where you can't bring yourself to work because I think being able to be yourself is so important and I know that there's sometimes.

It's attractive to try and work for the biggest or the most famous or the ones that done the best work, but if you culturally if the conditions are right aren't right.

Don't work for them, but I would also say one of the pieces of advice that give to my younger self is understand the power of networking and understand the power of actually coming to events like this making contact with other people and networking but works both ways.

Are you having out for a drink afterwards take down to half final to speaker now? He's a man.

Who's always thinking about arguing.

Variance champion series that are on bail secrets like inside nature's Giants shows that deconstruct like the plane crash and award-winning series that encourage national conversation to entertain like the Magnificent Gogglebox would I love for his head of specialist factual Channel 4 David Glover thanks.

I'm going to talk about the power of television watching television for about 20 years and most my tummy team is been working on like how you make the program better or how to get more people to watch it or how we can grab the attention of some of that but really the weekend and get a glimpse of just the power of the median when you speak to millions of people that we do every night on TV that's very powerful.

I'm very the week on a gauge that.

Something to tell you a couple of stories what I was sat with a story about program.

I was watching a few is Googles 79c the famous 7UP where they follow people at 7 years old and 14 years old, what does a Russian version Alexander Russian the 7 year olds and often in a Siberian orphanage a beautiful boy striking eyes and he is lost his parents and their the producer asked him.

What do you want out of life? What do you want to hope for in life? And he said I dream of bicycle I dream of having a bicycle amazing colour intense moment I watch the next one the Russian 14 up and they leave they showed him later in life, but they really amazing thing is they went back to that Siberian orphanage and it's amazing thing they showed the wide shot of The Orphanage has piles of bicycles and they said that seven up series Russians have not been seen around the world and literally hundreds of people who thought fucking I'm gonna send them voice.

Alarm has its moments honey realise the colour of Padme give me a fact that the author who said there's 7 bicycles for every all fine and it's kind of amazing thing working TV without think about this when we sometimes think about it with sort of when Delia Smith how to cook an egg the egg cells without by 54 million that week and she recommended a pans and nice forever and recommending a kind of pans used for the throwaway thinks this is a very good plan for doing an omelette pan company in Lancashire was about to go out of business, so it's all about 1000 pounds a year and sunny they sold millions, so we thought I sometimes registrar is almost by accident so I might see your story about lots of television programs and I think all the great and lots of ways and you can have soft Pony but it just missed last year but not programmer.

I can I felt like maybe it was a kind good use of the power of TV so I can show you a couple of Tips and tell you the story The Pony may have seen it, but still hopefully.

So basically, it's the story of a young man called Jonny Benjamin and when he was 20 years old.

He was hearing voices in his head.

He didn't know what they meant and he was actually a very serious mental health problems, but he thought he was the devil and the devil was trying to take his own life and he went to Waterloo Bridge to throw himself up and he did that during rush hour actually the thousands of people who were walking past and he actually kind of the legend II was about to throw himself off when someone stepped out the rash around said don't do this and talk to me and actually persuaded him that he needed help and he went and got help and he basically he went so I realised you needed medication is actually turn his life around incredibly to the point where 6 years later.

He decided he wanted to find the guy who saved him and thank you.

So when on Breakfast TV who went on Daybreak on something and he said I want to start a campaign called find my I don't know if this guy's name is very patient.

I think his name is Mike restart #findmike you went on Breakfast TV and that afternoon after going on Breakfast TV went to Waterloo Bridge to hand out flyers to try and find the guy that saving it for the first day, There's a documentary made about his process trying to find this guy is inside by see there's a soul power of TV him having appeared on TV something all these phrases Taunton but also cannon reveals this sort of heart.

That's within all these strangers that suddenly they do have this capacity for a kind of humanity and love which is very very moving anyway.

She appears on the day Break TV show and he the hashtag really takes off that goes viral around the world is number one in the world for a few days and it spreads from Canada to New Zealand All Over the World unbelievable our story can capture the

Imagination like that in this morning.

What about the power of Twitter as well as a part of TV but the amazing thing anywhere within a few hours of it going viral someone got in contact and said I think I'm the guy that saves on Waterloo Bridge and I think I'm the person that saved you on Waterloo Bridge and a few hours later another person says I think I might be the guy that saved you on Waterloo Bridge and basically 38 people came forward saying I think I'm the guy and some of them had myself from themselves of fantasy sword whatever but a lot of them actually have saved people are the Bridges or lot of people at some of them actually Saving from Waterloo Bridge but none of them were the right guy and so the film so they were filming all this process and is currently met some of the people and it's so they became a film about and we're something as you guys.

It's all about about mental health and back.

For me it is a film where you just everytime you get on TV something about mental illness is good things to do every time you get something about suicide good things to do if you do it the right way.

I'm sure a lot of you in the audience live been touched by these issues, but basically my brother is it has such thing as in the hospital and one of my colleagues account for I love dearly took her own life.

So very very sort of person who tends think I just felt good to be able to make this documentary just to put the stuff on the TV anyway.

It looks like it's going to be that have a documentary no way but incredibly after it all given up.

Hope of finding the right guy Jonny Benjamin check his email and he found there was one email from someone who said I think I'm the guy and the whole story if it is then wasn't like the hashtag was fighting like for his name was Neil and they filmed them meeting their friends and they get she go around the country and they give talks about mental health in the sky.

When we had the score with me and the filmmakers the sort of talking about how can we harness the power of TV a bit so use this story of it and it's pretty clean just in case for a couple of reasons.

I just wanted to explain one is you might wonder why is it on Waterloo Bridge when he is there that throw himself after thousands and thousands of people walk past what psychologists have a term called bystander apathy America the truth is if you're drowning in a canal something you're much better off if there's just one or two people walking past if there are hundreds of people walking past the moral responsibility to do something.

Dissipate every week until it's not coming up to them.

Why isn't someone else dealing with it? That's the kind of it 7 floor in the human condition called bystander apathy interestingly psychology students don't suffer from bystander apathy birthday know about it now you like steriliser.

So the question is good one side of maybe use the power of TV to sort of stop people on in a sort of lame attempt I tried to put a line at Coventry in solid well.

I got them to put a like on train trying to explain it the other thing I want to reach out to as a couple of million people watch the show to say that if you are suffering from mental health problems.

You know this is quite inspirational story you know suicide maybe it's the way to go and it's normally with a TV programme I guess you can't think that's a good thing but later Jonny Benjamin got an email which I want to read you hey Johnny I wanted to email you from while now.

I thought it was a stupid idea before now, but my councillor encourage me to do it so here.

I am I suppose I just letting you know that I suffer from severe depression anxiousness the previously self harmed and thought about suicide on a regular basis a few months ago my mood spiralled out of control due to a number of reasons mainly that my sexuality and the

I've never been able to accept the fact that I make a 25-year-old man this affected every part of my life relationships intimacy my work.

How I react to things I was in trouble at work for calling in sick for weeks at a time that I hadn't told them that leaving my bed and facing the world was too harsh a reality for me to deal with.

I was on my way out of the house one evening about a month ago to take an overdose on Clapham Common I didn't want to do it at home for my housemate's to deal with.

On my way out that evening I saw your documentary being watched by my housemate and I got drawn in everything about your story resonated with me on a level.

I did not think out anything or anyone could it stop me from going outside and it made me face up to what I am a 24 year old guy suffering from depression and stroke struggling to cope.

So I guess the point of this email is to say thanks.

Thank you for letting me realise that it's ok to admit something is wrong with you both physically and mentally it's ok to admit when things get a bit too much and it's more than possible to live a healthy life with a mental illness and that falling off the wagon happens.

It's how you cope with it that makes you the person the morning after I booked an emergency appointment with my GP that morning to get help this might sound weird and it seems it utterly bizarre to me when I say out loud but due to your sheer braveness in Coming forward and telling your story you completed the circle you found your mic and now I found mine and that's you.

Thank you because even though I don't know you even there was not met nor do I think we ever will even though I only know fraction of your story and you mind you save my life that night you stopped me from jumping off my bridge thinking out loud I bet you get the sort of email all the time for people.

I hope you don't think I'm some kind of freak with love and respect.

Always Beth and look a thing as I know I don't want to claim that this is Match of the brilliant filmmakers who made the film and it's also just like one in 1000 films that have done that.

I sort of got this glimpse of the power of television, but I suppose for this the working TV I think sometimes useful to be reminded of the power of the medium on all sorts of levels, just a maybe we might use it better.

He say portent powerful TV there.

What's the process of that actually happening who came up with it inside filmmakers, was it the guy came up with the idea as I take me to anyone that I didn't commission earlier on I got involved as the film has been already made and they were funded initially by mental health charity and I think they were sort of they have in a week and I think that Jonny Benjamin

On the process party fears he wanted to say thank you to that guy because he was also aware that it might do some good in some way that you didn't know quite how bye bye kind of telling that story and disorderly not being a fan of light across the Poster Boy for form for mental health and showing that it's kind of like that.

He's coming a normal and cool person and how long is something like that you realise it's going to be what's the weather doing sort of why I'm not sure I suppose as soon as I saw the First Cut of it.

I watch the kind of it as you're my best because they made most of it before I got involved and I was in tears on my desk washing it.

That's quite good sign and then it's just kind of role on it's one of those things where they say, it's more order something is just catch the imagination that story in where to get the chapel documentary.

Just a simple idea of wanted to say thank you captured the whole world's imagination before I got involved so it's going to be one of those things but it's interesting that the power of stories.

That's a story which is come out uplifting and extraordinary and kind of a bit Hollywood and maybe that allows us to do this can a serious stuff on the site, let's move on to the successful second golden question I said he won't go out here.

I'm just really about the commissioning process because I mean if you look at the lives that we from Karen about the popular shows there were things like Britain's Got Talent I don't know I'm a Celebrity you know that's obviously not the type of show that's gonna have the top story that you've just shown there so people who might not this really be completely in the industry.

You know if you have a story like that that you want to tell you know what is the process.

How do you get in touch and get someone to realise that you know it's not personal question is to try and find some filmmakers awesome permission.

Just possible find a program that you think have the right heart and soul in a banana.

I'm a bit of the first people to go to because they might be on your voice, so what I would do is almost autosave kind of like what is there anything like this that I admire? When is it on TV that some sort of Beacon of hope and then I really get to know that stuff and save that film maker or that company or lack commissioner whatever it is.

They are really know that stuff.

I think it's great.

I've got something a bit like it and you know these people like me at my flat.

If anyone's interested in and it's alright.

Yeah, please do say so please do but that's the whole deals on death row Channel 4 or what I do is to try and be some sort of thing that people can pass through with with great stories like that.

That's what it's about the truth is we don't do enough but we tweed suit which find it sometimes she told Karen said that diversity you're supposed to have one of the

Most diverse shows ever on TV Gogglebox got black guys try old young excetera excetera, you crossed everything in that show is it a conscious decision to put someone from all genres and yeah, I mean basically I'm totally in sync with what you're saying those who is the diversity things that unbelievable strength that is so lovely on that that slide you should have like what news is like in the 90s shopping in it, but it's also just like the world is richer for those levels Ronnie and the reason of that story has powers because his mental health in the factors battling with you watch the whole film is far more interesting then if he's just some identikit person and we Gogglebox definitely having one of the joys of it is that sometimes you can be in the kind of you know the sort of you know Steph and doms we have bed and breakfast Palace or wherever and he is.

Sort of like.

They're saying the same things sometimes you see the United or sometimes you see you later disagree, but there's a kind of

The directory that show is part of its magic what I always has a security.

I can't take too much credit.

That's a show where a hole in one golf foot sore now we can always retrofit a white such brilliant, but I didn't predict it half of its not even a tenth of its brilliant.

Yes, I just started watching with people.

I think they're my friend.

We are you know I like them.

I like when was it that you actually thought it is the holding 12 didn't start off like that didn't hear what is a kind of where was Hitler against number levels.

But this sort of thing I love about it.

Is that there's a kind of truth to it that so much TV is sorted out of existence and that everyone has to say the right thing and post to say the right thing.

I love the fact that box is a little bit of truth and there was actually the very first episode they review the science program.

I done about a meteorite in Russia where we sent this rush British scientists.

I'm look for a bit of the meteorite and and Christopher Steven in the show goes deep in snow popular anyway, so strange cos he was going to put it as soon as it happened.

I thought I thought this is very interesting being weird and sort of truthful and it sort of picking a pomposity of my own shows about them every other show I've ever done.

They always kill it but I'm used to do me one thing I'm afraid that's if to can I say a big thanks to our sponsors, UK TV please give another one big round of applause sidetracked all our speakers tonight.

So there you have it that was our head torques and I look forward to seeing you in August in Edinburgh early bird tickets are on sale now.

Oh and don't forget to book the festival campus for low price but beautiful accommodation so yeah, but that too so until then, I'm Lisa Campbell thank you for listening.

Goodbye.

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