Getting Board – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of the 'Speakeasier', hosts Asad and Shilpa dive into their experiences at the Cannes Lions Festival. Shilpa shares her thoughts on attending Cannes for the first time, discussing highlights such as a panel with Deepak Chopra and AI-facilitated meditation. The discussion shifts to the impact of AI on the advertising industry and its potential to handle tedious tasks, while preserving the need for human creativity. The hosts also touch on the inclusivity of Cannes, the role of content creators, and the evolving industry norms around DEI and drinking culture. Concluding with reflections on the future of the festival, they emphasize the potential rise of quiet, experiential engagements over traditional digital interactions. 

00:00 Introduction and Greetings 

00:28 Word Association Game 

01:13 First Impressions of Cannes

02:13 AI and Its Impact 

08:32 Nostalgia and Content Creation 

12:57 Cultural Appropriation and Authenticity 

15:22 Reflections on Cannes Experience 

17:09 Questioning Brand Involvement in Rituals 

17:49 Nostalgia and Early Brand Influences 

18:36 The Evolution of Media Consumption 

19:21 Trust and Misinformation in Institutions 

20:16 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Challenges 

22:08 Experiences at Cannes: Fringe vs. Core Events 

24:26 Inclusivity and Representation at Cannes 

27:21 Future Trends and Changing Norms 

33:53 Concluding Thoughts and Future Episodes

The DEI Landscape: Insights from The Grow Up Report

In this episode of The Speakeasier, Asad and Eli convene after more than a year since the last episode to discuss the latest in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). 

Eli joins to share insights from their new report, 'The Grow Up,' which examines the evolving DEI landscape. The conversation touches on recent shifts in corporate DEI policies, responses from organizations like Target and Deloitte UK, and the challenges and opportunities in creating inclusive work environments. 

The episode also explores personal experiences with DEI, complexities of identity, and the importance of understanding diverse perspectives for business growth.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:28 Word Association Game

01:47 Discussion on DEI Landscape

03:52 Insights from the Grow Up Report

05:53 Personal Experiences and Tokenism

14:36 Complexities of Identity and Privilege

20:35 Challenges and Opportunities in DEI

27:13 Conclusion and Call to Action

In this episode of The Speakeasier we're joined by Marcus Ryder MBE. Formerly Chair of the Royal Television Society’s Diversity Committee, Marcus has over twenty-five years’ experience working in television and journalism and is a leader on the issue of diversity in the media, making him a more-than-credible Speakeasier guest. We say this even before acknowledging his impressive portfolio of awards to date, including multiple BAFTAs and an MBE for services to diversity in the media. As if all that wasn’t enough, he was recently named Head of External Consultancies at the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity at Birmingham City University. While we can expect plenty more from Marcus in the future, already this year he has released a new book, Access All Areas - The Diversity Manifesto for TV and Beyond with Sir Lenny Henry. Combining the expertise and experience of the two, it has been considered a revolutionary manifesto, revealing why diversity in the media has such significance and how we can set about strengthening it. We chatted to Marcus about what he thinks about terms such as ‘BAME’ and ‘diversity'. In fact, despite including the word 'diversity' in the title of his recent book, he actually thinks it's overused and that it often covers up much deeper issues, with a direct correlation between the uptake of the word 'diversity' and the downplaying of racism. We also talk about the history of language, where Marcus helps us understand why small adaptations are often representative of a much bigger historical narrative. Moving from language to the physical representation, we discuss the importance of representing an authentic picture of Britain, which Marcus reminds us is typically shown as white, heterosexual, able-bodied, cisgender and male, despite that making up only 3% of the nation’s capital.

Kicking off season two of The Speakeasier, we were thrilled to be joined by the original man of lycra, Mr Motivator AKA Derrick Evans MBE. The man known as much for his bright unitards and impossibly enthusiastic personality as he is for his exercise routines, talks about the fitness industry and how it can leave people feeling left out; how it's become too expensive, too exclusive and too impersonal. From the very beginning of the episode, Mr Motivator’s passion is obvious and his energy infectious. He explains why exercise needs to become part of our everyday lives in order for us to become the best possible versions of ourselves, and the inclusive environment this can create. He talks us through the very start of his career; where he got his name and energy from and the secrets for his longevity. He is also open about the racism he faced early on in his career, some more blatant than others. We hear about how he converts this into an opportunity for positive change and success. With the obstacles he was up against, including being told a black man doing fitness on TV would never work, it took Mr Motivator ten years to get into television. Looking ahead we ask if anything has changed and what he hopes to see for future generations. Among his answer, he doesn't want to be compared to Joe Wicks and has one thing to thank former US President Donald Trump for...

Our first episode of 2021 welcomes the author and broadcaster, Sathnam Sanghera. With the recent release of his new book, Empireland: How Modern Britain is Shaped by its Imperial Past, we look to Sathnam to help us understand how the things we aren’t taught about Britain are holding us back from a more inclusive future. Sathnam talks unapologetically about our right to criticise the country we live in order to learn, accept and progress, and how to reach this point, our education systems must make radical changes to the way they approach British history. We also discuss the perceptions of Britain from the outside, which aren’t as starry-eyed as they used to be. With major shifts in prosperity, Sathnam points out that - although it may come as a shock - people in India are not obsessed with the UK. A past notion which we are yet to shake. Building on this, we discuss the right-wing’s war on wokeness, the role of business in picking up where government fails and how criticism of language can distract from what actually matters. Plus a lot more which it just wouldn’t be fair to condense into one paragraph. Throughout the episode, Sathnam shows why an inclusive Britain can only be built by uncovering the multicultural foundations which are already there. We just haven’t been taught about it yet.

During a year that many businesses and individuals have been forced to reevaluate the way they think and act, how can we carve out a more diverse, purpose-driven design industry? On this episode of The Speakeasier we’re joined by award winning graphic designer and consultant, Greg Bunbury, to discuss the intersections of diversity, design and activism. We look back at some of the most active moments of 2020; the momentum of Black Lives Matter, the amplification of Black History Month and the shared experience of a national lockdown, to find out what lessons we can learn about the power of design activism, and how to carry them forward next year.

In this week’s episode of The Speakeasier we’re joined by actor, columnist, public speaker and disability campaigner Samantha Renke, to talk about why brands should stop holding back when it comes to the representation of disability in comms and campaigns. Throughout the episode, Sam injects endless humour and passion, drawing on her personal and professional experience to explain how optimised accessibility can benefit everyone. We also discuss the role that ego has in preventing true inclusion, and how a little bit of bravery can take business a long way.

In this episode of The Speakeasier, we chat with the glorious Asma Shah, founder and CEO of empowerment organisation You Make It, and advisor on the Mayor of London's Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion board. Asma is open about her experience of the negative effects of gentrification, solitude within her industry and first-hand racism. Now, she’s empowering young women to thrive in the working environment and showing others how to push back against racism, whatever form it takes. If you’re wondering how to put action against racism, this one is definitely worth a listen.

In episode 12 we talk to Sulaiman Khan, founder and Chief Purpose Officer at ThisAbility, a disability-led equity business that aims to change workplace culture by destabilising the accepted narratives of creativity and disability. We discuss how disabled people are inherently creative given they “hack” life everyday to overcome physical, social and attitudinal barriers. Sulaiman also offers practical advice to non-disabled people to facilitate creating connections with those with disabilities both in business and in life.