Month: February 2017

RORY GRAHAM AKA RAG N BONE MAN, TOTALLY UNAFFECTED BY HIS BIG TWO BRIT AWARDS WIN.

The annual Brit awards are always a highlight of the UK music calendar -its like our Christmas.

STORMZY STORMS ED SHEERANS PERFORMANCE FOR THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT THAT HAD THE ARENA STANDING.
ALL PHOTOS – JMEInternational.

It’s the biggest British music show that celebrates commercial music successes across the past 12 months, and always comes in for polarizing views the morning after.

BROADCASTER JONATHAN ROSS AND SUPER MODEL AND DOPE FLY GIRL EXTRAORDINAIRE NAOMI CAMPBELL PRESENT AN AWARD.

Well this year, I thought it was a great show. Not perfect but nearly. Certainly one of the best in many years. It felt truly reflective of the UK.

JASMINE WEARS THE MARY MARTIN LONDON ‘LION DRESS’ ON THE THE BRITS RED CARPET.

The dress code was ‘’glamorous’’ and the ladies went all out with mostly long gowns. Long black sequins were in vogue so I was totally on trend, for once.

LITTLE MIX KICKED OFF THE SHOW WITH A BIG, SPECTACULAR SET.

Simon Cowell’s Girl band Little Mix came out the stables strong, with a big production opening act, where alongside 50 dancers all spray painted silver, they gyrated through a Bob Fosse style dance number which had huge impact with stage, set, lighting and pyro. The girls clearly enjoyed the rest of their night at their table laughing and shrieking alongside two of their premier league footballer dates.

SIMON COWELL PRESENTED ONE DIRECTION MEMBER LIAM PAYNE WITH AN AWARD. DESPITE SPLITTING IN 2015, ONE DIRECTION WON AN AWRD AT THE 2017 SHOW FOR BRITISH ARTIST VIDEO OF THE YEAR FOR HISTORY – WHICH WAS RELEASED IN NOVEMBER 2015.

ED SHEERAN PERFORMS.

I miss the past moments that made it big when they used to pair up acts like Kylie and Justin Timberlake or Rihanna and The Klaxons, or Dizzee Rascal and Florence Welch. Those were once in a lifetime not to be missed moments. Resource and time means that this isn’t always an option any more but last night they had a hit this year with Ed Sheeran (who does more for diversity all by himself than our whole industry!), pairing up with grime superstar Stormzy.

ED SHEERAN KILLS IT AT BRITS 2017.

Grime is a musical representation of street culture (definition by Stormzy), and it has a huge cultural influence that’s slowly being matched commercially across the globe, with the scene performing to sold out arenas as far flung as Japan to the USA.

TRIUMPHANT SKEPTA

Similarly, grime star Skepta’s performance was a literal miracle as the Brits have a history of rarely giving a platform to British black, grimy, hip hop bods a stage set. The fact that he had a set – a too sparse one in my humble opinion – was nevertheless a great look. Skepta, in turn, also tipped his hat to his musical inspirations, with a huge wall filled with images of hundreds of rappers that laid the path before him projected up behind him as he energetically leapt about the satellite stage mid-arena.

SKEPTA PERFORMS HIS BIG HIT FROM LAST YEAR- SHUT DOWN.

Soul singer Emeli Sande is that solo graceful singer that always delivers and it was refreshing to see her winning best female.

BEST FEMALE – EMELI SANDE.

I think she still has a lot more to give though. The fact that she makes it all look so calm and easy means these still fire in her belly that I know can deliver so much more.

BEST FEMALE WINNER EMELI SANDE.

Since last years #britssowhite controversy, the leading body that oversees the show the BPI, sat up and took note and engaged a diversity committee, which I am a part of, who in a few short months brought an overhaul to the BRITs voting academy and now 48% of voters are female and 21% are of black or ethnic origin.

There was clear, positive change and this was reflected in this years nominations, which did include a plethora of previously excluded British black music acts. Many grumbled about the fact that they didn’t win. They did. They won the start on an equal playing field that can only get stronger moving forwards. Small steps lead to great leaps.

KATY PERRY BROUGHT THE HOUSE DOWN, LITERALLY.

Speaking of great leaps, Katy Perry’s set saw her dancing and singing amongst hundreds of mini houses and two giant puppets that everyone suggested were Donald Trump and Teresa May. It wasn’t too obvious who they were but it did feel like a political statement of some sort.

KATY PERRYS ‘POLITICAL MOMENT’?.

The end of her set saw Katy literally bringing the house down, when one of her ‘dancing houses’ fell off the front edge of the stage, onto a record label table, causing them all to leap to their feet in shock as security ran to help the poor girl. Hope she/he is ok.

The 1975’s Matt Healey must’ve loved Katy’s political commentary, as earlier in the evening in his winning acceptance speech, he urged pop stars to go ahead and comment on social issues and not as some demanded ‘’stay in their lane’’. I totally co-sign that when you have a platform to speak to the world, you should always say something with impact and merit.

Ed Sheeran is an act that never ‘stays in his lane’ and always seems to do more for diversity than most of the rest of our industry put together. This year he made a track with an afrobeats star Fuse ODG in Ghana and last night when he featured grime megastar Stormzy in his set too, the whole arena was jumping and dancing.

ED SHEERAN POST PERFORMANCE, BROTHERLY HUG. #SQUADGOALS

In fact, there were only two moments in the whole show that the arena audience were all spontaneously up on their feet for – during Skepta’s solo set and Ed and Stormzys set. This should’ve been the final performance of the night – Robbie Williams – even with all the production sexiness didn’t have as big a song or the mega public presence this year.

ROBBIE WILLIAMS BIG BUCKS PRODUCTION.

ROBBIE WILLIAMS – BRITS ICON AWARD WINNER.

A man that has been all over the global charts with his incredible catalogue of effervescent hit songs this year is Bruno Marrs, who was as swagtastic as ever, but whereas once upon a time The Brits show was dominated by the Americans, this year the Americans just felt like side-line guests. The stars were certainly the British acts.

A British singer that’s single-handedly made industry execs sigh with relief over their bank statements is North London lass Adele, who won the Global Success award and made a typically Adele-esque speech via video from distant lands – Australia I think.

BRITS 2017 SHOW

RORY GRAHAM, AKA RAG N BONE MAN PERFORMED FOR A SPECIAL ”DIAMOND DINERS’ VIP AUDIENCE AT A PRIVATE BRITS DINNER.

Soul music is coming back. I can feel it in my bones. With Rag n Bone Man (Rory Graham), being the actual biggest winner of the night it wont be long before we’re all loving and singing soul again. Rory didn’t milk his big moment at all. He’s clearly still like a rabbit in headlights about his incredible success. At some points of the past year, his music has outsold the rest of the top 20 chart acts combined, so I think his team should’ve sold and pushed him more on lasts nights big win. With our support he’s the first step in bringing back blues, soul and R&B music. Yes lord, let it be true.

ANDREW RIDGELEY, PEPSI AND SHIRLEY – AN ODE TO GEORGE MICHAEL.

The celestial moment of the night came with the George Michael tribute, by Georges ex Wham band mate Andrew Ridgeley and their band-mates Pepsi and Shirley, who all made touching heartfelt speeches during which you could’ve heard a pin drop in the arena filled with thousands. This was followed by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin singing A Different Corner (originally released on Wham!’s 1986 final album Music From the Edge of Heaven).

CHRIS MARTIN LEADS A TRIBUTE TO GEORGE MICHAEL RIP.

Chris sang a ‘’live meets video’’ virtual duet. It was clear after watching ‘live Chris’ VS ‘video George – from his last UK tour – that the two performers are on totally different performance levels and George was in a class of his own with that megastar soulful voice.

JASMINE WITH SBTV CEO JAMAL EDWARDS MBE AT THE BRITS PARTY.

The night highlighted, that we Brits punch well above our weight in the global arts and culture big picture. In these turbulent Brexit filled days, the UK music industry is a great global brand that reminds us, that as Mayor Sadiq Khan keeps reminded us #LondonIsOpen.

Remember, as you imagine that performing artists are just all one big frivolous song n dance, that it takes hundreds in teams behind each one to make an impact and generates millions for the UK economy.
In fact, check out these stats; one in every 6 albums bought globally is buy a British act. Seven out of ten of the UK’s top albums last year were by British acts.

BRIT NOW ESCAPED TO AMERICA – FORMER MTV / RADIO ONE HOST, NOW BEATS 1 RADIO HOST ZANE LOWE.

The UK music industry has a billion audio streams a week and the vinyl resurgence continues to grow. (Although – sidebar – the money made by JUST a million vinyl sales last year- was MORE than the entire YouTube streaming profit for British music. SCARY!).

An oft-neglected fact is that the Brit Awards also raises a lot of money for The Brits School in South London, where hundreds of diverse young students are trained to be the stars and staff of our future media,in order to ensure that our arts and culture industry remain amongst the best in the world.

I’ll leave the last word to BPI (British Phonographic Industry) advisor and my colleague Ayesha Hazarika who stated joyously ‘’British music is a powerful global calling card, British music rocks the world’’.

BRITS DESSERT.

SOCIAL CIRCLE

The harder I work, the luckier I get!

You are the average of the 5 people that you spend the most time with. So surround yourself as much as you can with positive, good people if you want a peacefully, successful life. Someone once said ‘Before you diagnose yourself with depression or anxiety, first check that you are not in fact, surrounded by assholes’.

If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.

If someone is always surrounded by drama and it’s one nightmare after another, and they’ve been repeatedly supported to get out of their drama but it persists, give up trying to be their saviour sooner rather than later. They only have drama in their life and that’s why they keep it around. After all, without it what would they be left with? If you don’t move away fast enough, they will take a part of your soul with them.

People who are being a pain are carrying pain. Ask yourself why someone might be behaving aggressively and unkindly before taking it personally. It’s usually not about you, it’s about them.

If you have an invitation to something exciting and have a plus one, never invite that flaky friend who is always late and will leave you let down and stranded for the first half like Sally-no-mates. Invite a reliable mate. Life’s too short.

Have a small but loyal set of friends that are #rideordie, will listen to your trials and tribulations, knock you back down to earth if you get too big for your boots, (you’re never too big for the boot – Stormzy!), come over with tea, cake, crisps and cuddles when you have a life tragedy and accept you for all the crazy that you are. My girl friends truly are the family I chose. With a great set of friends you will never need therapy or expensive counselling.

TRAVEL

Online bookings aren’t always cheaper than calling the airline directly. I’ve often saved hundreds by talking to a real actual human being. Virgin Atlantic definitely my fave all-round brand. Friendly, hospitable and fun to travel with. They have edible food, ice-lollies and in-flight massages and random fun.

Buy flights to depart on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Saturdays – they’re usually much cheaper on these days of the week.

It’s ALWAYS worth checking in online 24 hours before the flight to grab the best seat. Do you really want to risk sitting next to the loo on a transatlantic flight.

When travelling never fold clothes. Always lay clothes in sets on top of each other (dresses / trousers / tee shirt) and then roll the clothes up into a huge Swiss roll and pack. This ensures crease-free clothing at your destination, as well as a deterrent for airport thieves to sneak a hand into your zipped up case and grab something quickly to steal.

Buy cheap Primark jewellry (or other cheap retailers are available), for beach and travel vacations so as not to bother worrying ‎about loss / theft of your sentimental valuables. Especially on tropical beach holidays where you will sky-line, scuba dive and inevitably lose or damage your diamonds. Lol. #CheapTrinketsAreUs

If you are ever transiting through South Africa, throw a strop in the office and insist that your production manager re-routes your transit to Namibia or frankly, anywhere on the planet. Suitcases left unattended in transit at Jo’burg airport are in mortal danger and will get sucked into the airport Bermuda triangle never to be seen again.

‎Where possible always negotiate a couple of extra days abroad after business trips. Business trips and weekends to far-flung places like Australia, Africa and the Caribbean for two days then flying straight back aren’t fun. And why not take advantage of the fact that your employer has already paid for the flights! YOLO

Always carry your teabags on vacation with you. Even one of my fave hotels in the world, The Carlton in Cannes doesn’t have real English Breakfast tea. It might say it on the packet or silver teapot, but it’s never really real. (My personal preference is Yorkshire tea).
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TECH

There should be at least one password that no one close to you, or even your best mate that’s shared all your childhood secrets, should be able to figure out.

We pop our passwords into gadgets hundreds of times a week. So make your password is something that reminds you of a future life goal. It’s the best re-focus method ever. If you are entering a life goal into your mobile numerous times a day you cant go off track.

Double-check everything before blindly hitting ‘’share’’ on social media. Spreading fake news because it agrees with your political thinking or outrages you is the start of an unhappy, depressed mind. To my embarrassment, I have been guilty of this. Fake news is everywhere. Forget the days when the millennium was approaching and the world was doomed to end. The world is truly ending now.

It’s the universal law that if you haven’t backed up your phone data that you will lose it all when least expected. Set up auto-back-up on your devices regularly so you don’t lose or regret not planning ahead. My girl scouts days are always with me. Plan ahead. Be prepared. Fail to prepare- prepare to fail! Thanks Mrs Errington!

The stuff you see on social media is just a teeny percentage of what is reality in most peoples lives. Its curated, filtered and marketed like never before. Don’t compare your life to theirs. We ALL have our own THING going on.
‎
MANNERS

Try not to turn up to people’s homes later than arranged and empty-handed. Even a last minute gift of nibbles, drinks or flowers say I appreciate your kind invitation.

If you are always attending other peoples homes and never invite them back to yours, that one-sided friendship might not be as equal as you think and the invites may start fizzling out. Unless of course your mates have screaming toddlers that need to be around their toys and sticky mess. Then they can always expect you to meet up with them for prosecco at their crib.

If you damage someone else’s property offer to replace it/ fix it immediately. I’ve lost count of the number of people who will stain your carpets with beverage spillages or break your chandeliers in an over excited moment of debate, and never offer to repair. This is why my dinner party guests can only drink dark/red drinks in the kitchen. Seriously I am THAT anal.

‎Be nice. For as long as possible. But if someone really oversteps the mark, it’s okay to turn into Godzilla. Karma is a bitch and bad behavior will always catch up with you. When responding to rude people take the high road. (see the recent Taylor Swift / Britney example) always be Britney.

BUSINESS

The harder I work, the luckier I get!

If you’re putting a professional working team together, avoid friends. Or at least avoid friends that you have to drag to the table to be available. The business will flop and so will your friendship. Cut the losses early. You will keep it moving, the stagnant folk will always be stagnant and wonder why they never get ahead. If you are the stagnant one, sign up to a self – help daily free e-mail that may help you make better life choices. My favourite is Marc & Angel Hack Life.

‎The harder you work the luckier you get. Its easy to look on at the great breaks others get and wonder why it wasn’t you. They’re not lucky. They work hard. Great things happen when preparation meets opportunity.

If you want to work in media you have to be a tough cookie. Media folks don’t get sick often. We have shoots, deadlines and stories which can’t simply be take over by a colleague. Our exciting lifestyle means adrenalin keeps us healthy. No sick days on this HR record.

If you want to be a TV presenter NEVER say it out loud to a media professional. It’s like the kiss of death for us. It screams ‘I want to be famous’. Instead, show off your area of expertise and specialist skills and one day soon they’ll be inviting you to talk on the telly.

Incentive is everything. You can persuade anyone to do anything, if you make it hard for them to say no, by making them an offer they can’t refuse.

In employment, it would be nice if you could just be good at your job, but let’s not pretend that overall presentation visually isn’t important. If you walk into work looking like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards, and your nails are a chewed, chipped mess or your body odour is on nauseating levels people will judge you. I’ve had to speak to two members of staff in two decades about B.O and its awkward. Fix up, look sharp is not just a Dizzee Rascal song.

Always have a topical elevator pitch ready to go. You really will bump into your aspirational business guru one day and kick yourself later for being gob smacked. Yes, Oprah probably wasn’t most impressed with me and I spent a whole week in her company. #Fail

Be better than the rest. Why should people employ you to do an average job? Always go above and beyond what is requested and be the company ‘’can-do’’ person. I didn’t want to make a years worth of teas, coffees, photocopy scripts, pick up lunches, babysit staff kids, drive around picking up props, etc on The Big Breakfast but I did it and those early lessons bode me well. (After i went from runner to presenter, I made the producer that was always bitchy to me with her tea demands pay when she became my producer and roles were reversed. Once she was looking after me, I –in jest – teased her daily about JUST how I liked my tea!) #PayBacksAbitch

Understand boundaries. Agree to disagree professionally and don’t pull rank. That person you power-move over today may be your line manager next year. The industry is small, people talk. If you have reputation as being mean or unprofessional you can start queuing at your local benefit office now.

We all have the same 24 hours as Beyonce.

LIFESTYLE

Be one with nature. I would be lost without my regular, weekend; early River Thames walks with my mates. We banter, share, debate and finish with brunch. Nature is hard to get at one with in a busy urban city, but park walks are free, instant therapy for a peaceful mind and soul. Don’t subscribe to what people have brainwashed you into believing are your natural ‘cultural stereotypes’. You’d never believe the things I was told by closed-minded folk when I was a kid…. I.e. ethnic people don’t ski / walk along rivers / go see the Northern lights. I do all that. I have brown skin. Deal with it.

There are 3 main fitness areas – strength, cardio, and flexibility. Don’t be the bulky ironman in the gym that can’t press your own body weight, do planks or touch your own toes. NO point in being able to lift a house if you can’t run for 5 minutes. Train using your own body weight as much as possible. No point lifting a house when u can’t do ten pushups!

All rich people’s living rooms look the same. Cream carpets / cream sofas. Lamps and candle sticks chandeliers with tones of caramel / brown / grey. (Unless you’re rock & roll and then a few Andy Warhol-esque family portraits and neon signs with naughty words mesh with pure white rooms). I made MTV Cribs, I’ve seen it all.

When throwing parties NEVER have a VIP section. Puffy taught me that. A VIP section immediately gives the party a ‘them & us’ vibe so no-one feels good. A party is for mingling, mixing and engaging with all. If you need a VIP area you’re hosting a bad party where you make half your mates feel inferior.

Consider a group lunch pool at work. Like a car-pool but better. Between your work colleague’s, shop for yummy, healthy food on a Monday from the deli and store in the work fridge space. Hummus, chicken, salmon, prawns, sweet corn, sweet potato, tomatoes on the vine, sun-dried tomatoes, beetroot, fancy cheeses, broccoli, asparagus, coleslaw etc. Every day you have a variety of healthy, diverse food choices and it costs us in our lunch syndicate one pound a day – really! (Beware the coleslaw fiend. Buy extra coleslaw for her, cos if it runs out she won’t be happy).

Try not to be a creative arts snob. There’s nothing worse than seeing early adaptors of tech, music and more scoff at latecomers. People access things at different times in different ways and we shouldn’t judge their journey. I once attended Glastonbury with a very famous person who was disgruntled at ‘’all these new Jay Z fans standing at the front, they should be made to go to the back cos they hadn’t even heard of him when I bought his first album!’. WTF. Seriously?

But do be a judgmental snob if you see folks in the supermarket wearing pyjamas and Ugg boots. Some things just make you shudder. Sorry, not sorry.

White vinegar is a God-send. Pop in the fridge to get rid of smells or in the kitchen a small cup will soak up cooking smells. It will also clean the bathroom better than many detergents.

GIRLY STUFF

Always keep a fab shoes and frock option in your car / under desk in case of last minute fab invites. I am ALWAYS ready for spontaneous activities and invites. My car boot has all my gym stuff and a pair of fancy shoes and frock. Always. This is the only life we have! (Unless you believe in an afterlife in which case, stay at home nightly cos there’s bad weather in London). See you in the afterlife. Or not.

Keep nail-varnish-free as often as possible to avoid yellowing nails. Or always use a base coat. It’s worth not having witch talons in the future. If your nails discolour using red nail polish, soaking them in lemon juice usually sorts them out. There’s only one time of the year for witches and thats not everyday.

The best mascara brand is Rimmel. My preference is Rimmel Kate.

‎Never go make a beeline for the hottest guy in the room. He’ll be riddled with issues and insecurities. Go for anyone past the 6th hottest. He will always be more grounded and likely a keeper.

Never moisturise hands and feet before a yoga class. You’ll slip & slide and binding poses will be impossible.

People say we live in an equal age where women can get up to the same as men and we all pretend it’s true. It’s not. We would like it to be so- yes. Unfortunately, women are always judged for being ”too much”,  criticised for embracing their sexuality, described as bitchy or cold if they are assertive leaders and more. You can choose to be just how you want to be. Feminism and equality is about having the choice and freedom to be who you desire to be. You choose what seems to be appropriate and whether your life choice will ultimately be a positive or negative decision for you, no-one else. Try not to hurt people, be kind and remember karma is real. Be the best you that you can be, and you won’t go far wrong

Ladies please wear shoes your real size. When did it become a thing to wear sexy heels that are a size or two too big and flopping off your heels as you walk? Seeing this on insta regularly is freaking me out. Weird.

LIFE

Don’t be old-skool British in your thinking. We are far too modest and afraid to push ourselves forwards. Don’t think that by pushing yourself forwards you are being ‘’too much or too pushy’’. Shine as brightly as you can and don’t let others make you feel insecure about it. People offended by your light shining don’t have your best interests at heart. When I work with American and Asian colleagues they are pushing themselves, their brands and ideas daily, literally after I’ve just shaken hands with them.

Haters are a good sign. The more they hate the better you must be doing. Let the haters fuel your ambition. Tell them ‘Yes haters, keep watching, I have much more for you!’. (See Maya Angelou’s definition of a hater elsewhere on this site)

Be ever-thankful for your mentors in life. Those that have supported and guided you through your journey. As a child, mine were my ballet teachers Joan Crouch and Sara Ridley, many years ago my bosses at MTV Kim Luck, Will MacLachlan and Richard Godfrey, my former MTV SVP colleague – now life mentor Fleur Sarfaty and Channel 4 News’ editor/ my one time boss and now factual commissioner Shaminder Nahal and the fabulous Donna Taberer -Head of BBC Talent who has fought for diversity and inclusion all her life and is responsible for hundreds of people making it in TV. An amazing set of people that have inspired me to mentor downwards and pass on the good vibes.

Sometimes when you lose you really win. Job interviews / romances / opportunities. Trust me. Something better is around the corner waiting to scoop you up.

Video your loved ones in happy times. Ask them questions about their lives, hopes, dreams, and achievements. Once they’ve passed away, photos won’t be enough. It’s their voice and mannerisms you’ll miss most. Most importantly cherish your parents. You can never know the sacrifices they’ve made and how much they’ve worried about you. I cringe when I recall my mum sitting at her bedroom window waiting for me to come home at 4am each weekend cos she was worried about 15/16 year old me.

Never believe people who are a hot organisational mess at home but insist that they are really organised at work. If you’re late, miss deadlines and have no manners consistently, this usually reflects across all your life areas. Fix up. How you are anywhere, is how you are everywhere.

We all have our own crosses and burdens to bear. No ones life is perfect. It’s difficult to juggle family, life, career and love. We all go through pain. Don’t be afraid to share your anxieties. Once you share you will find everyone else shares theirs too. The saying ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’ is true.

In the last few years of my dad’s life when I was his sole carer I tried to juggle horrific carer and life scenarios. It was hell. Once I shared my woes with close friends, family and colleagues I was amazed to hear, many were going through or had already gone through similar situations and therefore supported and informed me of organisations that could help. We all have our ‘’thing’’ going on. Be kind to each other.

When you see injustice, are you brave enough to stand alone and voice your thoughts, to try and be that one small step that leads and builds movement and momentum to make society a better place? Always choose to challenge injustices (professionally).

Know that good lifestyles are earned. Ask yourself “Am I willing to live a few years of my life like many people won’t working really bloody hard, so I can spend the rest of my life like many people can’t, still working bloody hard, but doing something I love”. If you’re not, then stop whining and stay in your lane.

Don’t be afraid to give out compliments to others if it instantly comes to you. See a classy woman, like her fashion, admire her hair, and love her speech? Tell her. Women supporting women is a great thing. We hear a lot about women putting each other down. Tell someone why they stood out to you. You will feel great. They will feel greater. People will forget what you said to them but never forget how you made them feel.

The world is your classroom. Travel as much as you can and see this amazing planet that we call home.

Happy International Women’s Day 2017!

“Why didn’t I know about this before?”
This is a common refrain heard when discovering human rights breakthroughs from decades past – and the love story of Richard and Mildred Loving has paved the way for many more since.

Loving is the new film from acclaimed writer/director Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter, Mud, Midnight Special). The Loving family story is reflected in a film out this week in the UK.

The film Loving celebrates the real-life courage and commitment of an interracial couple, Richard and Mildred Loving (portrayed in the film by Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), who fell in love and were married in 1958.

The couple had grown up in Central Point, a small town in Virginia that was more integrated than surrounding areas in the American South. Yet it was the state of Virginia, where they were making their home and starting a family that first jailed and then banished them. Richard and Mildred relocated with their children to the inner city of Washington, D.C. While relatives made them feel welcome there, the more urban environment did not feel like home to them. Ultimately, the pull of their roots in Virginia would spur Mildred to try to find a way back.
Their civil rights case, Loving v. Virginia, went all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 1967 reaffirmed the very foundation of the right to marry. Richard and Mildred returned home and their love story has become an inspiration to couples ever since. Loving began production in the fall of 2015. In a further emphasis on authenticity in recounting the Lovings‟ story, the movie was made on location in Virginia.

It’s no wonder that lead actress Ruth Negga has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. Her southern American accent is scarily authentic and it was a total surprise to discover that she’s an Irish born and bred lass!

Loving is a film that’s mind-blowing when I consider how much of the population is mixed-race, inter racial, whatever term you feel comfortable using.
Most of my nearest and dearest are of mixed culture, creed and background and the idea that within the past century, their parents hooking up was illegal, is simply inconceivable.

Based in the state of Virginia, many are shocked to learn that this all took place in the past century, but interracial marriage is still frowned upon in some parts of the world, and considering the political world changes and President Trumps current journey, has much changed out there?

There have been a spate of inter racial relationship films being made in recent years, with A United Kingdom also being released this year too. It’s interesting that these tales are all coming the forefront at this politically unstable time.

Its also interesting that the Lovings fought to be married just a few decades ago yet now research globally shows that the sanctity of marriage is dying across the modern world. Its important that these hidden stories are told so that we can gain perspective on our parents and grandparents generations and the struggle and times that they endured.

I often wonder when it comes to life styles and law (gun laws, abortion rights etc), whether the UK are decades ahead of the USA, especially also in terms of interracial harmony and mixed marriages and families? Are Americans becoming less tolerant of ‘other races”?

For many years recently there have been numerous black stories and casts leading cinema narratives.
For a long time the stories were based around stories of suppression like 12 years a slave, Mandela, The Help and more.
I find it extremely refreshing that now the balance is also seeing historical inspiring tales like Hidden Figures becoming popular.

Richard and Mildred‟s history is now told anew by acclaimed writer/director Jeff Nichols in Loving. “I was struck by the simplicity of their beautiful love story,” says the filmmaker.
Richard, who was white, and Mildred, who was African-American and Native-American, were an ordinary couple from Central Point, Virginia. They decided to marry and start a family. Yet, at that time in Virginia, what they did was against the law and they were arrested soon after getting married.

As the plaintiffs in Loving v. Virginia, they were catalysts for the Supreme Court decision that abolished anti-miscegenation laws – or, laws against interracial marriage – in the United States. In establishing marriage as a fundamental right, Loving v. Virginia is still frequently cited in court cases today, including in challenges to gay marriage bans.

But the Lovings were not activists; they merely reasonably expected that their fully legal marriage in Washington D.C. would suffice for them to live peacefully in their hometown of Central Point. Initially, they made no appeal after they were arrested for violating Virginia‟s anti-miscegenation laws, and agreed to a plea bargain that effectively banished them from their home state.

When the Lovings finally sought legal aid in 1963, their sole aim was to be able to get back to – and live in their – home. It was only in 1965, at the urging of their attorneys Bernard Cohen and Philip Hirschkop, that the couple agreed to go public with their story and talk to the press. After the Supreme Court handed down its decision in their favor in June 1967, the Lovings went back to their everyday lives and to raising their three children in Central Point, and rarely gave interviews.

In 2008, the surviving member of the couple, Mildred, passed away. Reading about Mildred, documentary filmmaker Nancy Buirski was moved by the Lovings‟ unshakable devotion to one another – and by the contemporary relevance of their case. Buirski decided to make a documentary feature about Richard and Mildred Loving. Her research led her to television news producer Hope Ryden, who had spent hours filming the Lovings at home in 1965 and then returned in 1967 for ABC-TV to profile them on the eve of the ruling. That footage and other archival resources, including luminous photos by Life Magazine photographer Grey Villet, were utilized by Buirski in writing, producing, and directing The Loving Story.

The Lovings‟ surviving child, Peggy Loving, was a consultant to the production. She visited the set and was struck by how thoroughly the actors had channelled her parents – in character and in costume.

The documentary played at festivals in 2011 before being shown on HBO on Valentine‟s Day, 2012. It won a Peabody Award and an Emmy Award, among other honors, and captivated audiences and critics alike with its depiction of a committed and courageous couple who, above all else, were very much in love.

One of those captivated viewers was Academy Award-winning actor Colin Firth, who was already aware of the documentary; Buirski had been in contact with Firth regarding a feature version of the story after learning from Firth‟s wife Livia of his interest in American politics and social history. By 2009, Buirski and Firth were brainstorming a narrative structure and began working on a screenplay.

FILM PRODUCER GED DOHERTY AND COLIN FIRTH.

In January 2011, Firth called Buirski to tell her that he was teaming with Ged Doherty to launch a production company, Raindog Films and that as a first project, he had brought up to Doherty a narrative feature version of The Loving Story. Buirski remembers, “Colin had just won the Golden Globe Award for The King’s Speech but I was the one who was overjoyed!” Buirski remembers.

Doherty remarks, “Colin was very taken with the simplicity of the story, with how this ordinary couple made a huge difference in the lives of other couples.

RAINDOG FILMS – GED DOHERTY.

“After watching the documentary, I became obsessed. I literally did not sleep for 48 hours because I was looking at everything I could find online. Yes, this was a landmark legal case, but first and foremost at its heart it was a beautiful love story. Colin and I felt more people worldwide should know about the Lovings, and we were determined to tell their story as a dramatic feature based in part on Nancy‟s documentary.”
The next step was to find a writer and director. When the three producers saw Jeff Nichols‟ Mud at a specially arranged screening in 2012, they sensed that the filmmaker‟s cinematic sensibility and intuitive depictions of Southern men and women would be ideal for the film they wanted to make.

Doherty adds, “We also watched Take Shelter. With Jeff’s work the tension and drama are rich and often are in what is not said; he conveys so much with just a look to the camera or a shot of a landscape. We felt that would suit Richard and Mildred Loving, and the character of people that they were.”

Having already made three feature films, Nichols had not considered writing or directing a film that wasn’t a product of his own imagination. Still, he agreed to consider the project – and its story, which intrigued him.
Nichols watched the documentary and noted the import and continuing positive impact of Loving v. Virginia. But he was most drawn to Richard and Mildred’s quiet determination to live and love as they chose.

OSCAR NOMINATED RUTH NEGGA.

Negga had been deeply affected by The Loving Story. She explains, “I thought the documentary was brilliant and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of Richard and Mildred before. I was completely fascinated, not only because Loving v. Virginia was a landmark civil rights case, but also because theirs is the most beautiful love story. Their story just stayed with me. All Mildred wanted was to be able to be married to the man she loved. Not every hero has a loud voice.

“Jeff’s script tells the story of two people in love, not two activists – even though they did change the course of American legal history. I feel that all of his films are about everyday people.”
Once she had gotten the script pages, the actress holed up in her L.A. hotel room for three days to prepare, trying to channel Mildred as best she could. She reports, “I watched the documentary over and over again and worked on those scenes from the script like I had never worked on anything before. I felt such an affinity with Mildred and I couldn’t imagine not playing the part.”

‘Loving’ film’s portrayal of interracial marriage is relevant today and I have all my fingers and toes crossed for February 26th in hope that Negga wins the Oscar she so very dearly deserves.

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY RTS FUTURES / PAUL HAMPARTSOUMIAN.

The RTS Futures annual careers fair was the ULTIMATE TV careers fair this year, with just under 1000 young people from all over the UK attending the new location for the fair – Islingtons Business Design Centre.

DYNAMO THE MAGICIAN THAT TOOK OVER UK TV AND IS NOW A GLOBAL LIVE AND TELEVISION STAR.

Every UK TV broadcaster attended with a stall, where they exhibited their TV brand and informed inquisitive young people about the opportunities up for grabs in TV world all across the country.

As well as stalls around the circumference of the hall, there were new areas like the ASK ME ANYTHING area where TV staff from all across the industry fielded hundreds of questions from people all day about their jobs. Costume designs from dramas, make up for TV experts, exec producers, development teams, commissioners and so much more answered anything you’ve always wanted to know about getting a job in the industry.

On the other side of the hall was the extremely popular CV CLINIC, where TV professionals were happy to advise and consult (for free) for all those that had remembered to bring their CV’s along and whip them into tip-top condition.

As if that wasn’t enough, off in a side hall were the best hourly panel sessions, which were fascinating!

Experts from all across the industry spoke about various themes such as ‘how to spot talent’ and more.

It was media gold info that even seasoned professionals in the industry could’ve learnt from.

RTS Futures Chair and TV legend Donna Taberer oversaw the very successful day that was even trending on twitter!

JASMINE (ON THE RTS FUTURES COMMITTEE), WITH DONNA TABERER (CHAIR OF RTS FUTURES).

ITV NEWS ANCHOR CHARLENE WHITE WITH MEDIA TRUST’S LONDON360 REPORTERS BOTH PAST AND PRESENT.

The wonderful ITV news host Charlene White popped by and volunteered to take questions for 20 minutes in a moment I dubbed #60SecondsWithCharleneWhite

CHARLENE TAKES QUESTIONS FROM QUEUE’S OF YOUNG PEOPLE INSPIRED BY HER JOURNEY.

As if that wasn’t enough to keep us all occupied all day from 10am when the doors opened until 7pm when we had to throw people out, there were also a guest appearance from the incredible TV magician Dynamo, who also spoke about how he and his tenacious manager Dan Albian had managed to break into the industry, and take the Dyanmo brand to its now, global success, (you can read that whole interview very soon in The National Student magazine online).

Everyone commented on what an amazing day it was both for TV broadcasters looking to recruit new, young talent, as well as young people being a lot more focused and gaining clarity on all their questions around the industry.

REPORTERS FROM LONDON360 MULTI PLATFORM TRAINING AT MEDIA TRUST, INTERVIEW RTS HEAD THERESA WISE.

Attendees even got to sit in the Game Of Thrones throne (I had my breakfast in it at 10am) and Viacom (MTV/CHANNEL 5/COMEDY CENTRAL/ NICKELODEON) even had a ring light GIF stand where we were all very silly posing and shrieking with laughter.

VIRTUAL REALITY EXCITEMENT COURTESY OF THE SKY TEAM, AT RTS FUTURES CAREERS FAIR 2017!

The day was a perfect microcosm of telly world. We talk- a lot- meet new people, get offered stuff, agree to stuff, reject stuff, ask more questions, talk a lot, pose, roar with laughter and have a great time. No two days in media are ever the same. It’s the best job in the world!

Attendees this year also heard from apprentices past and present as they talked about their experiences of applying, what they did during the scheme and what they’ve done afterwards.
So whether you want to get into development, become a journalist or want to do the artwork for productions like Channel 4’s Indian Summers, there’s a scheme for you!
Join us next year at the RTS Futures ULTIMATE Careers Fair 2018!

Follow @RTS_Futures on twitter.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE RTS TEAM ON ANOTHER AMAZING EXPERIENCE FOR YOUNG, FUTURE TV LEADERS!