Influence with Damian Bradfield – Details, episodes & analysis

In the final episode of season 4, Richard Russell, the English record producer, musician, and owner of the record label XL Recordings, talks to Damian about what makes good music, how he built a different kind of record label, and how to work with the world’s biggest artists.

He also argues that having only one strong skill can be an advantage—and help you do what you love—if you can build a strong team around you.

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Influence is a production of WeTransfer, produced in association with Reasonable Volume.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Dame Stephanie Shirley CH (the CH is for Companion of Honour) — a German-British software pioneer, businesswoman, and philanthropist — chats with Damian about making an entirely new kind of business for an untapped category of worker (women with household and caretaking responsibilities) before there was a model for either. And, as remote work proliferates now, she shares what she learned from designing a remote workforce 70 years ago. She also talks about prioritizing mental health, how to better support employees, and how she fought for a future that’s more fair.

Dame Stephanie Shirley's great autobiography is called Let it Go: My Extraordinary Story.

Get your free WeTransfer pro account here: we.tl/damesteve

Influence is a production of WeTransfer, produced in association with Reasonable Volume.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Damian talks wine with Dan Keeling, the co-founder and editor of the bright, funny, and boisterous Noble Rot Magazine, and the co-founder of the Noble Rot restaurants in London. Dan talks about leaving his plum position in the music industry—one he earned after discovering acts like Coldplay and Lily Allen (maybe you've heard of them)—to make a magazine about wine. In this conversation, Dan talks about how sharing his enthusiasm for wine is rapidly changing the culture of it.

Influence is a production of WeTransfer, produced in association with Reasonable Volume.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Damian talks with the artist, writer, and coder Xiaowei Wang about their surprising findings about modern technology from their travels in rural China. Expanding on their book, Blockchain Chicken Farm, Wang shares models for decolonizing tech, challenges our ideas about rural vs urban innovation, and calls for a more expansive vision for global advancement (instead of a tech silver bullet).

Influence is a production of WeTransfer, produced in association with Reasonable Volume.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Rose Hudson-Wilkin was first called to church ministry as a child, the Church of England did not allow women to be priests. But being told what she could and couldn’t do didn’t deter her then, and it doesn’t deter her now. On this episode, Bishop Rose speaks to Damian about her journey from growing up in Jamaica to becoming a bishop in the Church of England—the first Black woman allowed the position. She talks about using her role to challenge discrimination, stand up for the vulnerable, and reaffirm the power of community.

Influence is a production of WeTransfer, produced in association with Reasonable Volume.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Damian talks to responsible tech evangelist (and WeTransfer Board Chair) Martha Lane Fox. As a Crossbench Peer in the United Kingdom House of Lords, a board member of Twitter and Chanel, and an early startup success, Martha has a unique voice in some of the most influential rooms on the planet. In this conversation, she talks about bringing a European perspective to Twitter, how video conferencing has made it easier to speak up in the House of Lords, and how she uses her many positions for good.

Influence is a production of WeTransfer, produced in association with Reasonable Volume.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To perceive colour for the first time, Neil Harbisson implanted an antenna into his skull. To experience the movement of earthquakes within her body, Moon Ribas implanted sensors into her feet. Damian meets the two cyborg artists and co-founders of the Cyborg Foundation to find out how technology has altered their perceptions of reality, blurred the lines between human and machine, and tested the boundaries of society.

Influence is a production of WeTransfer, produced in association with Reasonable Volume.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Damian meets Nichelle Tramble Spellman, the creator and showrunner of the Apple TV+  series Truth be Told. Nichelle discusses representation in Hollywood, being true to her characters, and how she’s supporting the next generation of filmmaking talent—and stories not often seen on the screen—with her production company The 51. Her work writing and producing for television influences not only what stories are told, but also how audiences see the world.

Influence is a production of WeTransfer, produced in association with Reasonable Volume.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Loneliness affects everything from our physical health to our voting choices, according to research from this episode’s guest, Noreena Hertz. Her book, The Lonely Century, chronicles a loneliness crisis across the developed world. On this episode, Damian and Noreena discuss how technology, neoliberalism, open offices, and cities contribute to loneliness, and what people, workplaces, and governments can do to bring people together.

Influence is a production of WeTransfer, produced in association with Reasonable Volume.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aaron Koblin's dazzling data art projects have animated Johnny Cash's music and brought an Arcade Fire music video to viewers' childhood homes. On today's episode, Damian talks to the artist, designer, and co-founder of the VR company Within about what it means to be a tech optimist today, how VR might lead to more compassion, and how to save ourselves from the tech beasts we've created.

Influence is a production of WeTransfer, produced in association with Reasonable Volume.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.