Flock Together

0:08 Um thank you for having me.

0:13 So I guess most some of you might know that I did a talk here in 2018 under superimposed which my previous agency opened with a friend of mine at a time called Toby Evans the whole world has changed since then.

0:29 So I'm back here to talk to you again but yeah flock together was born out of a really interesting moment we're going to get into that.

0:36 But I think it's really important to start from the beginning really the intro of Where it All Began where I became the type of creative that I am today.

0:48 So I was about 23 and I was very lucky to be given a role at poke which was a creative agency at the time one of the best creative agencies in the world. Actually.

0:59 And I was very young very naive too much confidence maybe a bit arrogant but I was very fortunate to be part of a campaign for bernardo's the children's charity and we worked on a project called the teen speech this was about giving young people around the country a voice you know listening to them their hopes their worries their dreams their desires everything but you know back then this was 2009 by the way young people had it tough you know they're very much again displaced like they are today and my role was to travel around the country really listening to their stories to platform on Christmas Day at the same time the T the queen speech was happening on my this is MySpace full takeover that's how old I am but yeah the the on on Christmas day that the queen did her speech at the same time the Myspace home page turned into a screen and we played this beautiful film that we've made again voice giving voice to this generation of young people so for me it was kind of a weird moment that's my introductory introduction to advertising or marketing and seeing social impact at that level was an eye-opener to me I'd always been interested in Communications always been interested in advertising but never really understood the power it could for good so when I worked on that campaign it really opened my eyes to think that damn we can make this space sexy you know we can actually support people through advertising so for me social impact was like locked in cemented in my heart. And it was really something I wanted to chase wherever I went so then when I left that small job at 23 at poke I ran around the industry I worked for lots of the agencies and the brands that we all know and love and some of you guys work at and I just couldn't find my home I did some incredible work you know namely working with Channel 4 I was part of a team that went an Emmy which was very similar to that bernardo's campaign giving young people a voice I was only young myself but I think they saw me as kind of like the the vehicle into that world really helped them understand the minds of young people.

3:17 But yeah as I said I couldn't really find my home I'd turn up to these Big Shiny offices the only people that looked like me was the cleaner or the security guard and I'd be in these rooms and be like it's just isn't me you know listening to how we ideate and listening to the stories we were telling the references we were pulling from I was just like they're saying it.

3:38 So then yeah. So after like seven or eight years bouncing around the industry I decided to set up my home you know create it.

3:48 Basically so superimposer was born and yeah back then we were like a new world creative agency challenging Brands to go further we're going to talk about future impose in a sec but under superimposed it was very much about seeing the industry is a space for experimentation space for Innovation a space for New Perspectives whereas when I was working in all these places I didn't find any of that I didn't see anyone it's very much on the outside looking in everywhere. I went I was just like listening to again the boardroom and being like this doesn't this doesn't feel authentic and for me everything had to be authentic authentic wasn't a buzzword for me. And it still isn't to this day it's not a buzzword so yeah really saw an opportunity in regards to the industry needs to change I wasn't wrong as the industry was wrong I think it got very complacent you know it lost its way it got boring and you know again in 2014 when we launched superimpose the world was changing I think you know the rise of social media digital Communications was huge so these big agencies that I worked at that were incredible at writing TV ads and TV scripts and then started had to think you know across multiple touch points social you know PR experiential all of these other areas where they just struggled so as an agency we were like we're going to be experts in all of those spaces foreign diverse team equals better work facts it's not even a debate anymore I I still really struggle to be in rooms where I look around the table or you know those multi-agency meetings that you have to have where everyone has to bring their team and I'm just like how are you guys doing work where you all look the same you literally are telling the same stories I don't get it so for me I've always prided myself for really trying to have a diverse team around me I want to be challenged if we're trying to speak to the widest set of people then how in the world can I do that if everyone in my team is the same has the same story to tell so this was something that we've always pushed for truly diverse team equals better work we also are at the time where big big Brands didn't need big agencies you know we needed to tell better stories so it needed a nuanced approach it needed specialist Talent a lot of these big agencies couldn't afford to have those types of people on their books 20 you know on a full-time contract so as an agency we were really interested in those people that fought outside the box we never really hired from within the industry wanted people that were free thinkers you know and again we really pushed big Brands to see that they didn't need big agencies and you know hold tight Adidas would be in our founding client and doing some incredible work with but then at the same time as you've heard my I guess introductory years to advertising was yeah it wasn't really that joyful I didn't make work that I'm super proud of I tried but it never happened to the level I expected anyway.

7:09 So then when superimpose was blowing up sorry I'm gonna burp this heineken's gassy ♪

7:16 they were good we're good we're good sorry superimposed working for in some incredible clients outside of Adidas but all in that fashion and lifestyle space I wasn't satisfied of just delivering client work I was like this isn't why I got into this space for you know.

7:33 So we really wanted to challenge and then push the industry to be better so we did this by you know not just solely focusing on client work but pushing to do work that was completely independent funded by ourselves and then services are known was born so here we did events four pieces we launched products but very much about using creativity to push very important messages I'm some of my team here today. And we talk about all the time I'm like okay cool our role as creatives is to take the complex and make it relatable make it reach as many people as possible so yeah I learned a lot about that.

8:16 And I was able to I guess harness a lot of that through services and known so then yeah moving towards today I look back at my career and all of the stuff I've done and the brands I worked with and the spaces I existed in and I pretty much can sum it up I was a menace you know. I was with someone the other day and they were like we were talking and you know they were like Ollie you're just like your career's just been about agitation you're an agitator and I was like oh I like that.

8:46 But then at the same time as I was playing in everyone's decks at the moment is the next buzzword or disrupta as it was before so for me it's simply be a menace you know be in a space where I can be a pest and if The Gatekeepers are annoyed then you're doing something right.

9:02 So yeah as I said it worked the industry you know listening to some of the people that have spoke before me today and speaking to some friends in attendance tonight the industry looks very different to what it did five years ago you know not five years it's seven years because we lost two years of our lives in the pandemic but seven years ago looked very different when we launched superimpose you know we had incredible success we worked on insane you know still to this day think about some of the campaigns we launched some of the partners we worked with and it blows my mind that we were able to do that as a really small independent shop but I ain't gonna lie I ain't gonna sit here and say it was all roses we definitely lost our way this was 2020 just before 2020 and we all know what happened that year.

9:50 But we lost our way and one piece of advice someone gave me that I completely ignored was with scale comes problems I was like now I worked at some great agencies some huge agencies you know they ♪

10:06 sold for 14 million after a few years I was like that's surely the way you've got to do things right not even so yeah when I ignored that I looked back now.

10:15 And I wish I you know I kept superimposed Nimble and small but you know we got so I guess not complacent the industry got complacent we weren't the New Kids on the Block that were like that disruptors anymore there was lots of those we inspired lots of those so so yeah for me at 20 when 2020 came around and we started to lose our clients it gave me the opportunity to really think or the opportunity to go back to our core and to really focus on what made us stand out.

10:47 So yeah in a 2020 World required a new Mission it wasn't really about hoping and remixing the old it really needed something bigger we talked to Matt introduce me as you know the constant Evolution.

11:00 And it really is that it has to be constantly evolving the world changes every single day but why do we as you know as an industry feel that we have to be stagnant we should we don't we should always push for more so then rebirth was what we called the launch of really future impose something that really you know I guess grounded Us in what we were great at being bringing social impact to the fore you know when you know in the earlier years I used I heard the term corporate social responsibility I had no idea what that meant as a bit of a long mouthful but anyway turns out that corporate social responsibility was what brands kind of had at the last page of their website hidden away or the last page of their deck the HRT might address it but but what it really is and what we see in today's Corporate social responsibility is the most important thing as a brand you hold you know talking about a spinning shoe on a plimp is only going to get you so far so if we can't tell stories you know and use the power of Brands to platform marginalized groups then you really are living on borrowed time in the world we live in today so rebirth was our our North Star what guided us it's on our future imposed website you can go and read it. Now it's really well written I didn't write it I can't claim it.

12:24 But it explains this a lot better than I'm doing but social impact is more important than ever today as it doesn't really need explaining social impact is so much is needed on a level that we never wanted to see like I said 2008 I was traveling the country listening to kids talk about how hard they had it.

12:46 And it it broke my heart listening but today it's worse it's so much worse so if someone was to do a teen speech today I would be so shocked to hear the stories if you travel outside of our bubble in London and hear how hard people really have it so again what does so does so impact mean though because we are in danger of as an industry I guess using that term as what we've seen sustainability being turned into it's a nothing word now it doesn't mean anything but social impact really is there and for us there's a few things that we want to kind of Ensure we're doing when it comes to social impact firstly can we look at resource reallocation again throughout my career and I'm not boasting but I've seen some mad budgets crazy and it's like Nana laughing no but yeah I saw mad Bridget so I was like oh my God for what this budget is ridiculous to launch a little trainer that you know or to to create a piece of content that people are going to scroll past in seconds I'm like for real so as an agency we really look at resource reallocation is there ways that we can use corporate funding to step in in regards in replace of traditional funding governments and institutions have let us down left right and Center we've got the biggest cuts to Youth Services the world's ever seen but we're still using all this money to create nonsense so yeah resource reallocation is something that as an agency we really try and push our clients to to consider Community empowerment again something that is just part of me so you know the need to support each other create space where ideas can be shared and protected doing all this with a common goal we were talking as a team last week and you know there's all this talk about Community this community that I get a lot of people asking me how did you start a community you know and Community organization. And it really isn't about that Community is about just making space for people to come together and spend time together like the rest will come but firstly ensure you're creating a safe space nurturing space and then for real anything's possible creativity is problem solving and again I really want everyone in this room to really deep this.

15:15 This is something that as an industry the most incredibly influential industry out there so creative can we start using that skill set in ways that's going to add values in ways that's going to find Solutions much needed Solutions a quick story before we move forward so in you know running an agency was hard we went from two two dudes in a basement to 35 Staff you know launching satellite offices in LA and New York and I went from just being a creative and then having to realize how to create an agency you know the business side of it the team management and managing people is one of the hardest things you're ever going to do and I remember when it got really intense and I'd really struggle I also had ADHD or have ADHD I was under diagnosed for a long time but got diagnosed last year and you know don't be wrong with you know we're all on that Spectrum somewhere but for me I always used to sit in up sit at my desk and really struggle with certain briefs or something.

16:27 And I started going out into nature and just thinking okay cool I'm not breaking I'm not cracking this you know concept but you know I need to escape I need a new scenery so I'd go on these long walks before you know it before I knew it I was coming off these walks and being like nailed it literally everything in my head felt so clear so I became addicted to this sort of space where I could really feel grounded really gain perspective really be inspired you know and Nadeem who I set up plot together with you couldn't make it today but you know something he's always said about nature about being in those spaces it's the one space that lets you just be and that might sound a bit weird but truly think about it you know even here tonight can you just be do you feel a social need to talk or network or you know be a certain person when you're in nature there's nothing required of you the trees aren't asking you to be on time the Lakes aren't saying clock in or deliver this. And it's true and as flock grows we get when we unpack this more and more it really is something that all of it you know I implore all of you guys to seek because it's helped me be the person I am today it's the reason I'm here.

17:45 So then yeah based on that you just heard a personal need that led to the creation of flock so I'd been bird watching for 10 years at this point now. And I you know again like I just said I'd go into these green spaces and just come back so grounded like everything you know if I was having issues in my personal life hit nature work hit nature come back you know revitalized so then understanding the benefits that nature has given me.

18:10 And then meeting Nadeem like a pure serendipitous meeting we both realized that we've got these insane benefits from nature and we need to share this with a community and at 2020 all of us were having to face up to mental health and the level we none of us asked for so so when I I met nadima I was just like I've got this idea for a bird watching Collective you know.

18:34 And I think our community right now because in the black community we mental health a bit with taboo you don't you have to firm it just get on with it you can't go to your parents be like Oh I'm feeling a bit nah nah they don't run in an African household at all and also I was very lucky to be a part of some of the incredible Community groups that we'd seen you know hold tight Charlie dark and run them crew I was very fortunate to be a part of the you know the building of that incredible space I'm not a social right.

19:05 Now I have to be silent but seeing how empowered people were within that gave me the idea that maybe flocked together in nature could do with a space like that three years later flock is still to this day so overwhelming if I could let you see my inbox and the opportunities that come our way it is mind-blowing and I've been fortunate to work on again incredible Brands incredible Talent over the years nothing comes anywhere close to the response that I've received from flock together old white I know old young black white Left Right absolutely everyone who comes across flock is just like how can we be involved how can I support it go you it's incredible you know we've got and gone from having a regular TV show on the BBC to letters from the Prime Minister I'm not going to say which one you know you know everything.

19:59 That's happened over the last three years is still to this day overwhelming but when we set out it was very important to set out with a mission you know it wasn't just about okay a group of people in the outdoors trying to support each other I was very strict on her life we're going to do something what we have to be strict with it we have to have a strategy behind it.

20:21 So I remember inviting a lot of people around my a few of the early members around my house and were just like okay cool what is this with something special going on but what is it.

20:27 So we sat down and figured out what was what was our mission here what was the most important thing we can do in this space and that.

20:36 This is it challenge the underrepresentation of poc in the outdoors it was weird the comments we used to get when they used to be you know 20 30 40 of us walking around some of the parks the green spaces and they were crazy group of people with binoculars looking at this guy oh what are the binoculars for oh what are you using them for like it was crazy I was like why are we getting these comments why can't we just be like I said before so looking now fast forward three years later Mission completed globally now.

21:06 There is a movement in regards to marginalized groups who never felt welcome in these spaces that are your Birthright of our Birthright you know they're everywhere and you know we played our part in really pushing that mission and you know it's great to never see them comments now it's you're still more comments of encouragement than anything so but again some of the stuff we had to go through in that in in approaching that was and again I've summed up here don't tell us to fit into a broken system and again the reason I gave you that Spiel at the start about my career Journey was because it was the same in advertising I was like this system doesn't work for me it was like trying to put on a shoe that wasn't designed for you or wasn't your size it was just like something isn't right here so with advertising I wanted to be a menace I wanted to open this space so everyone can benefit it wasn't easy and it still isn't easy I think you know we are also I guess in danger of presenting this space is it looking easy you know people think oh you're making all these Brands you work with you've been killing it I'm like are you crazy why are we out of pocket and corporate sponsorship is something and when I say talk about don't tell us to fit into a broken system you know people who say oh at least the app is a charity I'm like do you know the Hoops you have to jump through to set up as a charity like you know under supported Community groups that need funding more than probably flock does they have to hire funding managers to be able to write these forms to get it just doesn't make sense and we worked with one of the biggest charity funders in the country called SB Fairburn and we just told them it's really not set up for people to benefit from what you guys were originally meant to do so for me working in this space with all these Brands it made sense for me to consider corporate sponsorship we're very very strict in regards to how we work with Brands it isn't a partnership we don't call them collaborators it's like we come up with the concepts and Brands you support our ideas you know we don't want to be flavor of the month for I remember in the first year of flock literally every week I was on a call with one of the brands every week marketing manager and it was just like you guys will play you we're flavor of the month if you guys are all this Keen in a year's time then great so I'm very strict on saying if you want to engage us two-year minimum two-year minimum I want to see what you're you're looking to do with us for two years so all of these learnings were what we had to take into building flock to what you see it is today.

23:46 But yeah Community First if you have the community then truly anything is possible no one can say anything to you if you've got a community you know supporting you keep platforming voices and keep speaking to the marginalized groups you know don't lose your way don't see the fame don't see in the lights we've had you know issues over the years where people have came in and tried to get involved for the wrong right wrong reasons we are servants and more than anything we're serving our community and something we talk about as a team is behavior over values don't com don't like judge me on what I do not what I say I can stand here all day long and talk through loads of slides but if I'm not out there. Actually delivering then it's all gas so please judge us on our behaviors not what we've got in our dex's values and yeah always always use creativity to reach more people and over the years we've done lots of that we've done that in different ways if it's not an editorial talking about the favorite and most also the most hated bird in London the parakeet you know what we try to do there is really compare language used around describing the parakeets language used to describe our parents when they came over you know invasive alien species all of that sort of stuff non-native I'm going to burp you know non-native all of these things that we what we did is that is a really important message but we use creativity to present this editorial in a way to educate people about this issue and always also celebrating these beautiful birds that was so resilient they came from the Himalayas by the way Incredible Journey and or it was the flock book that we wrote and and launched last year and one of the hardest things I've ever done I'm not a writer it was so hard to write you know right in decks for Brands and copywriting is one thing but having to put your heart.

25:48 And soul on a piece of paper that to make sense over 6 000 words per chapter was a challenge but we did it. And I was very proud of being able to build Billboards where again we could use our creativity to push this message and on these Billboards what you got what we did was we created a post out so for the locals local area people could tear this poster off and see top 10 Birds they can find in their area how to find them how did it you know a little bit of editorial around it. So it may get a bit interesting and I remember going back and thinking someone's just going to take them all off it's not going to work we got photos but no every day you could see people were actually engaging with this and again using creativity to push that push an important message or a music series you know during lockdown we're all forced to work from home.

26:38 So we started to consider our environments more you know how can we work in a space which wasn't designed for work.

26:45 So I think one Insight we were given when we were approached by the Distribution Company if we wanted to make a compilation was that rain became the fourth most popular genre in the world rain rain mad so so we were asked to put this compilation together to really you know use nature sounds as a as an important space for whether you're working whether you're struggling to sleep because yeah again during 2020 it was really tough so yeah creativity is always going to be important so where next though yeah and this is where it hopefully it gets a bit sexier sorry if that got deep so phase two is now about bringing POC creativity to Nature when I'm at Nadeem I was very much inspired by his take on nature I don't know anything about nature I can't tell you every I can probably tell you most birds in the UK If we spot them but outside of that I can't name the trees I can't name you know you know I don't know my great migratory patterns any of that but when I listened to Nadeem he he's got a lot of this information a lot of this knowledge and the way he presents it in that in that way with personality and conviction I was like we need to hear more of you guys if I had to use my geography teacher things would change so so what what I took from listening to Nadine was that if you consider the conservation conversation same people have been saying the same thing to us for a long time we talk about the climate crisis but we're still seeing again the same people say the same things you're not reaching anyone we're not having any more impact than we are we desperately desperately need it so with bringing POC creativity to Nature I really hope that we can start to hear New Perspectives we can start to inspire people on a level that we haven't done before Reach people that have never considered climate and remember there is those people out there remember the echo chamber that we're all in let's be very careful that we don't get stuck in this Echo chamber how do we break out of that so platform in New Perspectives is something that I'm very important that's very important to me.

29:04 And then if you look at POC creativity in other spaces whether it's music fashion sport the obvious ones really when people of color allowed to thrive everyone benefits again that's a fact that's not my word that's a fact so with that you know we're very excited to Launch a new position for flock and that is new nature but when we see when I say new nature this week this came to me in a mushroom trip and I said trip that it could be just the walk in nature it was that.

29:43 Actually yeah but but with new nature what when it came to me I was like why is flock been so successful why has it had such appeal in this space and I just gave it so much thought and I think what made it interesting is not only the difference between me and the demon our perspective and our passion for nature even though we're very much indifference like levels in regards to our knowledge what makes it great is that and also what you know flock has done is flocks very much about inviting people to Nature a lot of the people that come to our walks are first-timers we do not dictate your experience I can't say to you hey come to flock and this is what you're going to take away from it every single person has a unique experience so it made me think is that.

30:33 And then it got me to thinking that my nature or let's say your nature isn't my nature and that's what's great about nature you know for too long The Gatekeepers has made us consider the outdoors is this nature is that you have to be this person.

30:53 That's all again Gatekeepers ruining it for everyone so when I came across a new nature I was very much about how can we ignore The Gatekeepers in this space and really use this term as a way to invite absolutely everyone everyone into the space whatever you're interested in Nature has a space for you nature will inspire you. And I really feel that if we can push this message we might start reaching the people that have been left out of this very important conversation for far too long different messages for different people it's that simple everyone has a part to play I'm not up here saying that person's stuff's over there wasn't very good or this person's stuff the more I want everyone doing more because we need different messages to speak to different people.

31:36 And then who knows who might have the person we might be able to uncover this someone who has that answer that's going to save us all foreign but yeah platforming New Perspectives is the only way.

31:55 And then also make it sexy you know I I've been trying to think of a better way to frame this.

32:02 But I can't make it sexy it's that simple again we're you know I'm a bass I'm an ambassador at rspb I'm also an ambassador of the I always get this wrong wwt wildlife. And wetlands trust and I'm not lying when I sit on these calls with them I'm like why are you so boring there is no reason you have to be this boring at all.

32:29 And then it makes me think it's because we've not been invited in and I'm saying just me as well it was people of color creatives you know the skill sets you all sit on there's so many places of importance that need your creativity so yeah if you guys have got a better way I can frame this to help me out but make it sexy also common goal motive and this is a direct quote I sent my own creative strategist rahani she's sitting down here this morning we're in a call like we're in a meeting last week a very big partner meeting him with someone for flock and I would think I was hungover and I was babbling I've been doing now today and you know I said something.

33:13 And I'm paused so I was like yeah that did come out well.

33:18 And then Rouhani just jumped in and it was about this common goal and she said motivating people to be connected to Nature and then from that place of emotion be bonded and motivated to take action you know with so many people you know we're all to blame we sometimes think that's overwhelming I can't even deal with that I can't contribute so I'm just going to turn off that ain't it. And we have to change that so for us the common goal for flock is the more people we can get involved in this conversation the better in the in the long run there's going to be a solution.

33:49 There is going to be a good result that we all benefit from and then for me this quote is what I live by it directs everything I do and I saw it at an exhibition I think it was a white White Chapel Gallery many many years ago. And it stopped in my tracks and I returned to it all the time it's from an Aboriginal Aboriginal activist groups in the 70s and it says if you come only to help me you can go back home. But if you consider my struggle as part of your struggle for survival then maybe we can work together we have to be intersectional in everything we do when when you win I win and when I win you win that's how we should be looking at I hope no one's in this audience being like okay cool that's great for them over there those people of color that's great for them.

34:40 But it's not really for me. That's not the attitude that's gonna get us anywhere we're all in this together who said that was that is that a is that labor hey I'm hey I'm all red I'm all red but please ah sorry that's not even in my notes either. Anyway.

34:58 But this quote is really important you know if you ain't really here to understand that if you if you help me you will win you know it's not see me as a charity case let's not see this space as a charity case and finally just yeah another reminder creativity is problem solving going back to this room so much talent in here you tell incredible stories can we use all that to find a solution to this real you know drastic situation we find ourselves in with the climate and join the mission mission I mean thank you [Applause]