Nothing, Something Nothing

We sit down with creative director Lewis Clarke to explore the realities of building a sustainable and inspiring career in design. Lewis thinks that in a world demanding constant speed and reactivity, the true secret to brilliant work is actually slowing down. He shares his journey from early days sketching comic strips for his dentist to shooting the award winning Clarks in New York Soul of the C...

In this episode Mike Bailey reflects on the whirlwind experience of being thrust into the spotlight as Sid in the hit teen drama Skins, and why he eventually chose to walk away from the acting world. He thinks the entire concept of acting is fundamentally ridiculous, playfully noting the absurdity of watching famous faces pretend to be everyday people. From his initial jealousy watching the Lord o...

Starting a business is rarely a straightforward leap - but today Fresh Base operates at the pinnacle of sports production, partnering with massive global names like the NFL. For Gaurav Kumar, founder of Fresh Base, the journey began in agency client services, working on prominent household brands. Yet, it was a taste of the sports marketing world with New Balance that sparked a true passion. He re...

We often spend our careers trying to fit into a mould that wasn't built for us. We sit down with Matt Gale, Director of Brand and Creative Content, ex-Deloitte, in a conversation that wanders from the anxiety of 'best practice' to the liberation of embracing your own history. Matt shares a pivotal realisation inspired by James Victore: the specific quirks and obsessions you had as a ch...

David reflects on a career that spans from the energetic days of T4 and Newsround to navigating the high stakes world of scripted drama. He opens up about the complex financial realities of modern television, explaining the gap between traditional broadcast license fees and the soaring costs of production driven by streaming giants. You'll hear the fascinating backstory of how 'Industry&#3...

We sit down with Kate Lenton to explore a radical career pivot that moves from the pursuit of commercial perfection to the messy, transformative power of art psychotherapy. After twenty years in the design industry - culminating in running a successful branding agency - Kate experienced a moment of clarity during the pandemic. She realised she was managing business logistics rather than facilitati...

We sit down with Christie Gray, Head of Brand Design and Identity at Kimberly Clark. Christie’s narrative spans the emotional spectrum of a creative life, beginning with a formative experience visiting a dying mentor in a hospice - a moment that cemented her belief that creativity is an innate survival mechanism. She candidly explores the commercial realities of the industry, recounting a painful...

Calum Franklin discusses his journey from the high-pressure world of Michelin-starred fine dining to becoming the face of the British pie renaissance. Dubbed the "Pie King" by Jamie Oliver, Calum explains why he prefers the title Pie Man, and how discovering an antique pie tin in a basement sparked an obsession with a 600-year-old culinary craft. He argues that pie-making is a form of design rathe...

Alex Rodrigues on "The Audience Sucks," Channel 4’s digital shift, and the hunter-gatherer theory of content. Producer and director Alex Rodrigues discusses his role in driving digital innovation at Channel 4, and the challenge of transforming a legacy broadcaster into the UK’s first digital public service broadcaster. Alex explains how he approaches a rapidly changing industry by transl...

We sit down with Lee Kiernan, guitarist for the Mercury Prize-nominated band IDLES and co-founder of the film collective Holding Hands with Horses. Known for his visceral stage presence - often launching himself into the crowd with a grin - Lee explains how IDLES were forged on stage rather than in the studio, guided by a simple philosophy: “If you couldn’t perform the song, is it really a good so...