Oliver Jones

In 2010 Oliver Jones founded Deer Shed Festival, a family-focused music, arts and science weekend camping festival in North Yorkshire, with his wife Kate. Since then, it's gone on to become one of the best family-friendly festivals in the UK and celebrated its tenth anniversary this year. Oliver spent more than a decade working in the music industry in Bristol and London, which included playing at Glastonbury and studio engineering for Massive Attack, and ended up working in all sorts of jobs before setting up Deer Shed. In this honest and funny interview, which was recorded in front of a live audience at the Podcast Social Club (which he also founded) in Thirsk, hear Oliver describe the ups and downs of setting up a festival, the highs and lows of the music business, and the joys of heading down a YouTube wormhole.

In 2010 Oliver Jones founded Deer Shed Festival, a family-focused music, arts and science weekend camping festival in North Yorkshire, with his wife Kate. Since then, it's gone on to become one of the best family-friendly festivals in the UK and celebrated its tenth anniversary this year. Oliver spent more than a decade working in the music industry in Bristol and London, which included playing at Glastonbury and studio engineering for Massive Attack, and ended up working in all sorts of jobs before setting up Deer Shed. In this honest and funny interview, which was recorded in front of a live audience at the <a href="https://www.podcastsocialclub.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Podcast Social Club </a>(which he also founded) in Thirsk, hear Oliver describe the ups and downs of setting up a festival, the highs and lows of the music business, and the joys of heading down a YouTube wormhole.

CFP #40 – Oliver Jones

Andrew McMillan

Andrew McMillan is a poet and lecturer in creative writing. His debut collection, physical, published in 2015, won a host of prizes and was the first poetry collection to win the Guardian First Book Award. Earlier this year, it was voted one of the top 25 poetry books of the past 25 years by the Booksellers Association. Growing up in Darfield, south Yorkshire, Andrew spent his early years looking to go into politics, but switched to poetry in his late teens. In this interview hear Andrew describe why he decided politics wasn't right for him, how he dealt with the merry-go-round of awards ceremonies when his first book took off, and the influence his dad Ian had on his career.

<a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewPoetry" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Andrew McMillan</a> is a poet and lecturer in creative writing. His debut collection, physical, published in 2015, won a host of prizes and was the first poetry collection to win the Guardian First Book Award. Earlier this year, it was voted one of the top 25 poetry books of the past 25 years by the Booksellers Association. Growing up in Darfield, south Yorkshire, Andrew spent his early years looking to go into politics, but switched to poetry in his late teens. In this interview hear Andrew describe why he decided politics wasn't right for him, how he dealt with the merry-go-round of awards ceremonies when his first book took off, and the influence his dad <a href="https://creativeforcespod.com/podcast/cfp-31-ian-mcmillan/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Ian</a> had on his career.

CFP #39 – Andrew McMillan

Joanne Harris

Joanne Harris is the author of more than a dozen novels, most famously Chocolat, which was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. Born in Barnsley, Joanne started writing at an early age and worked as a teacher for over a decade before the success of Chocolat allowed her to become a full-time writer. Her books are now published in over 50 countries and have won a number of British and international awards. In this interview, hear why Joanne never thought she could earn a living as an author until Chocolat's success, why her brief stint as an accountant was 'like being in a Terry Gilliam film', and how she and her bandmates have managed to stay together for more than three decades.

<a href="https://twitter.com/Joannechocolat" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Joanne Harris</a> is the author of more than a dozen novels, most famously Chocolat, which was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. Born in Barnsley, Joanne started writing at an early age and worked as a teacher for over a decade before the success of Chocolat allowed her to become a full-time writer. Her books are now published in over 50 countries and have won a number of British and international awards. In this interview, hear why Joanne never thought she could earn a living as an author until Chocolat's success, why her brief stint as an accountant was 'like being in a Terry Gilliam film', and how she and her bandmates have managed to stay together for more than three decades.

CFP #38 – Joanne Harris

John Nicholson

John Nicholson is a football writer, novelist and web entrepreneur. Born in Hull and raised in Stockton-on-Tees, John has enjoyed a wide-ranging career which includes setting up the online t-shirt businesses DJTees &amp; TShirts365, submitting a weekly column for Football365 for almost two decades, and writing 16 novels. His 2010 book We Ate All The Pies was long-listed for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year and he’s been short-listed for Writer of the Year by the Football Supporters Federation. Along the way he’s lived in over 20 locations including The Black Isle in Scotland and Laguna Beach, California. In this brutally honest and funny interview, hear John talk about his love of rock and roll, vinyl records and Middlesbrough FC, how he fell into writing professionally by accident, and how he found out he is related to William the Conqueror. 

<a href="https://twitter.com/johnnythenic" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John Nicholson</a> is a football writer, novelist and web entrepreneur. Born in Hull and raised in Stockton-on-Tees, John has enjoyed a wide-ranging career which includes setting up the online t-shirt businesses <a href="https://www.djtees.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DJTees</a> &amp; <a href="https://www.tshirts365.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TShirts365</a>, submitting a weekly column for <a href="https://www.football365.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Football365</a> for almost two decades, and writing 16 novels. His 2010 book We Ate All The Pies was long-listed for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year and he’s been short-listed for Writer of the Year by the Football Supporters Federation. Along the way he’s lived in over 20 locations including The Black Isle in Scotland and Laguna Beach, California. In this brutally honest and funny interview, hear John talk about his love of rock and roll, vinyl records and Middlesbrough FC, how he fell into writing professionally by accident, and how he found out he is related to William the Conqueror.

CFP #37 – John Nicholson

Matthew Cope

Matthew Cope is a magician and magic teacher who performs under the name Matthew J Magic. Growing up in Yorkshire, Matthew started juggling at the age of 10, performing magic as a street entertainer at 14 and was playing all over the country as a magical illusion act just a year later. Now, after a stint as a school teacher and extensive travel around the world, he’s a full-time entertainer, performing his unique combination of magic and variety to audiences around the UK and beyond. In this interview, hear Matthew describe why he became fascinated with magic and variety from such a young age, why he loves travelling, and how his Grandad helped him fulfil his ambitions.

Matthew Cope is a magician and magic teacher who performs under the name <a href="https://www.matthewjmagic.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matthew J Magic</a>. Growing up in Yorkshire, Matthew started juggling at the age of 10, performing magic as a street entertainer at 14 and was playing all over the country as a magical illusion act just a year later. Now, after a stint as a school teacher and extensive travel around the world, he’s a full-time entertainer, performing his unique combination of magic and variety to audiences around the UK and beyond. In this interview, hear Matthew describe why he became fascinated with magic and variety from such a young age, why he loves travelling, and how his Grandad helped him fulfil his ambitions.

CFP #36 – Matthew Cope

Rebecca Swift

Rebecca Swift is global head of creative insights at the world-renowned photo agency Getty Images. Since joining the photography industry over 20 years ago, Rebecca has pioneered the use of analytics to find out why we are attracted to certain images rather than others, and been instrumental in ensuring Getty’s stock photographs portray women and people with disabilities in realistic ways, including the banning of photoshopped body shapes. In this interview hear how Rebecca got into the industry by accident, how it’s been revolutionised completely by technology in the last two decades, and which musical instrument she plays to relax.

Rebecca Swift is global head of creative insights at the world-renowned photo agency Getty Images. Since joining the photography industry over 20 years ago, Rebecca has pioneered the use of analytics to find out why we are attracted to certain images rather than others, and been instrumental in ensuring Getty’s stock photographs portray women and people with disabilities in realistic ways, including the banning of photoshopped body shapes. In this interview hear how Rebecca got into the industry by accident, how it’s been revolutionised completely by technology in the last two decades, and which musical instrument she plays to relax.

CFP #35 – Rebecca Swift

Rahaf Harfoush

Rahaf Harfoush is a best-selling author who focuses on the impact of digital technologies on society and working life. Born in Syria, Rahaf grew up in Canada and became fascinated by digital technology as a teenager, particularly social media and blogging. Her first book, Yes We Did: An Insider’s Look at How Social Media Built the Obama Brand, chronicled her experiences as a member of Barack Obama’s digital media team during the 2008 Presidential election and explored how social networking revolutionised political campaign strategy. Her second book, Hustle and Float: Reclaim Your Creativity and Thrive in a World Obsessed with Work, looks at the ways the endless hustle of the digital world is affecting our mental and physical health and our creativity. In this interview hear how Rahaf felt scared at first when she moved to Canada and couldn’t understand what people were saying, what it was like working on the 2008 Obama campaign, and why she kicks off her day by watching comedy.

<a href="https://twitter.com/rahafharfoush" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rahaf Harfoush</a> is a best-selling author who focuses on the impact of digital technologies on society and working life. Born in Syria, Rahaf grew up in Canada and became fascinated by digital technology as a teenager, particularly social media and blogging. Her first book, Yes We Did: An Insider’s Look at How Social Media Built the Obama Brand, chronicled her experiences as a member of Barack Obama’s digital media team during the 2008 Presidential election and explored how social networking revolutionised political campaign strategy. Her second book, Hustle and Float: Reclaim Your Creativity and Thrive in a World Obsessed with Work, looks at the ways the endless hustle of the digital world is affecting our mental and physical health and our creativity. In this interview hear how Rahaf felt scared at first when she moved to Canada and couldn’t understand what people were saying, what it was like working on the 2008 Obama campaign, and why she kicks off her day by watching comedy.

CFP #34 – Rahaf Harfoush

Emma Kennedy

Emma Kennedy is a best -selling author, TV writer, actor and presenter. After growing up in Stevenage and Hitchen then studying at Oxford University, where she met and performed with comedians Richard Herring and Stewart Lee, Emma spent three years as a solicitor before quitting to become a full-time writer. Since then she’s written for and starred in TV shows like Goodness Gracious Me, This Morning With Richard Not Judy, The Smoking Room and Late Lunch with Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, as well as The Kennedys, a BBC comedy series based on her childhood. Her first book, How To Bring Up Your Parents, came out in 2007 and her second, The Tent, The Bucket and Me, about her family camping holidays, appeared two years later. Since then she’s written eight more, including the Wilma Tenderfoot series of children’s books. In among all that she’s also won Celebrity Masterchef and Celebrity Mastermind. In this interview, hear how Emma defied all expectations to get to Oxford, why she knew instantly she’d made a big mistake becoming a lawyer, and why she has a new-found love of Lego.

<a href="https://twitter.com/EmmaKennedy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Emma Kennedy</a> is a best -selling author, TV writer, actor and presenter. After growing up in Stevenage and Hitchen then studying at Oxford University, where she met and performed with comedians Richard Herring and Stewart Lee, Emma spent three years as a solicitor before quitting to become a full-time writer. Since then she’s written for and starred in TV shows like Goodness Gracious Me, This Morning With Richard Not Judy, The Smoking Room and Late Lunch with Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, as well as The Kennedys, a BBC comedy series based on her childhood. Her first book, How To Bring Up Your Parents, came out in 2007 and her second, The Tent, The Bucket and Me, about her family camping holidays, appeared two years later. Since then she’s written eight more, including the Wilma Tenderfoot series of children’s books. In among all that she’s also won Celebrity Masterchef and Celebrity Mastermind. In this interview, hear how Emma defied all expectations to get to Oxford, why she knew instantly she’d made a big mistake becoming a lawyer, and why she has a new-found love of Lego.

CFP #33 – Emma Kennedy

Greig Johnson

Greig Johnson is a comedy writer, performer, musician and filmmaker. His comic creations include Belgian action star Lunge Dolphin, music production guru Woody Brown and northern poet Brian McMorley, and he has recently appeared in BBC Two’s The Mash Report and CBBC’s Class Dismissed. After growing up in Harrogate, Greig studied and then went onto teach graphic art and design in Leeds. At the same time, he was making short films and comedy sketches and when one caught the eye of comedian Matt Lucas, Greig’s career path started to shift. In this very funny interview, hear how Greig’s first comedy videos were made for just two of his friends, the sheer terror he felt the first time he performed his characters on stage, and why his biggest comedy inspiration may well be his Dad. 

<a href="https://twitter.com/GreigARJohnson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Greig Johnson</a> is a comedy writer, performer, musician and filmmaker. His comic creations include Belgian action star <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDeOiKDArrQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lunge Dolphin</a>, music production guru <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuyXc-YQV94" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Woody Brown</a> and northern poet <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEJI_E-OuvU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brian McMorley</a>, and he has recently appeared in BBC Two’s The Mash Report and CBBC’s Class Dismissed. After growing up in Harrogate, Greig studied and then went onto teach graphic art and design in Leeds. At the same time, he was making short films and comedy sketches and when one caught the eye of comedian <a href="https://twitter.com/RealMattLucas" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matt Lucas</a>, Greig’s career path started to shift. In this very funny interview, hear how Greig’s first comedy videos were made for just two of his friends, the sheer terror he felt the first time he performed his characters on stage, and why his biggest comedy inspiration may well be his Dad.

CFP #32 – Greig Johnson

Ian McMillan

Ian McMillan is a well-renowned and much-loved poet, journalist, playwright, and broadcaster. Known as ‘the bard of Barnsley’, his warmth, humour and way with words shine through in his books, regular TV and radio appearances, and frequent tweets. Still resident in his native South Yorkshire, he’s also held the position of poet-in-residence for a wide range of organisations including Barnsley FC and Humberside Police. In this open and often hilarious interview, hear Ian explain how he discovered being a poet who could be funny could be a big advantage, why the freelance lifestyle means he is always saying ‘yes’, and why he loves performing in village halls.

Ian McMillan is a well-renowned and much-loved poet, journalist, playwright, and broadcaster. Known as ‘the bard of Barnsley’, his warmth, humour and way with words shine through in his books, regular TV and radio appearances, and frequent tweets. Still resident in his native South Yorkshire, he’s also held the position of poet-in-residence for a wide range of organisations including Barnsley FC and Humberside Police. In this open and often hilarious interview, hear Ian explain how he discovered being a poet who could be funny could be a big advantage, why the freelance lifestyle means he is always saying ‘yes’, and why he loves performing in village halls.

CFP #31 – Ian McMillan

Conversations with creative individuals. Hosted by Guy Kilty.

Heather Greenwood is a senior executive at film and TV production company Fulwell 73, whose documentary production credits include the smash hit about the return of Bros, After The Screaming Stops, Sunderland Till I Die and I Am Bolt. After growing up in a small village in Lincolnshire she and her family moved to Birmingham when she was ten. While at school there she got involved in youth theatre production and loved it so much she decided that was what she wanted to do for her career. In this interview hear why Heather stayed in her friend’s living room in London early on, how her production career has taken in reality TV, drama, documentaries and feature films, and what it’s been like experiencing the huge recent success of the Bros documentary.

Heather Greenwood is a senior executive at film and TV production company Fulwell 73, whose documentary production credits include the smash hit about the return of Bros, After The Screaming Stops, Sunderland Till I Die and I Am Bolt. After growing up in a small village in Lincolnshire she and her family moved to Birmingham when she was ten. While at school there she got involved in youth theatre production and loved it so much she decided that was what she wanted to do for her career. In this interview hear why Heather stayed in her friend’s living room in London early on, how her production career has taken in reality TV, drama, documentaries and feature films, and what it’s been like experiencing the huge recent success of the Bros documentary.

CFP #30 – Heather Greenwood

Martin Newman

Martin Newman is an internationally-renowned expert on customer experience and e-commerce who has been involved in multi-channel retailing for over 30 years. After growing up in Glasgow and starting out working for the family firm he went on to hold senior positions at Ted Baker, Harrods, Burberry, Pentland brands and Intersport before founding the multi-national consultancy Practicology. Now the author of a book, ‘100 Practical Ways to Improve Customer Experience’, Martin is a regular contributor to Retail Week &amp; Drapers and delivers keynote presentations around the world. In this interview, hear Martin describe his early career in the family firm and then as a holiday rep, how he worked his way up to senior roles at some of the biggest names in retail, and which bands he bunked off school to see in London when he was a teenager.

Martin Newman is an internationally-renowned expert on customer experience and e-commerce who has been involved in multi-channel retailing for over 30 years. After growing up in Glasgow and starting out working for the family firm he went on to hold senior positions at Ted Baker, Harrods, Burberry, Pentland brands and Intersport before founding the multi-national consultancy Practicology. Now the author of a book, ‘100 Practical Ways to Improve Customer Experience’, Martin is a regular contributor to Retail Week &amp; Drapers and delivers keynote presentations around the world. In this interview, hear Martin describe his early career in the family firm and then as a holiday rep, how he worked his way up to senior roles at some of the biggest names in retail, and which bands he bunked off school to see in London when he was a teenager.

CFP #29 – Martin Newman

Sulene Fleming

Sulene Fleming is a singer/songwriter from Bradford. After starting out singing in competitions as a teenager she’s gone on to appear on countless sessions for all sorts of artists and producers – including Nowegian duo Stargate – and front funk and soul bands like The Brand New Heavies, The New Mastersounds and The Fantastics. In this honest and funny interview hear how a chance meeting at the age of 15 made Sulene believe a career in music might be possible, which hugely successful girl group audition she thinks she may well have turned down in the 1990s, and why she temporarily reinvented herself mid-career.

Sulene Fleming is a singer/songwriter from Bradford. After starting out singing in competitions as a teenager she’s gone on to appear on countless sessions for all sorts of artists and producers – including Nowegian duo Stargate – and front funk and soul bands like The Brand New Heavies, The New Mastersounds and The Fantastics. In this honest and funny interview hear how a chance meeting at the age of 15 made Sulene believe a career in music might be possible, which hugely successful girl group audition she thinks she may well have turned down in the 1990s, and why she temporarily reinvented herself mid-career.

CFP #28 – Sulene Fleming

Diane Brown

Diane Brown is the founder and president of RxArt, a non-profit organisation which installs contemporary artwork in hospitals, particularly those that treat children. Now based in New York, Diane grew up in Ohio and originally started out in medicine before pursuing her lifelong passion for art, eventually running successful galleries in both Washington and New York before creating RxArt in 2000. In this interview hear Diane explain why art has affected her so much in her life and work, why she switched career from medicine, and why she believes artworks have the power to affect real change in people’s health and well-being.

<a href="https://twitter.com/dianebrownrxart" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Diane Brown</a> is the founder and president of <a href="https://rxart.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RxArt</a>, a non-profit organisation which installs contemporary artwork in hospitals, particularly those that treat children. Now based in New York, Diane grew up in Ohio and originally started out in medicine before pursuing her lifelong passion for art, eventually running successful galleries in both Washington and New York before creating RxArt in 2000. In this interview hear Diane explain why art has affected her so much in her life and work, why she switched career from medicine, and why she believes artworks have the power to affect real change in people’s health and well-being.

CFP #27 – Diane Brown

Tony Husband’s brilliant and funny cartoons are familiar to millions of people in the UK and beyond, thanks to regular appearances in publications like Private Eye, The Times, Punch, Playboy and many others over the last four decades. In that time he’s won numerous major awards, including the Pont Award for depicting the British way of life. Meanwhile, Yobs, which he draws for Private Eye, is one of the best-known comic-strips in Britain. Alongside his day-to-day career as a cartoonist, he’s also used his work to create several books, including two that feature very personal reflections; one about his father’s dementia and the other on his son’s drug use. In this warm and witty interview, hear how Tony worked out that drawing cartoons was going to be his main career, how he kept trying when he faced numerous rejections early on, and why he’s been called the ‘Keith Richards of cartooning’.

Tony Husband’s brilliant and funny cartoons are familiar to millions of people in the UK and beyond, thanks to regular appearances in publications like Private Eye, The Times, Punch, Playboy and many others over the last four decades. In that time he’s won numerous major awards, including the Pont Award for depicting the British way of life. Meanwhile, Yobs, which he draws for Private Eye, is one of the best-known comic-strips in Britain. Alongside his day-to-day career as a cartoonist, he’s also used his work to create several books, including two that feature very personal reflections; one about his father’s dementia and the other on his son’s drug use. In this warm and witty interview, hear how Tony worked out that drawing cartoons was going to be his main career, how he kept trying when he faced numerous rejections early on, and why he’s been called the ‘Keith Richards of cartooning’.

CFP #26 – Tony Husband

Portia Jones

Portia Jones is the creator of the travel and lifestyle blog Pip and the City. After growing up in South Wales with a passion for travel, Portia went on the first of many solo trips abroad as a teenager. More than ten years of extensive travelling later she launched her blog and has since been shortlisted for a Vuelio blogging award, become a brand ambassador for Euroventure Travel, has been listed as a Travelex top blogger and has collaborated with many tourism boards and travel brands. In this honest and often hilarious interview, hear Portia explain how she’s found herself in a number of sticky situations abroad over the years, why she loves comics and sci-fi, and why being in fancy dress can be helpful when you lose something on the train.

<a href="https://twitter.com/pip_says" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Portia Jones</a> is the creator of the travel and lifestyle blog <a href="https://pipandthecity.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pip and the City</a>. After growing up in South Wales with a passion for travel, Portia went on the first of many solo trips abroad as a teenager. More than ten years of extensive travelling later she launched her blog and has since been shortlisted for a Vuelio blogging award, become a brand ambassador for Euroventure Travel, has been listed as a Travelex top blogger and has collaborated with many tourism boards and travel brands. In this honest and often hilarious interview, hear Portia explain how she’s found herself in a number of sticky situations abroad over the years, why she loves comics and sci-fi, and why being in fancy dress can be helpful when you lose something on the train.

CFP #25 – Portia Jones

In a special podcast looking back at some of the highlights from Creative Forces episodes 11 to 18, record producer Steve Levine talks about his friendship with Boy George, technology evangelist Dr Sue Black remembers what she did in the first few years after leaving home at 16, drummer Simon Allen explains how his band, The New Mastersounds, got started, PR guru Paul Blanchard recalls how an incident with a lobster in France changed his diet forever, obstetrician and gynecologist Felice Gersh talks about growing up in New York and the influence of her family on her career, and writer and director Jason Wingard remembers how he felt switching career after his time as a professional footballer came to an end.

In a special podcast looking back at some of the highlights from Creative Forces episodes 11 to 18, record producer Steve Levine talks about his friendship with Boy George, technology evangelist Dr Sue Black remembers what she did in the first few years after leaving home at 16, drummer Simon Allen explains how his band, The New Mastersounds, got started, PR guru Paul Blanchard recalls how an incident with a lobster in France changed his diet forever, obstetrician and gynecologist Felice Gersh talks about growing up in New York and the influence of her family on her career, and writer and director Jason Wingard remembers how he felt switching career after his time as a professional footballer came to an end.

CFP #24 – Creative inspiration part three

Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson is a pioneer of property development and urban regeneration. After starting out as a surveyor he went on to become a director of the hugely successful city centre regeneration specialists Urban Splash, chair of Marketing Manchester and a teacher at Yale. In 2011, though, he went into “self-imposed exile”, leaving those and several other advisory roles behind to start again. That decision led him to take on the redevelopment of the market hall in Altrincham, Cheshire, with great success. Soon afterwards he and his partner Jen took their formula of semi-industrial style and carefully curated independent traders a step further by creating Mackie Mayor from a Grade II listed market building on the edge of Manchester’s Northern Quarter. In this fascinating interview, hear how Nick was heavily involved and influenced by the Factory records scene in the 1990s, why he likes to keep things just on the edge of falling apart, and why he never takes a meeting that involves more than three people. 

Nick Johnson is a pioneer of property development and urban regeneration. After starting out as a surveyor he went on to become a director of the hugely successful city centre regeneration specialists Urban Splash, chair of Marketing Manchester and a teacher at Yale. In 2011, though, he went into “self-imposed exile”, leaving those and several other advisory roles behind to start again. That decision led him to take on the redevelopment of the market hall in Altrincham, Cheshire, with great success. Soon afterwards he and his partner Jen took their formula of semi-industrial style and carefully curated independent traders a step further by creating Mackie Mayor from a Grade II listed market building on the edge of Manchester’s Northern Quarter. In this fascinating interview, hear how Nick was heavily involved and influenced by the Factory records scene in the 1990s, why he likes to keep things just on the edge of falling apart, and why he never takes a meeting that involves more than three people.

CFP #23 – Nick Johnson

Julian Richer

Julian Richer is one of the UK’s most successful high-street retailers. After buying and selling his first piece of hi-fi equipment for a profit at the age of 14, he opened his first Richer Sounds store in London just five years later. Four decades on that store has grown into a nationwide chain of more than 50 shops, 400 staff and an annual turnover of almost £190m. Alongside his retail career he’s also an author (his latest book, The Ethical Capitalist, was published earlier this year) and industry consultant, famously advising both Asda and Marks and Spencer, and he’s the drummer in funk and soul band Ten Millennia. In this hugely entertaining interview, hear Julian explain what drove him to start buying and selling at such a young age, how his band went from playing in front of six people to 6,000 almost overnight, and why he’s glad he used his own name on the shop, even though he thinks becoming a celebrity is a curse. NOTE: Julian very kindly agreed to ahead with this interview despite being full of a cold and he’s asked me apologise on his behalf and correct a couple of mistakes he made: 57:43 – he meant to say “depend on the ROADS to drive my lorries” 1:02:11- he meant to say “running a retail business is a hell of a lot HARDER”

Julian Richer is one of the UK’s most successful high-street retailers. After buying and selling his first piece of hi-fi equipment for a profit at the age of 14, he opened his first Richer Sounds store in London just five years later. Four decades on that store has grown into a nationwide chain of more than 50 shops, 400 staff and an annual turnover of almost £190m. Alongside his retail career he’s also an author (his latest book, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ethical-Capitalist-Business-Better-Society/dp/1847942199" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The Ethical Capitalist</a>, was published earlier this year) and industry consultant, famously advising both Asda and Marks and Spencer, and he’s the drummer in funk and soul band Ten Millennia. In this hugely entertaining interview, hear Julian explain what drove him to start buying and selling at such a young age, how his band went from playing in front of six people to 6,000 almost overnight, and why he’s glad he used his own name on the shop, even though he thinks becoming a celebrity is a curse. NOTE: Julian very kindly agreed to ahead with this interview despite being full of a cold and he’s asked me apologise on his behalf and correct a couple of mistakes he made: 57:43 – he meant to say “depend on the ROADS to drive my lorries” 1:02:11- he meant to say “running a retail business is a hell of a lot HARDER”

CFP #22 – Julian Richer

Priya Lakhani is the founder and chief executive of the cloud-based education platform CENTURY. After training as a lawyer, Priya quit the legal profession in 2008 to set up the Indian cooking sauces brand Masala Masala and within weeks her products were being stocked in major retailers including Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Waitrose. She also set up a charity alongside the sauces business, which provided a hot meal to a homeless person in India for every pot of sauce sold. In recognition for her success with Masala Masala and the charity Priya was awarded an OBE in the 2014 New Year’s Honours List and later became a member of the advisory board to the Secretary of State for Business, before going on to set up CENTURY. In this fascinating interview, hear how Priya developed her entrepreneurial skills working alongside her brother while they were both still at school, why her parents and grandparents instilled in her a desire to help others, and why she loves having a dog in the office.

Priya Lakhani is the founder and chief executive of the cloud-based education platform CENTURY. After training as a lawyer, Priya quit the legal profession in 2008 to set up the Indian cooking sauces brand Masala Masala and within weeks her products were being stocked in major retailers including Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Waitrose. She also set up a charity alongside the sauces business, which provided a hot meal to a homeless person in India for every pot of sauce sold. In recognition for her success with Masala Masala and the charity Priya was awarded an OBE in the 2014 New Year’s Honours List and later became a member of the advisory board to the Secretary of State for Business, before going on to set up CENTURY. In this fascinating interview, hear how Priya developed her entrepreneurial skills working alongside her brother while they were both still at school, why her parents and grandparents instilled in her a desire to help others, and why she loves having a dog in the office.

CFP #21 – Priya Lakhani

Creative Forces Podcast with Guy Kilty

The best podcasts about ourselves as well as the world through the lense of Science. Specific topics include things about our brain, emotions to biology, physics and more!

Best Episodes on Science, Humans & The World

The best podcast episodes about true crime. For any thrill seeking podcast listeners who just can't get enough of the captivating stories of murderers and criminals. This topic has all the best episodes from many different true crime podcasts.  Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!