The TalentWorks Podcast

Seun is a London based fashion stylist, content creator and (according to her Insta bio…) a proud outfit repeater. Seun shows her followers how to master the skill of luxury dressing without the price tag. Since collaborating with platforms such as Dazed and Pinterest, Seun's work has now reached a global audience. Seun was one of two emerging creators commissioned to create shorts for Pinterest p...

Emma is a DIY content creator who is revolutionising the way people learn and master DIY skills. In March 2020, Emma began posting how-to videos for individuals struggling with DIY challenges. Today, Emma's DIY videos have had a staggering 250 million views. She’s collaborated with huge brands such as TikTok, Pinterest, B&Q, and Dremel and amassed a following of over 850,000 devoted fans. Emma...

Joe Sugg is a UK-based creative leader, YouTube content creator, actor and author.  Joe started his online career over 10 years ago after making his first YouTube video. He’s since built a loyal audience of over 20 million across his various YouTube channels and social media accounts.  In recent years, Joe has moved into creative leadership and in 2022 started the production company, Fin...

Max is an award winning filmmaker and presenter from Birmingham. Max’s films have won Royal Television Society awards and have been screened at a number of film festivals.  Max joined the BBC Studios Factual team as one of our Meta-funded Creators In Residence. His goal - to bring humour and sarcasm to factual documentary making.  In this episode, Shukri and Max discuss -  His creat...

Adna is a 24-year-old creator and aspiring screenwriter from Leicester. She’s passionate about telling underrepresented stories and working to make the creative industries more inclusive.  Adna is one of our creators for IN THE MIX 2022, a programme developed by BBC Studios TalentWorks and Black Creators Matter, in partnership with the Barbican.  In this episode, Shukri and Adna discuss...

Nenda is a writer, actor & international recording artist who grew up in the Austrian Alps. Since moving to London at 19 to go to drama school, Nenda has appeared in film and theatre productions across the UK.  Nenda is one of our creators for IN THE MIX 2022, a programme developed by BBC Studios TalentWorks and Black Creators Matter, in partnership with the Barbican.  In this episod...

Kaylen is an actor, writer, director and producer from South London. Kaylen started his career as an actor, but after finding himself often typecast, he started writing and directing himself.  Kaylen is one of our creators for IN THE MIX 2022. IN THE MIX 2022 was developed by BBC Studios TalentWorks and Black Creators Matter, in partnership with the Barbican. If you search ‘BBC Reel Found in...

Rachel is an illustrator and visual artist, born in Kinshasa and raised in London. Rachel is a graduate from the Chelsea College of Arts. Her work experiments with mixed media digital collage, poetry, film, and pop culture. She uses her art to explore the Black female experience, as well as her own identity. Rachel is one of our creators for IN THE MIX 2022. IN THE MIX 2022 was developed by BBC St...

Bunmi is a multidisciplinary artist - he’s worked in creative direction, production, and design and has recently moved into garment design with his brand SLUG. Bunmi is one of our creators for IN THE MIX 2022. IN THE MIX 2022 was developed by BBC Studios TalentWorks and Black Creators Matter, in partnership with the Barbican. If you search ‘BBC Reel Found in Translation’, you can watch all the fil...

Shahira Allen is a Black content creator from Yorkshire who specialises in food, travel and lifestyle content. Shahira applied to BBC Studios TalentWorks to become one of Creators in Residence earlier this year because she was frustrated that representation in the media of the Black British experience outside of London was lacking. In this episode, Katrina Bell and Shahira discuss - How blogging h...

Layla is a presenter, journalist and documentary filmmaker from Liverpool. Layla has produced and presented some hard-hitting documentaries for the BBC - including for BBC Three, BBC One and BBC Radio 4.  Layla is one of our Creators in Residence here at BBC Studios. During her residency, Layla worked in the Factual Podcast team at BBC Studios and is now working at Louis Theroux’s production...

Paddy Smyth is a Dublin born presenter, media commentator, and disability activist. Paddy applied to become one of BBC Studios TalentWorks’ Creators in Residence earlier this year as he was fed up with the media’s depiction of disabled people as “victims”. In this episode, Katrina Bell and Paddy discuss -  Why Paddy utilises humour to help spread his message What Paddy learnt about reality TV...

Shu Shi Lin is a British born Chinese vlogger, writer and videographer who specialises in travel, food and lifestyle content.  Shu applied to be one of our Meta funded Creators in Residence earlier this year and during her 6 month residency has worked on taking her TV and content development skills to the next level. In this episode, Helen O’Donnell and Shu discuss - How Shu went from vloggin...

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, Hel...

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 w...

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 ha...

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...

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...

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 Rad...

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...

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...

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 thro...

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 c...

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 Margr...

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 glob...