In this diary entry, Joe and Balve sat down (virtually) with Paul Blackburn. Coming from a fighting family, Paul was destined to be in the fight game. His rise to professional level was put on hold during lockdown, but this didn’t stop his ambition to get there. They talk about inner confidence, Margot Robbie, and being lonely. Enjoy!
In this diary entry, Joe and Balve sat down (virtually) with James Kendall. In 2011, James founded James Kendall Estate Agents. The agency focus’ on buying and selling properties by leveraging the use of social media and videos. He also presents on the Bedford Business Podcast with Georgia Testa. The podcast talks about all things business in the Bedfordshire area, from adapting in COVID-19 lockdown to the who what and why of businesses local to the area. They talk about how the property industry has changed in the last few years, Frank Lampard and busting some of the estate jargon. Enjoy!
In this diary entry, Joe and Balve sat down (virtually) with KVNE. Living in Ontario, KVNE has been carving his own path, adding to his vocal skills the roles of executive producer and founding partner of the independent label Killakartel Music. Inspired by life experiences, his song writing goes hand in hand with his catchy R&B/pop melodies and rumbling 808 trap percussions, showcasing his undeniable versatility. With musical influences such as Tory Lanez, Post Malone and blackbear, KVNE is catering to audiences across the board, demonstrating his signature R&B and urban pop crossover sound but also venturing into EDM, rock and rap territories. They talk about his creative process, Kurt Cobain and addiction. Enjoy!
In this diary entry, Joe and Balve sat down (virtually) with James Twyman. With twelve years of experience creating short and feature-length independent films, James has just released his latest project called Ringside. The six-part drama, which is available on Amazon Prime, follows the story of Chad who lives a life of poverty and neglect. Desiring a better life, he is given a choice. The easy option, of crime to support himself or take a job at the local boxing gym with the hope of becoming the best version of himself. The drama was written, produced, directed, shot and edited, by James, on a budget of £1000. They talk about diversity, James’ love of the sci-fi genre and Steven Spielberg. Enjoy!
In this diary entry, Balve sat down (virtually) with NO1KNOWS. Keeping to the true nature of his name, NO1KNOWS chose to not reveal his identity so that the focus can solely rest on the quality and power of the music. Producing various styles of music and writing for other artists, his eclectic influences go from Nicky Romero all the way to Led Zeppelin, crafting a sound that is overall very dance focused with elements of rock and catchy vocal chops. They talk about Nikola Tesla, getting advice from Muduza and his brand-new single called Time of Death. Enjoy!
In this diary entry, Joe and Balve sat down (virtually) with Callum Lang. Callum is a professional footballer who started his youth career at Liverpool before making a move to Wigan Athletic where he now plays as a striker. He has had loan spells at Morecambe, Oldham Athletic, Shrewsbury Town and Motherwell. They talk about the benefits of going out on loan, Wayne Rooney, and his perfect strike partner. Enjoy!
In this diary entry, Joe and Balve sat down (virtually) with Tom Pearce. Tom is a professional footballer who started his youth career at Everton and Leeds United before moving to Wigan Athletic. He has also been capped at England U21 level winning the Toulon Tournament in 2018. They talk about what happens on transfer deadline day, goal celebrations and Gordon Ramsey. Enjoy!
In this episode Balve sits down (virtually) with Portia Willock. Portia is an onlyfans creator and has been on the website for a few months. Only fans is a subscription based social media platform where users can sell and/or purchase original content. Typically, this content is pornographic. To gain access to this content, users must pay a monthly subscription fee that ranges between $4.99 and $49.99. They talk about abuse online, Marilyn Monroe and advice for people who are thinking of setting up an onlyfans account. Enjoy!
In this episode Balve sat down (virtually) with Chris Taylor. Chris started off in the property business before making the leap into building brands online. He helps people and businesses discover the true power of storytelling, brand building, and strategic content marketing through targeted followings using his latest growth methodologies. They talk about Elon Musk, the future of social media and learning from his biggest failure. Enjoy!
In this diary entry Balve sat down (virtually) with Dan Draper. Dan is the host of his very own podcast focusing on mental health and wellbeing. He launched this show as part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2020, and it gone from strength to strength. They talk about racism, Stevie Wonder and aspirations for the future. Enjoy!
In this diary entry Balve sat down (virtually) with Nina Goswami. Nina is the BBC’s Creative Diversity Lead and is leading initiatives to support the Corporations plans to reflect British society on-air. She is also a journalist and, before her current role, was the senior producer for BBC News. She has worked in media her whole professional life and previous employers include The Sunday Times and The Sunday Telegraph. They talk about what The 50:50 Equality Project is, Sherlock Holmes and working under pressure. Enjoy!
In this diary entry Balve sat down (virtually) with Lara and Sharmin from the BBC’s 50:50 Equality Project. The project is committed to inspiring and supporting the BBC and organisations around the globe to consistently create journalism and media content that fairly represents our world.
Lara has more than ten years of experience producing content for domestic, international and digital news outlets, with a particular focus on underserved audiences.
Sharmin works with all of the BBC’s 50:50 teams to support their push to increase representation across content. She also works in Resourcing and Talent within the corporation.
They talk about the future of diversity and equality, Lewis Hamilton and collaborating with global news outlets. Enjoy!
In this diary entry Balve sat down (virtually) with Hawa Kassam. Hawa has graduated from the BBC Academy and worked as a travel broadcaster for BBC stations, Talk London and Planet Rock. She has also worked on Capital FM on the Marvin Humes Show as well as acted as the face of Capital FM, Heart FM and Capital Xtra with the Global Group. If that wasn’t enough, she is also starring in a new short film called Ticking That Box. They talk about diversity in the media industry, Queen Elizabeth and Mike Tyson talking at a dinner party and a brand new film script about mental health that she is currently working on. Enjoy!
In this diary entry Balve sat down (virtually) with Kevin-Bacon Sandwich. Kevin-Bacon runs the ever popular @bedfordfoodguide page on Instagram. With over 2000 followers, he supports and promotes everything food related within Bedford and the surrounding areas. They talk about organically growing a social media page, smelly fruits and Michael Jackson. Enjoy!
In this diary entry Balve sat down (virtually) with Juggy Sohal. Juggy has done a variety of roles, in front of and behind the camera, with SBTV, Ideal Shopping Direct and The Sikh Channel. He has also written, directed and produced his own short film called Ticking That Box. In addition, he presents on BBC Radio Essex and Cambridgeshire after winning the BBC New Voices open audition. They talk about Will Smith, diversity in the media industry and gaining experience. Enjoy!
In this diary entry Balve sat down (virtually) with Lauren Smith. As well as producing for Sunset + Vine, reporting for BT Sport Rugby and Red Bull Bike and presenting for CrossFitUK, Lauren also host's her own show Podcast of the Day. The podcast aims to bring you closer to the athletes, brands and issues in functional fitness than ever before. From Crossfit to Weightlifting, Strongman to F45 she sits down with special guests to talk about the topics that matter to both the elite and social athlete. They talk about what a typical week looks like, giving advice to people who want to get into the media industry and Chris Hemsworth. Enjoy!
In this diary entry Balve sat down (virtually) with Ngunan Adamu. After working at the BBC for more than a decade, Ngunan moved to in front of the microphone and has flourished ever since. She is currently presenting the successful Upfront show on BBC Radio Merseyside She is also the CEO and founder of iWoman Media, a global peer to peer organisation built by women for women to enable them to reach their full potential. They talk about being productive in lockdown, giving advice to people who are looking to get into the media industry and Dolly Parton. Enjoy!
In this diary entry Balve sat down (virtually) with Chris Arrowsmith. After graduating from Bath Spa University in 2011, Chris immediately landed a job with international sports broadcaster ESPN. He then joined BT Sport, in 2013, where he has been working as a Technical Planning Assistant Manager. They talk about what goes into broadcasting a Premier League game, what a commenter needs to work from home in lockdown and his favourite travel spots around the world. Enjoy!
