Jasmine Dotiwala OBE

JASMINE with INTERNATIONAL CHART STAR JAY SEAN , his brother renowned video director AMIT (AMIT & NAROOP) and their family at THE ASIAN AWARDS!.

A week full of fun and frolics all in the name of work as I swept through the annual Rumfest at Olympia where porn legend Ron Jeremy intrigued me with his wit! (More on those next week!)

I was late for the Asian awards. I was supposed to arrive at the great room at the Grosvenor House Hotel by 6pm. at 5.55pm my reporter Tom, called as I was having a 12-minute power nap and had over napped. Like a bat out of hell I raced to my wardrobe picked the first long frock I saw as the dress code was black tie or national dress, threw it into a bag with heels and accessories and legged it out of the door. I raced up the motorway, parked at the hotels back entrance and was whisked down to the make up room where Abbi Rose and her highly glam make up team were ready to give me the total make over experience. I sat in Abbi’s chair at 7pm and was done by 7.20pm as all hands on deck were poking my barnet and face. It was a tougher job than usual as I had brought along an extra guest that Abbi wasn’t expecting- a big, sore red spot on my cheek. ‘‘Don’t worry she reassured me-we’ll cover it’’. I love Abbi’s make up room- full of black clad glamazonian make up ladies all conversing a la ‘’only way is Essex’’- pure entertainment whilst getting glam!.

Once given the over haul I rushed into the red carpet area where celeb’s were falling over each other as they backed up for the TV crews. It was a mouth dropping visual moment where hundreds of stunning olive skinned beauties in full sequined, satin-ed, bling-ed out jewelry and flowing long ball gowns in jewel colors were flitting about everywhere clinking their champagne glasses. This is why I LOVE Asian events! The gene in me that loves sparkle and colour can let loose! Honestly-I’m like a magpie-blame my Indian mum! In its 2nd year this years awards were supported by luxury brands; Bulgari, Christian Louboutin (who attended in person), Quintessentially, Audemars, Piguet ,Meridian , Audio ,Lloyds Banking Group and Smythson’s. The night attracted some of the wealthiest and most successful Asians on the planet and covered 14 awards on the night.

There was a charity auction in aid of Save The Children, which was the most fun to witness. A room full of millionaire Asians all trying to outbid each other is fascinating. Prizes for the Live auction included; a Signed Ferrari Opus-, a Private Travel Lot (Private Jet, 5* stay, Maserati car for the week)-, a Stay in a Campbell Gray Hotel, a trip to Antigua or Lebonon with a luncheon with Mr Cambell Gray himself-, Amir Khans boxing glove’s, Opera Tickets-, a1 day visit and meet and greet with the cast of Emmerdale-, a Signed Arsenal shirt, a personally couture gown and Christian Loubotin Shoes and much more.

There were an overspill of VIP’s attending that included (take a deep breath-this list is abundant!)…..Russell Peters – Comedian ,Meera Syal – Television actress and writer, Jay Sean – Singer, Amit Singhal – Head of Search at Google, Murali – cricket player, Anand Mahindra – CEO of Mahindra, Irene Khan – Sec Gen of Amnesty International, Asha Bhosle, Anoushka Shankar, Freddie Mercury Family (mum, sister and in laws), Brian May and Roger Taylor – Queen, Cliff Richard, Boris Johnson – Mayor of London, Nina Wadia – Television actress, Gurinder Chadha – Director, James Caan – Entrepreneur / Television, Kiran Sharma – Manager of Prince (the artist), Christian Louboutin and me LOL! Most of the VIP’s were millionaires, in short I felt like a Big Issue seller amongst them all! As we were all seated at our tables it was stunning to take in the glitz and opulence of the venue.

I’ve been to hundreds of up market events over the years but I can truly say the Grosvenor Great Room is in an opulent league of its own! The stage looked stunning with huge film screens and coloured podium. The table centerpieces were alternately chandelier candelabras or long stemmed red flowers. The over flux of always hovering waiters, were offering drinks of any choice all night- an 18 year old aged whiskey was going round and round-so were most guests heads after a while. The service and quality of food was outstanding and put many a recent function I’ve attended to shame. The starter was a salmon and prawn delicacy. Main was a full tasty thali of Indian curry and dessert was a mouth-watering mango cheesecake and chocolate piece of art.

Sitting right next to me was Radio 1 DJ Nihal and my old Southall brethren international music star Jay Sean whose table was full of his brother Amit (1 half of the TEAMUK Urban music video directors collective Amit and Naroop), their respective ladies, his mum and dad-a very sophist acted looking and mannered couple, his grandma-an adorable elderly lady who was clearly just so proud of her grandson! Jay was very gracious to a constant stream of fans of all ages that consistently approached him to chat and for photo’s-what a truly lovely mannered man! On my table were owner of west end nightclub Anaya, Jonathon Ross’s media company business partner Olly Bengough – an entrepreneur in the media, film, music and entertainment business, the Asian awards organiser Paul’s parents and TV presenter, model, social media kitten Sharon Prasad who’s lil black book of contacts is one to rival mine.

JASMINE WITH COMEDIAN RUSSELL PETERS.

Canadian originated comedian Russell Peters took great pleasure in taking the mickey out of my surname and sang ‘’DUTTY WALA’’ in the manner of Sean Paul repeatedly when he wasn’t laughing at my ‘’crazy eyes’’. I got ball excited when Mayor Boris Johnson presented an award. He called the event “Stupendous” and mentioned that via his wife he had an Asian mother in law!. Prime minister David Cameron sent a video message and MP Teresa may attended and introduced the night which was hosted by lord Sebastian Coe.

Most celeb’s (especially comic Russell peters) got very excited and were in awe of Google ranking chief Amit Patel who won an award on the night. Aging but still beautiful Asian musical legend backing vocalist Asha Bhosle (she who the hit BRIM FULL OF ASHA was based upon) was inducted on the night into the Guinness book of records for recording over 11,000 songs throughout her career-which started at the age of 10!

The last award of the night went to the Asian (Parsi) legend that is the late, great Freddie Mercury whose mother and sister picked up the Founders award on his behalf. it was handed to the family by Queen member and Freddie’s old friend Brian May who told the audience “Freddie loved Indian food, glamour, success and he loved to be heard. And he would’ve loved that he’s still being heard now’’.

A hilarious moment (for me at least) ensued when my guest dropped chocolate on his crotch whilst dinning and then attempted to use his fork to scrape frantically away at his stain under the table. This must have looked quite vulgar and intriguing to our fellow table guests who luckily pretended not to notice. After he rubbed ice on the area and scraped away the whole area looked like a very unfortunate accident, at which point we realized it was well past midnight and like Cinderella, thought it best to depart!

JASMINE with SPIRIT OF LONDON AWARDS host EDDIE KADI

I was invited to the Spirit of London Awards to sit in the Adidas VIP box. The Spirit of London Awards (SOLA) were created as a fusion of all the great celebrity award shows such as the BRITS and MOBO with the one big difference being – The stars of the show are the unsung young heroes of our local communities and the celebrities are there to applaud and pay homage to them – The Community Oscars! The Damilola Taylor Trust developed the awards to address the imbalance in the way young people were perceived due to a small minority who create negative media headlines. The awards are now the standard bearer for the majority of the fantastic young people of London

What an amazing night. We really need more events like this to validate our youth and shoe the mainstream and general public that young people are doing amazing things- its just the positive ones aren’t being noticed. The awards was held at the royal Albert hall and hosted aptly by comedian and DJ Eddie Kadi alongside his less capable co-host Stacy Solomon. (Another case of organisers getting celebs to do presenters jobs-she’s a great singer- a wack presenter). We were informed that as well as hearing the inspirational stories of youth we would be entertained by Tinchy Stryder, Beverly knight, diversity and Dionne Bromfield. I was fascinated by an 8-year-old boy- Lucas pinto- who was named YOUNG HERO for persuading the chief executive of Tesco to reconsider the minimum wage it pays workers. He was articulate and confident and spoke with passion and I had no doubt this kid could one day be prime minister! He thanked everyone. No really. His family, friends, ‘’mister Johnson (Boris), his youth club teams and so many more-what a stone winner!

We watched TeamUK actors Ashley Walters and Adam deacon present awards, Bluey Robinson sang, we had choirs, pianists-hell I was so inspired and proud I even compared Tinchy Stryder and Dappy’s song words to Marvin Gaye LOL! …’’See I don’t understand how you’re number one, when it was just a fling before now, you’re the one, see all i did was blink twice from my homie to my only, number one .you lift me off the ground, I always want you around’’…..

Diversity and Tinchy got the packed venue on their feet, snapping away on their phones and jumping around-even the old blonde coiffed within an inch of their lives Essex wives were up and mouthing along to Tinchy’s set!. Finally when I thought it could get no funnier, Jermaine Defoe walks onstage. He’s there to present an award to his manager Harry Redknapp. The MC narrator has already announced that this is the winner of the LONDON LEGEND award. THE winner. so sharpest tool in the box Jermaine announces ‘’and the nominees are….’’ to an awkward long pause with much giggling amongst the audience. He tries at least 3 times before the MIC announcer says ‘’just announce the winner!’’. Oh how we laughed! a funny upbeat ending to a great night full of amazing stories about young people that are achieving high. a low ending though as organiser Gary Trowsdale informed everyone that the nightclub up the road-AMIKA-had cancelled the after party as they wanted a high turn out of celebrities and the kids just weren’t good enough for them. I hope as these new generation tastemakers and power players come up in their respective worlds they boycott venues like this. How disgusting!

Next I caught up with a young person doing positive things to further her career- dancer/ actress Teneisha Bonner who has been a part of the dance troupe Zoo Nation for the past 10 years- she was one of leads in their amazing production ‘’ Into The Hoodz ‘’ more recently and is now starring in the new hip-hop theatre musical- Some like it Hip-Hop….Loosely inspired by the musical ‘’Some like it Hot’’. Teneisha told me ‘’it’s a  comedic tale of love and mistaken identity, about 2 female characters journey about adapting in a mans world. the show includes an all original musical score. It’s a family show-no age group are excluded, its for everybody. Hip-hop theatre at its best. With all the bad press that hip-hops been getting it breaks down the stereotypes’’. With that pitch how could I not be there!

JASMINE with #TEAMUK champ CHIPMUNK!

I ended the week speaking to one of my favourite TEAMUK acts- the inimitable Chipmunk. Chippy popped into LONDON 360 NEWS to talk about his recent music mix tape SPAZZ.COM , his future path and thoughts on loads including pirate radio stations, life, love and more!. He highlighted the importance for making ‘’pop songs that are grime based’’ to get a wide fan base and get out his music to as many people as possible. Chippy said he understands that ‘’love and hate are simultaneous-if you roll out more success you get more love, but you’ll also reap more hate’’. Commenting on his recent release from his record label Jive he revealed ‘’‘‘Jive as a label is in a situation and therefore I’m now an independent act-it’s a good space to be in, I’m currently independent and I’ve had calls from every major label here in the last fortnight cos they understand I’m only 20 years old and still fresh and ready to elevate me and my team to the next level-The plan is to go with my own label-a lot of people forget that I charted independently before I got my record deal’’.

Chippy said he wanted his album Transition to be an event for the country but he admitted ‘’ if I’m dead honesty I think it was my single  ‘’Champion’’ with Chris Brown that made my mark. In years to come when I’m 30 and people look back think they’ll see Transition as a milestone in my musical career’’

talking about his early days he reminisced ‘‘Youth club’s are what formatted me as an artist, I spent many days there MC’ing and learning how to make the best out of the worst facilities, so when I have a radio mic with drop down compression or 3 cameras on me I know how to confidently deal with it’’

He looked back on the riots poignantly ‘’‘‘Now that the riots are all done with the message I put out is that young people are young adults, the older generation look at us as if we’re kids but we’re not. There is a need for young people to have money that people overlook. The only means a lot of young people have to make money is by negative actions and illegal means’ ‘Everyone has a need for currency-the unfortunate don’t care about what the fortunate have to say- they’re not putting money in their pocket. I’m here living well, someone else suffering will never listen to me-their experience is different. I try not to judge. A lot of young people just need money and I would advise them to do it the positive way’ ‘I had a few mishaps growing up in Tottenham but I saw everything in my area, how quick you could die, seeing this at a young age made me focus my energy correctly-like my fellow area peers like wretch32 and Adele we focused in the right direction’’

Chipmunk was the first UK act during my time at MTV BASE that openly championed his smartness whilst others (who shall remain nameless were ashamed of their education and asked me never to talk about it as it would ‘mess with their street cred’’). Chip stated strongly ‘‘If anyone can tell youth the importance of being intelligent I’d like to do it. I was read to as a child and I’m proud of that and telling people that education was a big part of my life, I never struggled with reading but probably would’ve enjoyed it more if it wasn’t given to me as a punishment. Parents could start by making their child’s first presents a book so subconsciously they are brain fed the idea that you read books as a positive activity-make their first present a book!. ’’

‘’I was never the best MC in my crew but I carried on practised and developed my craft-my school Gladesmore school was great they let me attend interviews with you at MTV and were helpful so I worked with them to make it work’’.

With that Chipmunk left a whole room full of CEO’s and young people in the BBC building all inspired and gushing as new fans-.

You go young soldier! –Onwards and upwards!

What a week of contradictions. Finally the West Coast legend that is Dr Dre throws a party to promote his ‘’Dre beats’’ headphones with HTC at London’s Round House. If a party like this had gone done a few years ago it would have brought the city to a halt. With big names like label mogul Jimmy Iovine and artist Will I Am in attendance this party would’ve shut it down. But as no one knows how to make a party pop off any more it had the worst reviews and was flatter than a pancake. Here’s who attended; Beardyman, Nero, Martin Solveig, Fredde Le Grand and Zedd, Lady Gaga, Cheryl Cole, Fazer, Dynamo, Emmanuel Frimpong, and a whole lot more, fans queued around the block in their hundreds to celebrate. Honestly could you have written a worse press release for a hip-hop inspired party? Seriously what’s happened to our social scene? Can no one throw a cool guest list together anymore? When we had the P Diddy party at Café de Paris we shut it down. The Maxwell party at The Qquarium-shut down! Janet Jackson at the London Dungeon-a shut down. Destiny’s Child at Porchester Hall- a roadblock. You bring in Dr Dre and even he’s bored at his own party? That’s a crime. Even the music that was played at the party-guests said ‘’it was dead’’. What? A Dr Dre party where the beats are not live? A terrible contradiction! Party planners now get the vibe totally wrong. This is one thing that back in the day record labels and PR companies knew how to get right. The crowd has to have some ‘’real street heads’’ and taste makers in the house. Mix this up with a scattering of current celebs and skimpy attired ladies with a dash of a superstar DJ party spinner and you have a sure fire hit. In fact-many still cite my birthday party a few years ago in Kensington as the 1 London party that shut it down for good. With all my friends and family- not-real people that know each other and therefore get down, we had in the house all UK music, sports and power players as well as heart throb singer Usher, R&B vocalist Joe and then heavy weight champ Lennox Lewis. My music was spun by DJ friends Tim Westwood, Manny Norte, Rampage and others who took over the decks organically like an old skool house party. The mic was live; people were sweating so much on the dance floor that by 6am there were bodies lying all over the red-carpeted staircases and private rooms. There was no VIP area- (a rule that Puffy taught me )– if you need help party planning just holla. Dre deserves better!

MOBO’S UNSUNG STAR AND THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE-WRETCH32 with JASMINE.

I wasn’t supposed to attend the MOBO AWARDS this year. I had so much on at work with 10 new staff starting, a multitude of meetings and interviews and the very next day post MOBO I was speaking at a big important news press seminar in central London so all aspects of my diary said no to going to Glasgow for the annual urban music event. However that was soon to change when MOBO CEO Kanya King asked if I wanted to come, and then Adidas big wig Paola Lucktung persuaded me to sit on the Adidas superstar filled table full of their athletes and music acts that the brand support.

So I found myself Tuesday night at the VIP screening for new film THE HELP (in UK cinemas from October 26^th) at the Walt Disney buildings private screening rooms with PR maven Jodie Dalmeda (SONY, VIRGIN UNITE, RICHARD BRANSON) and branding consultant DAREN DIXON. I had been warned that the film, which has been number 12 on top of the American movie charts this year for many weeks, was a tear jerker and I would need tissues. Nothing had prepared us for the depth of emotional and reflection this story would bring. Having said that it also contains numerous hilariously funny, entertaining moments too. Based on the number 1 best selling book by Kathryn Stockett, the film is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960’s and tells the story of 3 women of different ethnicities to tell the story of the ‘’coloured help’’. I hope that everyone reading this column will go and see it with friends and family and particularly young people so they can put their current options and lives in perspective of what’s possible and how their ancestors fought for equality. It’s interesting that even with the huge stateside success of this film that I’ve hardly seen any UK press about it. Are media embarrassed or do they feel awkward about the topics and themes of race and class involved?

It was tragically ironically that I went straight from the film, home to quickly pack an over night bag and jump on the 8am train to Glasgow with the adidas team and their table of superstar guests.

Blearily eyed and struggling with all our bags we excitedly boarded the train with me thinking about exactly 24 hours later when I would be on a 4am train returning from Glasgow to go speak at a national news press seminar all day and how exhausted I would be. But then the naughty angel on my left shoulder said ‘’oh who cares-you can do it-you only have one life and in the words of Jill Scott, you’re living your life like its gorgeous’’. I agreed and got on with joining in the naughty gossipy salacious banter that we then indulged in for the 5-hour train ride. So much for the sleep I was going to catch up on!.

ADIDAS LADY PAOLA, ACTRESS PREEYA, STYLIST RICHARD SHYEMI & JASMINE- pre show backstage.

I pondered so much…. Will Boyz to Men have us at our tables doing every old skool dance to “cooliharmony”? Will Rihanna jump into a helicopter from her gig at the o2 to Glasgow to shoot a man down?  Will Dappy do a Chris Brown and fly on wires in his live performance as rumoured?  Will Tinchy really be butt naked whilst dancing on a table surrounded by painted body dancers in his set?.  Will Wretch32 really be crashing through the back of the stage to make his entrance in a Traktor?  Will Adam Deacon and Preeya Kalidas really snog a la Madonna/Britney as they present an award?Dr Dre, RiRi,Gaga, Kanye and Snoop were all in London- would any of them make it up to Glasgow?  Would Ciara jump on the Eurostar to Glasgow from Paris where she just had her wardrobe malfunction?.  With those questions I was also being told from backstage at the arena that an urban music British lady had had all the other back stage dressing rooms cleared so she could have the largest and that another uk lady had had £3000 of human hair extensions couriered into Glasgow!

The banter on this train between the Adidas team and the artists was unrepeatable. (I attempted noting it all down for you all but was then threatened with banishment from the carriage and as I love my life decided to forego any drama). J2K entertained us all through the train journey by playing old skool classics liker ‘’love come down’’ by Evelyn champagne king which had me most impressed cos many young uns aren’t even aware of that era of music!

As we discussed our outfits for the night I recalled the 3 dresses which were currently rolled with tissue paper in my overnight bag. normally I’d have been sent a lovely number by D&G but as it was a last minute decision to attend I’d had to make do with my own wardrobe (how terribly undiva!). I had packed a lime green D&G classic, a plum Vercase cocktail dress and a floor length green sequinned number. as we discussed options a top hard-core TEAMUK rapper told me “Sequins are for yardies” which had me quickly kicking my sequinned number to the kerb mentally.

The Adidas team were bringing wretch32’s stage performance outfit to Glasgow and the package was being handled, over seen and treated like a precious new born baby so I couldn’t resist every now and again pretending that it was missing to the shocked PR team! LOL. 5 hours is a long time to ponder and I also felt sad that whilst all UK urban acts were mostly well represented by the MOBO AWARDS now that our initial champion Dizzee Rascal was never a part of it. There was a Mobo-Dizzee fall out a few years back when Dizzee swore never to be  a part of it. I wondered if Dizzee cared that he’s never part of the ceremony due to his long running feud with the brand. it would be good to see him there.

On arrival in Glasgow we had a big boisterous lunch before heading off to change clothes and go. the hotel lobby area was like carnival with lots of ladies in their skimpy outfits and stripper shoes accompanied by hoodies that hadn’t bothered to dress up for the occasion. That old cliché of ‘’I’m not bothering to dress fam-I always look fly’’. no love you don’t and you wont get anyway looking like you’re off to do a Tesco’s shop whilst all around you have made the effort!.

COMEDIAN, DJ AND TV PUNDIT EDDIE ”THE JACKET”  KADI , CHIPMUNK and JASMINE.

MYSELF AND THE ADIDAS LADIES-(NOT WEARING THE SAME DRESS!)

Myself and Paola met in the hotel lobby and stopped dead in shock as we acknowledged that we were both wearing similar plum/purple dresses. what a fashion faux pas! but we reassured ourselves that they were totally different shades and styles and so we were okay. Luckily industry peeps understand this. Island records A&R extraordinaire Ben Scarrs was looking slick in his stripy shirt and matching socks combo. Eastenders actress Preeya Kalidas was in a black asymmetrical number-all sexy and dark.

BEEB REPORTER BRENDA WITH JASMINE.

BBC reporter Brenda Emmanus looked serene in a long Grecian style gown, stylist Richard Shoyemi was all smoky dark eyes and glam, according to the Atlantic Music ladies Taponeswa and Mel comedian Eddie Kadi apparently won the prize for most creative jacket blazer, fashion designer Wale Adeyemi rocked a cute dickey bow tie and one of his new look shirt styles. This led to a hilarious moment as another man sitting on our table caught Wales eye. the man was wearing a one off sample shirt that had that very day been requested from Wale’s PR team apparently for a wretch32 video shoot. Well the man rocking the shirt was most certainly not wretch and the shirt was way too tight for him. As Wale sat in bewilderment, Adidas head Paola Lucktung and I roared with laughter.

ATLETICS CHAMPION-PHILLIPS IDOWU with JASMINE.

Sitting on our Adidas table were also acts like Angel with Chipmunk and Wretch next to us. We were easily the loudest and flyest table there!

THE LOUDEST,CRAZIEST MOBO TABLE!.

The Mobo goody bag on each table seat contained a chocolate Lolly pop and Mobo bath oil. My evil angel popped up again on my shoulder and blurted out ‘’hose stripper chic’s later are in for a good time!’’.

Once the show kicked off it was flowing and organised well with the gorgeous Alesha Dixon working her professional magic in a yellow frock-I was disappointed that she hadn’t had more outfit changes-her gorgeous dresses are one of my favourite things to take in! Also not only did her co-host Jason Derulo not add anything to the proceedings, he was awkward and Alesha actually had to nudge him to read his lines a couple of times- in fact I can only assume that the hugest autocue I’d ever seen in my life was cos Jason must be short cited-it was so large even Stevie wonder could’ve read it! (Tim Westwood naughtily stood in front of the autocue jumping around t one point trying to shield the words-hilarity!)

JASMINE with DESIGNER WALE, THE HUB ENTERTAINMENTS AUSTIN and COMEDIAN EDDIE KADI.

People kept questioning why Reggie Yates wasn’t co-hosting. I have no idea why but I know MOBO weren’t particularly pleased that he had thrown his own after party last year detracting from the OFFICIAL MOBO party and that he may be in their bad books.

The crazy one from N –DUBZ -Dappy and Tinchy were reporting from backstage. We noted they were like an urban ant & dec! then the really talented one in N DUBZ- Fazer and model Jourdann Dunn presented best hip-hop and grime to Tinie Tempah who more than deserved the accolade. Fazer also played piano like Alicia keys alongside Dappy onstage. For me its really Fazer that gives the group any credibility. He may be the quiet one-but I think he’s the most musically gifted. I noted that Tinchy was rocking his brand – STAR IN THE HOOD tee shirt. What happened to BBC product placement rules?

Wretch32’s on stage set was by far the best of the jight with an acoustic intro before an all out female drumming dance crew took over- the whole arena were up on their feet bouncing for the 1st time!

As artist Yasmin and actor Adam “my size” Deacon presented the best video award to Dappy and Tinchy I wondered whether N DUBZ manger Jonathon Shalit had bought shares in MOBO this year as Dappy continued to over take the show. (Or was it his new solo management team jack and Archie-the MP’s sons?)

During Katy B’s performance most of the audience were socialising around their tables but then her featured act ms dynamites joined her and all were focused again.

Mr Hudson and Mann presented the best international award to Rihanna who not only didn’t turn up but hadn’t provided a thank you pre recorded video speech either. Baffling as she was in London simultaneously! Record label folks-Ever heard of a live link?

Half way through the night I was shown the winners complete list. I was really disappointed and completely pissed that Wretch32 hadn’t won anything this year. I know the wines are chosen by fans but for wretch to walk away empty handed and Jessie j to dominate winners surely there’s something very wrong with the system. Jessie j is extremely talented but all those awards strictly on her fan base size seems unfair. Maybe industry and fans should vote together moving forwards?

As predicted when it was Jason Derulo’s live set happened most of the audience visited the loo-oops. On my return I noted a guy wearing a full bear fur walking around. What a nutter I thought before realising he and his mate were the comic duo ‘’Shadrack and the Mandem’’ who were looking like an old version of an R Kelly video and serenading Alesha.

As publicised Dionne Bromfield sang a haunting tribute to Amy Winehouse sounding just like her godmother.

As Dappy and Tinchy did their performance someone quipped loudly that they were our version of Eminem and Jigga, which had our tables rolling.

Whilst I obviously love MOBO and all the UK music acts, it did look as the recession must’ve hit hard because there seemed to be no thought or creativity behind the stage sets and performances this years. Wretch32 was the one A class one but the rest were bare stages, dancers in what looked like rehearsal gear and in Professor Green and Emile Sandi’s set whilst their performance was better than most of the rest, it resembled an end of term school Xmas show with a basic gold tinsel curtain!?

Next Alexis Jordan performed. She’s a lovely girl with talent that is still to be fully realised but her onstage performance had no excitement. She had a Riri thing going on but many around us were muttering that they’d rather have seen chipmunk sing his huge hit “champion”.

Later during the show Dappy came to sit with Chipmunk at his table. The mood was sombre. There were lots of disappointed faces regards wretch not having won an award. he and chipmunk have been major players this past 12 months.

When JLS bounced onstage all in their slick black suits the audience went mad! they introduced Boyz to Men who didn’t wow with a set as good as their recent performance at Hammersmith Apollo. Brandy’s old boyfriend Wanya was rocking some really awkwardly ugly boots and many were questioning why the band was 1 member short (Michael left years ago-do keep up!)

We noted that the vibe between N DUBZ boys Dappy and Fazer was awkward. Many a time they passed within inches of each other with no acknowledgement. Coincidence?

THE BOYS GET EXCITED BACKSTAGE- ARTIST ANGEL, TV PRODUCER SHURWIN, COMIC EDDIE, DESIGNER WALE, DJ TREVOR NELSON.

Post show we had a huge crew rolling with DJ Trevor Nelson to his after party where we bust out a few dance routines and Charlie’s angels poses backstage. The dance floor at Trevs party was crazy from the moment my Chrissie Lou shoe stepped on it until the minute we left. Special mention must go to Trev , Mr Play and DJ Charles (Tinie’s DJ) who threw down classic old skool R7B classics and the young un’s all jammed hard to every tune! Wretch, angel, Tinchy and Chipmunk were dancing hard-I was impressed cos I mostly see them head nodding at parties. The dance moves and routines that DJ Abrantee, Wale Adeyemi , Eddie Kadi and J2K were doing were ridiculously impressive! the party was overly sweaty leading to all us ladies scraping sweated out hairstyles into pony tails and taking their shoes off. I was thankful my mum schooled me to carry flat ballet pumps in my handbag-no floor is touching my princess foot-no sir! The clubs dry ice machine was slightly OTT as it was so strong at intervals that we couldn’t see in front of us whilst busting moves. I could’ve been dancing with ANYONE!!! Most of this was recorded by the Grimedaily website for prosperity so check their footage out soon! Adidas head Paola snuck out with me at 3am so I could jump in a cab, head back to the hotel, shower and jump into cab number 2 to whizz me back to the train station. As we exited the car and gripped onto each other as our feet were so sore from dancing and staggered back into the hotel a passing couple yelled ‘’oh you two look cute-are you bridesmaids?’’. !!!

MOBO AFTER PARTY VIP- group banter with EDDIE KADI, WALE AEYEMI, ADIDAS PR MAVEN POALA LUCKTUNG, TREVOR NELSON and friends.

Our scenes been on and off planes, trains and automobiles this week toing and froing from Glasgow for the annual Mobo Awards -more on that next week!.

The night after MOBO I had to take a 4am train back to London to make it to the journalist full day ‘’NEWS REWIRED’’ day where many reporters speak and engage their experiences together. I attended specifically to hear and meet one of my favourite reporters Paul Lewis, who is special projects editor at the Guardian. During the London riots his were the most up to date, reliable, trustworthy, balanced stories.

JASMINE WITH INSPIRATIONAL YOU founder SONIA MEGGIE and branding consultant DAREN DIXON.

Before all that though I was asked to chair the regular INSPIRATIONAL YOU seminar at the very opulent Pearson building in Charing Cross that focused on ‘succeeding in the entertainment and media industry”. Organizers told me ‘’you are Ms Entertainment and know the business inside out, as well as doing a fantastic job on London 360.  we therefore wondered if you would consider being our host on the night and bringing your team down, we have been trying to identify a host who understands the industry and can also give insight at the same time’’. Readers-how could I refuse? Especially when they told me the panelists were DJ Steve Sutherland, ITN HEAD NEWS EDITOR Robin Elias, BBC BREAKFAST TV Producer Anthea Lee, former Head of CHOICEFM and BANGFM radio Ivor Ettiene and tinie tempah’s manager dumi Oburota. I arrived to find a delicious spread of Caribbean and Indian canapés and drinks on offer to settle our rumbling post-work stomachs. The panel introduced themselves and the advice, experience and anecdotes came thick and fast. Many young people don’t know about how to get into or attract an employer to their cv so we shared tips on this as well as take questions from the floor. one thing that became very apparent to me was that many newcomers to TV don’t understand the structure of jobs within the TV structure. So I promised to run up a chart and so it was up on my personal blog the very next day. Next? Steve shared tips on how artists should and shouldn’t approach DJ’S. Robin talked about how he saw the news room platforms changing and his top 5 things he looks for in future staff. Anthea talked about elements she looked for in a music act to see if they fit the ‘’bbc sofa commercial household name’’ remit. Ivor talked about networks and career moves within the radio industry and Dumi told his fascinating story about learning all he knows about music management by reading books, observing the scene and asking loads of questions as well as the branding of the superstar they call tinie tempeh. Want to know the answers to all this? you might want to become a part of INSPIRATIONAL YOU.

JASMINE WITH CHANNEL 4’S ARTS COMMISSIONER-TABITHA JACKSON.

I ended my week catching up with Channel 4’s Tabitha Jackson, a lady I’ve admired from afar for a while now. I became aware of her after noticing the Channel 4 street Summer Season which recently featured CONCRETE CIRCUS, LIFE OF RHYME, GRAFFITI WARS, HOW HIP-HOP CHANGED THE WORLD, ONE MAN WALKING and STREETDANCE. When I watched all these shows I was blown away. Both excited and gutted. Excited cos finally a mainstream broadcaster had covered the vast uk urban scene in a respectful and qualitative manner. Clearly big budgets, an attention to artistic detail and getting the right talent involved was considered with akala, jonzi d, cookie crew, noel Clarke and many many more from the old skool and new skool urban worlds combining to make a great documentary series of shows. I was gutted cos clearly this is the stuff I’d been dying to make myself during my years at MTV and other broadcasters and felt it should have had air time many years ago. I know how tough it is to convince senior TV management teams to make content like this and how hard it is to get it right. So I joined Tabitha Jackson for a conversation to see just how she’s made all this happen. id expected a London born and bred hiphop cultured lover. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Tabitha is a beautifully mannered, friendly, softy but authoritivly-spoken lady who knows what’s current and has her finger on the pulse. But as she told me…..she was ‘’born in Coventry and I was brought up in a tiny rural village  in Warwickshire called Napton on the Hill. With a windmill and lots of canals, a really really rural upbringing. I was adopted, my dad was the local vicar so I think when people look at me they don’t expect that was my upbringing’’. Tabitha explained that her speciality might not have been hip-hop but it was TV just cos she ended up watching so much ‘’living in small village without a driving licence meant that I watched a enormous amount of television and I remember actually watching the first night of channel 4 absolutely glued to it -it was amazing. I think that’s why I have feel that connection with channel 4 because I was 12 and as I was being shaped then channel 4 was part of that’’.  I understood exactly how Tabitha feels. I recall channel 4’s launch too as I attended the opening night party and grew up thinking they were my generations broadcaster that were connected to me. and of course my first few years in TV were at channel 4. unlike me though who has a degree in related media subjects, Tabitha did a philosophy degree and when she finished that she worked for some composers in Soho for a couple of years. ‘’They were doing music for films which was interesting.  But my big break was going to the BBC where I worked in publishing in my university holidays and the BBC were doing a massive oral history series -26 episodes called ‘people century’.  And I went there to work on the book.  Then I soon thought wait a second I liked the bits with pictures more. So I ended up slipping in across into the production team and worked on that for a couple of years.  That was absolutely my biggest ever break because it was a huge team it was protected it was intelligent public service television and we had a reunion just last weekend’’.

So Tabitha clearly understands how to manoeuvre in this manic media world and make the jump from platform to platform but I was most impressed with the length of time she’s taken to perfect her craft. She revealed ‘’I slid in as a researcher and than an AP and then producer and then a director. But it took long time but that was good thing actually, you would effectively be serving an apprenticeship with people who would be very experienced and this wealth of knowledge that they could share with you and you were on a realistic contract so you felt safe’’.

Unlike today where reporters are expected to research, script, shoot, edit and promote their content, Tabitha explains she’s not a shooter ‘’I did do some shooting have but its not very pretty.  Now it’s a skill that I wish I had but in a way I look back on fondness on those times where you just have to concentrate on one thing and in doing it well rather than everything else at once’’.

Tabitha also wrote a book and lived in New York for a bit, and whilst she was out there was approached by channel 4 to see if she would like to join the commissioning team. ..’’Coming into channel 4 after being at the BBC for good few years.  Firstly it was fantastic because it was small it was an institution -You know the first thing I noticed when I came up was how many people that were non-white faces were coming out of the door and I don’t usually seethe world in the terms of colour.  So it was a real first impression, but my biggest shock was the culture shock being commissioner editor rather than a producer or director’’.

Obviously Tabitha having gone from programme maker to commissioner means she’s not so hands on anymore ‘’well the thing I miss most is that complete immersion into a subject matter that you get when you are making a film or going places that I will never normally go to. So that’s being a filmmaker but the commissioner editor side of it I love the fact that you could go into so many peoples edits and you can talk about ideas and you can see how’s it all done and you can be there when the magic happens when its put together. If you do it right you can be a real enabling force.  The downside to commissioning is having to say no really when ideas are perfectly good but is just not right for us and you know people have spent thousands of pounds hours of pounds in developing stuff, the best moment is saying yes and worst moment is saying no’’.

Tabitha broke down her current job remit for us ‘’I am the commissioner editor for arts at channel 4 and the remit is really anything that is art. I am taking it in its broadest sense because I think coming in I felt that art television not arts but arts television was very narrow in what it focussed in and quiet dull and scholastic almost that we going to be lectured and sometimes its absolutely fascinating ways but it was in lecture mode of you need to learn about this make you into a more civilised person so I am going to tell about it. They are expressing it creatively so I think, in my egomaniacal of way I want people in 50 or 100 years to look back at the channel 4 arts output and somehow understand of who we are now.  Whereas if you do that for most of the arts output from all the broadcasters then we would think; we are a people obsessed with impressionist painting or obsessed this school and you don’t have a sense    of all the amazing creative expressions what’s going on now and what people preoccupation are.

being aware of your competitors content is important and when i asked her about the BBC’s current ”mixed race season” this is what she had to say ”As a mixed race person I’m delighted that there’s a mix race season.  I also think that actually when I heard about the mixed race season and I heard about the white season I was really jealous. Working at channel 4 that’s our territory we should be doing that.  I do have slightly mixed feelings about the mixed race season just in the sense of mixed race I have mixed feelings about using the word race as a kind of.. as a reality. …but I don’t describe myself as mixed race really. What’s a race? What races I’m I mixing in? What’s a race in the first place? So yes certainly I got mixed ancestry but everybody does, I’ve got dual heritage but lots people do. So it will be great. I am not sure what’s in the BBC season but if they go into and have a discussion about what mixed race actually means… and also I hope it reflects not just African Caribbean white mixed race or African white that it can be, you know, Jewish and Turkish mixed race”.

Tabitha explained how STREET SUMMER came about ‘’it happened when just before I started the job and I went for a drink with Roy Ackerman  who’s been in the business for years.  So his advice was never give up the mainstream yes you’re doing arts but don’t think that means you have to be on the side-line’s and then we were talking about Hip-hop. Those two things came together and I just I thought I know I want the arts to be about what’s around us in what people are doing.  You can’t look out the window and walk down the street without some manifestation of it. Street dancers on the television, Banksy making films .  This stuff is not niche its mainstream and yet I thought in my egocentric way I don’t understand it and I want to, I don’t understand the discipline and the rigour of it and I want to in the same way that I have been taught I should understand the rigour and the discipline of ballet.  So it was born out of curiosity’’.

Having seen the content of all the urban shows i assumed Tabitha was a big urban culture specialist. instead she revealed ”Massive learning curve. There were meetings; almost every meeting for the first couple of months, people would just talk. There just be words that I had no idea what they were and they would turn out to be incredibly famous rap artist or, you know, hip hop artists or dancers and just hadn’t heard of them. So it was a huge learning curve”.

This summer Tabitha made all young people feel connected and engaged with our media by screening STREET SUMMER. we need more Tabitha’s in our world!

JASMINE WITH JUSTIN.

The week began with press promotion for Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis latest film ‘’Friends with Benefits’ which was absolutely hilarious. Justin was as ever very amicable and fun with his quick wit and fun personality- he has always been an articulate, hard grafter that is very particular about what he works on and that’s why musical and in film his delivery is always a class. It doesn’t hurt that he’s hot either! We reminisced about our MTV days where I made numerous TV specials about him and his group N SYNC as well as his solo tours. I once spent a whole week in Florida courtesy of Justin waiting by a hot swimming pool to film him but daily was told ‘’Justin has just split with Britney and we’re not sure when he’ll be ready to do press’’ so I returned home with no TV show but a great suntan!

ACTORS LONYO,HIS LEADING LADY AND DIRECTOR OF ”DAVID IS DYING” STEPHEN LLOYD JACKSON.

Friday night post work fun was had at the TUC –labour party building (a building that was set up to promote arts amongst working class people) in Covent garden where the BRITISH URBAN FILM FESTIVAL (BUFF) were holding their annual weekender for film fans and makers alike.

The venue was packed full of people including host of the night- broadcaster Henry Bonso, radio host Kojo, DJs Manny Norte and Jarren C, PR maven Jodie Dalmeda, wordsmith Ty , actor Cyril Nri , Charles Thompson MBE (founder of the Screen Nation awards), Kyla Frye (actress), Clint Dyer (actor),Femi Oguns (actor), Arnold Oceng (actor),Sharon Duncan Brewster (actress), Anjela Lauren Smith (actress and BUFF artistic director), Lateef Lovejoy (comedian and BUFF festival presenter) and of course main man of the night- former music star (summer of love) now actor Lonyo Engele.

JASMINE WITH ACTRESS, WRITER, DIRECRTOR KAMARA BACCHUS.

Before the main film started there were trailers for upcoming movies that I cant wait to see. Firstly, ’Before they were n dubz’’ which looked like it could be the urban version of the spice girls movie LOL. A more serious documentary called ‘’War against gang rape’’ and 16 more shorts including one (Special Delivery) by upcoming actress and writer Kamara Bacchus.

I was really blown away by a really gripping short film about black history called Manorlogz by Bernard Kordieh . It was beautifully and artfully crafted and I’m hoping to get a hold of it to show you-it really empowers and inspires!.

There was also a nostalgic look back and 1 minute standing ovation for the dear departed from the past few months that paid homage to Nate Dogg, Gil Scott Heron, Amy Winehouse, Bubba Smith and Sam Loco Efe.

JASMINE WITH THE ”DAVID IS DYING” LEAD COUPLE AND DIRECTOR.

All the hype on opening night was around the film DAVID IS DYING which is about a man obsessed by girl friend but his past relationship with his mother and dire circumstances affect him mentally lead to a heart-breaking story. Lonyo-one time music star plays the lead role and was mesmerising in his performance. Even though shot cheaply the story was amazing, heart breaking and Intense. Even though Lonyo is not a trained actor his performance held us every part of the way (some ladies present were adamant that his ‘’striking sharp features and handsome aesthetically visually breathtaking’’ looks didn’t disappoint either!

Lonyo used to be an extra in the football themed  TV show Dream Team and he told the UK film blog FLICKSANDBITS ‘’ From being on set then, I picked up all of the language that the camera men and the directors were using when they were giving directions to the main cast.’’ Lonyo recalled that Ironically he was dropping off a mate to the audition and they asked him to read for the part ‘’ So in the audition process they wanted me to cry, so I had a few moments to prepare myself, I just thought about Liverpool losing (laughs) – I’m a big Liverpool fan, it brought up all these emotions and I delivered some lines. They were like “this kid might have something.”

Lonyo told us about working with the director Stephen Jackson ‘’ He gave me so many instructions into how he wanted certain things to be delivered, he had a strange way of working though, he’d never let me look back at what we’ve filmed, he never let me see anything, the first time I actually saw the film was when I came out to Miami for the festival.’’

If you want to see DAVID IS DYING as well as a number of other titles that may include ‘huge – the movie’ feat Noel Clarke , ‘Tupac assassination’ , ‘Sus’  ‘Rappin at the royal’, Hip-hop opera and ‘Before they were N Dubz’ – stay tuned to JASMINES JUICE where I’ll be telling you where and when in December we can all invite our family and friends round and arrange a day of great movie screenings!

I speak at numerous panels, seminars and meets across the year where many young people or people new to the TV world are unknowledgeable about TV STAFF STRUCTRURES within the industry. Last might I chaired the MEDIA/MUSIC PANEL at INSPIRATIONAL YOU and promised the attendees that I would make a simple document that will make them understand the company structure a little better.The organogram below is more reflective of a big broadcasting channel as opposed to an independent production company but much crosses over. Hope this helps!

(I will be making a chart on power point soon to help better reflect the reporting structure. Onwards and upwards!

TV PRODUCTION TEAM

PRESENTER / VOICE OVER ARTIST

EXECUTIVE EDITOR/PRODUCER

SENIOR PRODUCER

PRODUCER

DIRECTOR

ASSISTANT PRODUCER (AP)

SENIOR REASEARCHER

RESEARCHER

JUNIOR RESEARCHER

INTERN/ RUNNER

 

OTHER TV DEPARTMENTS/JOBS THAT SURROUND THE PRODUCTION TEAM

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT TEAM

DIGITAL / WEB TEAM

FUTURE MEDIA TEAM

TALENT BOOKING TEAM

DEVELOPMENT TEAM

PRESS TEAM

MARKETING TEAM

BRANDING TEAM

EVENTS TEAM

EDIT / POST PRODUCTION TEAM

LEGAL / BUSINESS AFFAIRS TEAM

COMPLIENCE TEAM

ACQUISITIONS TEAM

SCHEDULING TEAM

ON AIR TEAM

GRAPHICS TEAM

FINANCE TEAM

HUMAN RESOURCES

CEO AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM

 

Example of structure at CHANNEL 4

 

The Programme Makers

Programmes

·      News Current Affairs and Business

Commissions News, Current Affairs and Political programmes for the Channel.

·      Documentaries

To develop, commission and manage factual or documentary output. Work with Independent producers and/or production companies.

 

• Nations and Regions
  Nations and Regions leads Channel 4’s core corporate objectives outside London, Channel 4 had a licence requirement to deliver 30% of originated programmes from companies outside London. The department oversees Channel 4’s Creative Cities initiatives – development, events, business support and partnerships in regional cities outside London’.

 

·      Entertainment

Commissioning of Entertainment and Comedy programming.

 

• FilmFour

The role of the department is to commission and develop British feature films.

 

·      Commissioning Management

To manage Commissioning’s administrative affairs and internal communication, manage the Channel’s cultural diversity ambitions, develop off-screen talent, manage communication with independent production companies and off-screen talent, commission the Channel’s Sports output.

 

• Features and Factual Entertainment

The role of the Event, Features and Factual Entertainment department is to receive proposals from independent production companies and decide which ideas to pursue and commission.

 

On occasion we also produce original ideas which are tendered to an independent production company to produce.

 

• Specialist Factual

To receive proposals from Independent Production Companies and commission their ideas.

 

Programme Acquisition

To source and license acquired programming (feature films and series, predominantly from the United States studios) for exhibition across all Channel Four platforms (currently Channel Four, FilmFour Channel and E4).

Legal and Compliance
The primary role of the Legal & Compliance department is to advise Channel 4 on the legal and compliance issues arising from the production and broadcasting of programmes transmitted on all of the Channel’s platforms. This involves advising the Board, all commissioning staff, and independent production companies, on legal issues such as libel and contempt, and compliance with the ITC and BSC codes on fairness, privacy and taste and decency for example.  The department is also responsible for negotiating and maintaining the Channel’s Errors & Omissions insurance cover; and for managing litigation arising from the various Channels’ output.

Commercial Affairs and Programme Finance

The department’s main function is to negotiate and manage the financial and contractual details of Channel 4 and E4 programme, programme-related (e.g. websites, talent) and distribution deals. The department also manages Channel 4’s collective licensing with music collecting societies, copyright clearances, and ad hoc corporate, commercial and legal issues.
4Learning

4Learning is the educational division of Channel 4 responsible for schools programmes and support material, both printed and online for all ages.

 

 

The Audience Generators
Research & Insight

The current competitive multi-channel television environment necessitates detailed knowledge and understanding of our viewers.  The traditional role of television is going through a fundamental change and as a result, the Research and Insight department was set up to learn more about the prevailing lifestyle and attitudes of our viewers and their relationship with television and programmes.  At its heart this department connects the Channel with its viewers.

 

• Strategic Planning – carrying out analysis that ensures a clear understanding of our core viewers and providing input to business decisions that strengthen the Channel 4 brand.
• Commissioning – providing feedback on programme performance, and undertaking ad-hoc qualitative research to improve our understanding of a programme’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Programme Planning & Strategy – giving guidance and audience analysis to the Scheduling team through detailed knowledge of our programmes and those of competitive channels.
• 4 Ventures – undertaking research to measure the performance and ongoing development of new channels such as E4 and FilmFour, and commissioning research to test the market for new channel concepts and new business opportunities.
• Marketing – carrying out research to track the image of Channel 4 and providing measures to evaluate the effectiveness of our media strategy.

 
Programme Planning and Strategy

Programme Planning & Strategy creates the Channel 4 and E4 programme schedules and prepares the schedule for press publication. In addition, the department costs the programme schedules and ensures they meet the corporate licence requirements.

Marketing

The role of the Marketing Department is to prioritise and promote key elements of Channel 4’s output. This involves the management of the on-air promotional time and the production of off-air advertising campaigns, in addition to brand stewardship, corporate communications, live events and affiliate relationships.
Press and Publicity

The press office handles all communication with the media.

 

 

The Revenue Converters

Agency Sales

To sell available Commercial Advertising minutage on Channel Four, E4 and Filmfour to advertising agencies and their clients.
Commercial Marketing & Research

The Commercial Marketing and Research Department’s primary role is to support the Agency Sales, Client and Strategic Sales and Sponsorship departments by ensuring that they are presented effectively to potential and existing advertisers and advertising agents on Channel 4.  The Research department uses a variety of research analysis tools as well as commissioning new research to gain a greater understanding of who our viewers are.  The department provides analysis on programmes, advertising campaigns and market sectors to help sell the channel to advertisers.  The Trade Marketing Department’s role is to devise and carry out an appropriate strategy for Channel 4’s (including E4) trade marketing activity taking into account the overall channel strategy, the marketplace, the development of new propositions and the information needs of the target market’
Commercial

Client & Strategic Sales

The Client & Strategic Sales Department (CSS) addresses the increasingly diverse needs of advertisers and their agency planners. The team’s role is two fold; firstly to develop new areas of business across all of Channel 4’s commercial activities, and secondly, to improve our dialogue with clients and agencies. The CSS team is the key point of contact for these two groups to discuss ideas, strategies and issues that will assist the objectives of our advertising partners

CSS works closely with the other commercial departments – Agency Sales, Sponsorship and Interactive – either to develop new business or assist with existing sales leads. The CSS Department regularly organises conferences and seminars – special forums within which Channel 4’s strengths as a medium and marketing partner can be presented to potential advertisers. In the last year we have held A New Advertisers Day, a Universities and Colleges forum and a Financial Services Marketing forum.

 

Airtime Management

Create Advertising Break Pattern to maximise Commercial Inventory. Predict Audience Ratings for Breaks. Book advertising campaigns in order to fulfil deals and maximise revenue. Create regular and ad hoc Reports. Assign correct Copy to Spots. Sequence Spot within Break to most optimal order. Generate advertising playlist for Commercial Transmission. Design and make Interactive Overlays, sell and administer Interactive Campaigns. Design Computer Systems to improve and develop current working practices. Comply and uphold ITC rules and regulations. Police and monitor all aspects of the deal parameters in order to sell airtime efficiently and maximise revenue for both Channel 4 and E4.

Sponsorship

The Sponsorship Department match commercial sponsors to TV programmes in such as a way as to help achieve the sponsors’ commercial objectives while optimising commercial revenues for Channel 4 Corporation. As with Advertising revenues, monies from sponsorship arrangements flow into a central pot which is then redistributed by the Board to the areas of programming deemed to be most appropriate. In partnership with the advertising agencies that represent sponsors the Department identifies sponsors, sells ideas, negotiates deals, helps produce sponsorship credits and administers the agreed contracts. Great care is taken in the selection of these sponsors and the production of sponsorship credits. The Department is also responsible for Advertiser Funded Programming where a sponsor will actually fund the production of a new programme at source, usually through the Production Company that have developed the programme idea.

 

The Delivery Mechanism
Channel Operations

Presentation and Broadcast Services provides presentation planning and transmission, programme tape management, project engineering and maintenance, and a viewer enquiries service. The department is responsible for channel play out (including commercials, programmes, promotions, interactive and ancillary services) of Channel 4, E4, E4+1, FilmFour, FilmFour+1 and FilmFour Weekly.

 

Engineering is responsible for the technical and operational aspects of Channel 4, E4, FilmFour and derived services over a variety of transmission platforms.  The department ensures technical standards are upheld; designs, installs and maintains all the broadcast technical facilities; and encompasses all VT Library services.

124 Facilities

To provide a studio and post production service to Channel 4 and associated companies and to provide a revenue return to the 4 Ventures group.

 

 

The Support Departments

Information Systems

Provision of Information Technology Projects, Services and Resources to Channel 4 Television Corporation.
Human Resources
Human Resources is responsible for providing a comprehensive Human Resources service to Channel 4 on a range of recruitment, employment and training & development matters.

 

Facilities Management

To provide office and building services for all Channel 4 and its subsidiaries

Finance

Provide financial services, control and reporting to Channel 4 Television and the Group

 

 

The Bigger Picture

Corporate Relations
Corporate Relations maintains and promotes Channel 4’s relations and image with key stakeholders.

 

Corporate

Offices of the Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive.

Corporate Development

To provide commercial support to internal business units and develop commercial opportunities with external parties.

 

Strategy

The Strategy department has three main roles:   a) leading the development of Channel 4’s overall corporate strategy and communicating this strategy to the rest of the Channel;  b) helping individual departments develop and implement their own strategy within this framework; and,  c) gathering, analysing and communicating key market information of relevance to Channel 4.

 

 

4 Ventures

FilmFour Channel

The FilmFour Department is comprised of 3 key teams:  Programming, Marketing and Creative Services.  Their collective responsibility is to manage the programming and marketing of FilmFour Channel’s three premium pay-TV services which are distributed on Digital Satellite and Digital Cable platforms.

 

E4

The E4 Channel is a basic tier entertainment channel for the UK pay TV market aimed at 16-34 year olds and the role of E4 programmes is to provide original and acquired programming to satisfy this market.

The role of the E4 marketing department is to prioritise and promote key elements of E4’s output. This involves the management of E4 on air promotional airtime, cross-promotional airtime on Channel 4 as well as production of off air advertising campaigns. In addition, the role of the E4 marketing department is to develop and enhance the E4 brand and work with our distribution partners at Sky, ntl and Telewest to ensure that E4 remains an important element of all communication to subscriber bases.’

 

Consumer Products
The department’s role is to act as a creative manager of the retail rights of Channel 4 products that are sold via our joint venture partners direct to customers. This department also helps co-ordinate on-air promotion of Channel 4 linked products and operates the Channel 4 shop.

 

Rights (Channel Four International) Consumer Products

‘The Department’s role is to generate revenues for Channel 4 and its producer partners by licensing programme rights to product distributors and managing all aspects of product releases to the best advantage of Channel 4 and production companies.’

 

Interactive

4Channels Internet and Interactive TV is responsible for the development and production of consumer content for the WWW and Interactive TV platforms. Internet and iTV are now under Interactive departments. This department now includes telephony’.

4 Creative

4Creative covers the roles of both an advertising agency and production company.  We create and deliver both above and below the line advertising as well as indent sponsorship.

 

We do work for Channel 4 and its subsidiaries as well as external Clients, providing a full service, working alongside external media partners.

4 Ventutres Corporate

Provide managerial, financial, strategic and operational support to the 4 Ventures Businesses.

 

4 Ventures Interactive Commercial

4Interactive is responsible for the development of interactive services across all digital platforms – principally the web, interactive digital TV and telephony.

 

4 Ventures Interactive Technical

To provide interactive technical services to 4Ventures businesses, especially Interactive and 4Learning

-END

 

JASMINE WITH THIS YEARS UPCOMING ULTIMATE SEMINAR PANELISTS- RIZZLE KICKS

2 weeks away from the MOBO AWARDS 2011 where we once again celebrate and take pride in all our urban music acts have achieved this past 12 months.

Its important to note that an overly large percentage of young people want to be instant superstars these days with many lured to the dream job of becoming a music star.

The only way you should contemplate this road is if you really have some musical talent because believe me, many can become a one hit wonder and over night success on a catchy hit song or a cute ass. I have seen a distinct change in music acts from the days in the early nineties when I started at MTV to the caliber of talent now and trust me, its incomparable. Back then acts were truly passionate about the musical content they made and struggled for years to perfect their art both in the studio and live. Nowadays public opinion assumes that due to shows like X FACTOR that overnight success is something that’s owed to them if they simply reach out to people informing them that they are a singer.

2 decades ago I observed acts like Dr Dre, Take That and Mariah Carey in their studio’s song write, produce and perform their hearts out. These acts have still been relevant 2 decades later but establishments are handing out lifetime achievement accolades to younger acts like Britney. Seriously? Every act that tried to be a copycat Dre, Take That or Mariah arrived on the charts, caused a media stir for a minute and approximately 5 years down the line wasn’t heard from musically again. Many music platforms forget that legends have had a multitude of copycat acts follow in their paths. Can anyone deny that Usher, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo and Sisqo all wanted to be Michael Jackson? Can we really not see Mariah-isms in Christina Aguilera, Leona Lewis and Jessica Simpson? How about Boyz II Men influencing the JLS, Damage’s and Dru Hill’s of the world? Exactly! Homage should be paid. The MOBO family is doing just that by honoring Boyz II Men this year and I for one cant wait to break out into some old skool swing beat dances when they hit that stage in Glasgow!.

JASMINE WITH MOBO BEST NEW COMER NOMINEE ED SHEERAN

As you know I have special authorization to check out the voting process and I’m particularly intrigued by the BEST NEWCOMER category where its full sprint ahead for Ed Sheeran and Jessie J fans in their thousands nearly neck and neck, whilst Wretch32 and Yasmin are lagging a way behind with Loickk Essiens team needing to step it up cos his score was practically nil points!. I’m going online to vote again now!

I attended the BBC PANEL NEW BRAVE WORLD SERVICE evening where key figure heads from BBC NEWS, the foreign office and media debated the future of the BBC WORLD SERVIVE once its funding moves from the foreign office to in-house at the beeb. There were many passionate speakers including BBC world news editor Jon Williams, Asian editor of BBC world Rita Payne and director of BBC news peter Horrocks as well as a legion of former high profile foreign news correspondents like Martin Bell in the audience sat amongst us. The evening was held at the very impressive stately Marlborough house in Pall Mall where we were greeted on arrival by the sounds of a string orchestra. The debate was held in a large reception room so stunning that the wall showcased historical tapestries whilst the ceiling resembled a Michael Angelo fresco painted Sistine chapel style ceiling.

It was a lively debate where Rita was most impressive crusading for the things we all regularly complain about including ‘’The world service should counter stereotypes that many media portray about foreigners…. there used to be an old skool pride in the BBC world service but now there is disharmony amongst the diaspora for black & white stories’’. As we’ll as telling us amazing anecdotes of her time reporting from across the globe Rita also mentioned a story that stood out where she explained that ethnic groups were wrongly and unfairly treated, for example ‘’All the Muslim groups that helped police eradicate extremists from the Finsbury Park mosque were then demonized and had their funds cut by the government and media meaning that a whole community had been tarred unfairly when many are peace loving Brits’’.

Rita also mentioned another point my peers and I have been complaining about for years in that anytime a story of ethic interest or focus breaks that the same ‘’talking head pundits’’ from the BBC’s black contact book are circulated from programme to programme’’ that have no connection and are out of touch with the communities they claim to be speaking on behalf of. She highlighted the need to ‘’bring in on screen new perspectives from people that were more in touch’’. At that point I thought ‘ This is why the Cultural Diversity Network’ is so vital to us all!. If you are an aspiring or regular media player-join it!

Director Peter Horrocks reiterated the difference between an old skool journo and new explaining that ‘’Old school journo’s just delivered one platform. Now they deliver brilliant stories across all platforms including on air, on line, radio and beyond’’.

Also discussed was the issue of whether UK license fee payers would be happy paying for BBC world service from 2014- a service they can’t even get here themselves!

A quote mentioned on the night by Rita which I loved and will keep is ‘’Understanding the past, challenging the present and shaping the future’’.

Jon Williams revealed that the British public clearly still had a huge appetite for foreign news citing that the 3 highest rating stories in the UK for domestic audiences this year were; the Japan earthquake, the attacks in Norway and the Arab Spring news.

The panel also advised why the BBC are socially and morally conscious as ‘’we-the BBC has an obligation both to local and domestic services to stay in foreign places long after other reporters have left the scene’’. I myself am extremely proud of the BBC WORLD SERVICE when I’m abroad with my family in Asia and Africa when never does a day start without tem tuning in- that’s quality reputation when domestic residents turn to the BBC to hear trustworthy unbiased news about their own country before their own local news networks- I say value the BBC WORLD SERVICE cos without it our ‘’great British media rep’’ is slowly being cut away.

JASMINE WITH HER OLD MATE AND UMS SUPPORTER DAMON DASH

The buzz and excitement about this years ULTIMATE SEMINAR which will be held at the 02 on 23^RD OCTOBER has begun! Bought to you by the original Urban Music Seminar Group, a new and exciting series of summits re-emerge with a showcase debut featuring music in front and behind the scenes talent like Rizzle Kicks, Mz Bratt, Fem Fel, RD, Richard Antwi (Levels Entertainment/ Wretch32) and from sporting worlds people like Bradley Wright Philips (CAFC), Marc Bircham (QPR), dean Morgan (chesterfield FC), and more. Last year they had international video director Jake Nava and producer/artist labyrinth. A few years ago they had Damon dash, who knows who could spring up this year! The event aims to empower young adults through a series of mentoring panels within the creative and sport industries.  The Ultimate Seminar will enable attendees to learn valuable business tools and insights, have networking opportunities, and hear inspirational stories from those already established. The aim is to inspire, motivate and encourage today’s young adults to be successful, confident and business minded individuals. Guiding them to reach their full potential within their chosen career path. The Ultimate Seminar hopes to become the UK’s alternative answer to the careers advice services for the creative and sport industry. It promises to deliver credible speakers, inspiring life stories and debates to help empower future generations.People can register on line for tickets at

http://www.britishmusicexperience.com/theultimateseminar/ they say it’s about linking those who’ve made it with those that want to make it. I wanna make it-so I will be there!

Finally at LONDON360 NEWS we are currently exploring the themes related to gun crime in the UK and are interested in finding out how online content impacts the whole debate. Almost every gang has its own webpage and members co-ordinate campaigns of cyber bullying in which they force opponents who have strayed on to their turf to perform degrading acts and then upload them for the world to see. And the threats do not just exist in cyperspace but get played out in real terms on the streets in stabbings and shootings, leading to young men having to be “ghosted away” from their communities to safety. The internet has opened a chilling new chapter in the story of London gangs and is becoming a way of life, according to a special project manager at the Makeda Weaver Project, (a pan-London programme which helps free young people from the clutches of gangs). I would like to get your opinions on this as well speak to some of the young people out there regarding their opinions on the matter.

Here’s what my contacts at youtube told me this week regards their position on the violent content; ‘’YouTube guidelines ban content featuring violence, hate speech and incitement to commit crime. Users who see a video they believe is inappropriate can flag it to our staff, who review it immediately. Any content found to violate our policies is removed from YouTube immediately.”

By highlighting this content we are making a stand to ensure this content comes off our UK platforms and so if you find your YOUTUBE channel has been shutdown, you know we are moving to cleaning up our young peoples worlds. Peace. Literally.

JASMINE WITH THE OHTV-REAL TALK SHOW HOST AND PANELLISTS.

AS EVER A busy week!. To the BBC for the merger of the Cultural Diversity Network and Creative Disabilities Network , ten to the GQ Awards where a very stunning looking Leona Lewis wowed the ballroom, before I headed to the 50^th birthday party for clothes designer Roland Mouret.

Before all of that I was invited by OHTV to be part of their live debate show REAL TALK which is like Question Time but without a live audience in the studio-their viewers call in throughout the show. I had also featured I their line up of BLACK WOMEN IN MEDIA recently and whilst I am not visually what you expect to see when you talk about a black woman I am a woman of colour. I had mentioned this concern to the shows producers when first asked to be part of the line up and they assured me they considered me a black woman. My father’s side of the family and ancestry are all from Kenya and so I consider myself half African with African roots. A few online haters- funnily enough the same ones as usual- had a problem with this. I can see their point. But I also know that if in front of the KKK I would be seen as black as any other woman in the line up. I’ve shown more support to the ethnic community as a whole throughout my career and don’t ask for credit-but I wont justify my ethnicity to anyone that doesn’t know better It’s okay though; I do my job and let the haters do theirs. Haters have always loved me and I embrace them as they help me persevere against ignorance.

For OHTV’s REAL TALK show I was asked to be a part of the guest speakers as their theme that week was role models and I have very strong views on this subject. Show presenter Trish Adudu kept us all in line as we passionately debated back and fort.

My fellow panellists were American singing legend Kim Mazelle, 100 black men’s Michael Peters and 21-year-old Olympic 100m hopeful Tremayne Gilling.

I know that for many young people music stars and celebs are role models but I think that role models often start closer to home. If a young person see’s the local bad boy on the street running around with the flash car. Flash clothing, cute lady and wads of cash and the young person doesn’t have a parental figures attention and other options, clearly the bad boys lifestyle will be attractive and whilst the parents eye is off the ball, the bad boy swoops in and engages with the youth. Its not rocket science. If MTV Base and play station are babysitting your children because you’re too busy to encourage them to join a library or take advantage of the multitude of free activities that do exist in your local borough-then don’t be surprised when at the age of 6 your daughter writhing around dancing sexily and your son is desensitised to shooting, driving wildly and criminal activity which video games like grand theft auto encourage. Furthermore don’t imagine all youth that are bad are young black males. This is a media stereotype that mainstream press love to fixate upon. It’s a story as old as slavery where they are comfortable to keep black men in the box labelled ‘’sexual, exotic, violent, savage like stud’’. It’s the reason many press and media focus upon 50 Cent’s ‘’gangsta rap’’ side or describe an act like lethal b as a violent rapper as he has a hit song titled POW. Actually even an act like 50 does much philanthropic work but do the press ever want to talk about that? Hell no. I have a theory that media are afraid of articulate black people. I have proof to back this up. In all my years as an MTV reporter and producer, every time an act like Lauryn Hill or Mary J Bilge would appear for an interview, my colleagues would run to me concerned about their aggression or awkward behaviour.

There was never any aggression or awkward behaviour-these ladies were simply serious, articulate and wouldn’t put up with a journalist asking wishy-washy crap about their booty etc. Similarly acts like Akala that are smarter than most of us scare media to the bone. Many of them don’t know what to make of him and how to handle an intellectual, well-studied, positive black male so they’d rather avoid him. People talk about the fact that there aren’t any good young black male role models. What? Have you heard of actor, director and writer BAFTA AWARD WINNER Noel Clarke? How about Hollywood embraced UK actor, director, writer Aml Ameen? What about artist to Royal command for Prince Charles Phillip Butah?

JASMINE WITH ‘ROYAL ARTIST’ PHILLIP BUTAH.

Phillip hails from the areas of Forest Gate and Canning Town. At the age of 3 he started drawing. His teacher told his mum that he was a “gifted child” and Philip would help his class mates draw in class. A few years later when Philip was 15, for Prince Charles 50th birthday the PRINCES TRUST had a competition for young artists. Philips School teacher told him about the competition so Philip drew a self-portrait. After that he was invited to the palace for a reception and got to speak to the prince himself although he was (and still is) very shy so his mum did most of the talking LOL.

He continued to do art and Studied Fine Art it at Uni and Central St Martins. Years later and now in his late teens Philip took the bull by the horns and wrote a letter to prince Charles office asking if he could draw prince Charles. He explained to me that he likes drawing the people that have impacted his life. Can you believe there was no reply? For a very long time. At all. And then he heard back a year later!!!. The office called and gave him dates that he should make himself available for his 6 dates with royalty. So by royal request prince Charles sat for Philip between 2008-2009

Each session was 45 minutes to an hour long. Philip told me reminiscing about the usual protocol before coming into personal contact with the prince. Once cleared by security and inside his actual house the royal butler checks Philips bags and coats in before he enters the room. Philip calmly sets up his materials. The butler asks if he’d like a drink. Then you apparently wait. Prince Charles secretary briefs Philip. You must ‘’Call him “your Royal Highness” the first time you meet and then after that you call him “sir”’’ . Fascinating! At every first meeting you are required to bow/nod. Philip told me after that it was always casual and fun with ‘’the usual small talk. How are you? Etc. Then he sits. Then you sit. And we would talk throughout the session. About family. The country. When the session is done there’s a bit more small talk and then good bye’’. Philip told me he once asked Prince Charles if with all the thousands of people that he meets it all becomes a blur?. Charles replied “yes but some people do stand out” and Philip thought ‘’I hope I’m one of them!’’ . with all the portraits of prince Charles that Philips drawn, prince Charles has one in his collection and Philip has the rest. Philip added ‘’prince Charles has always taken an interest in my career and my studio situation’’.

As if that wasn’t enough great synergy, Philip also kept in touch with the organizers of the Princes trust art competition, which he entered at the age of 15 and their son who was a similar age to himself. Over the years Philip and their son stayed friends and promised to support each other in their big ambitious plans of making it big. That friend was to become chart topper Ed Sheeran. Which is why when Ed’s album which is out this week comes out-the image of Ed’s face that has been drawn is by…. you guessed it…Philip Butah! Apparently once when they were both hanging out together at Philips house he drew Ed and both agreed if Ed ever got famous then Philip would do his album cover.

JASMINE WITH CHART TOPPER ED SHEERAN(ALBUM ”+” -COVER DESIGNED BY PHLLIP BUTAH- IS OUT NOW!)

Talk about making your own luck! Philip told me ‘’Ed’s always been focused and ambitious’. Ed used to say to Philip “Philip Butah plus Ed Sheeran equals music plus art. ”

Philips enjoyed his time making Ed’s album cover so much he wants to stay connected to the music scene although he also has a lot of private clients and footballers. It takes 3 days averagely for a Philip Butah portrait. Priced from 1500 upwards which pays for his labour, cost of materials, travelling and framing. This Philip tells me has been dream job. He would also love to draw a lot of the grime acts as they’re so interesting. Especially Wiley and Tinie Tempah. Because he reveals to me ‘’Mostly due to what they’ve accomplished and what they mean to me…I’d love to have a Grime artists exhibition’’. I have no doubt that he will. Follow your dreams son. Onwards and upwards!

AFROBEATS FESTIVAL;ABI WILSON-OBRUCHE (PHOENIX MEDIA) and  MOBO CEO KANYA KING, WITH  (PETER AND PAUL) PSQUARE BACKSTAGE.

So much went on over carnival weekend. Post riots there were many that didn’t want to attend worried about more violence. Others decided it would be the safest carnival ever for opposing reasons. Whatever the case the general consensus was that carnival was quieter than its ever been. The spirit that carnival used to have years ago can never be recaptured with the time restrictions and barriers across most roads. Carnival is about freedom and joy. Notting hill is controlled and awkward. Furthermore this year I didn’t go to carnival as rampage sound system weren’t there but there was so much else happening across the capital and beyond.

WIZKID AT THE AFROBEATS FESTIVAL

The Afrobeats Festival held on Sunday 28th August Brought London to a standstill!

No one could have prepared the 5000+ fans for the type of show the organisers had in store for them. Choice Fm DJ Abranteee did an awesome job in hyping the crowd. But it wasn’t until 2011 Mobo award nominee Wizkid came on stage that the crowd went nuts.

Wizkid thrilled the audience with hits such as ‘Don’t dull’ & ‘Tease me’, the response from the crowd was epic. The adrenaline in the venue was at its all time high when Wizkid jumped into the crowd! He left he’s female fans in tears. When Wizkid left the stage, it felt as if the show couldn’t get any better. Little did the crowd know that Psquare was about to give them a world-class performance! Witnessed by Mobo CEO Kanya King, Head of MTV Africa Alex Okosi and Ex Governor Lagos state, Bola Tinubu, Nigerian Duo Psquare, who are also previous Mobo award nominees shocked the crowd with a spectacular set. Their choreography was out of this world as they performed all their classics and gave the crowd exclusive new songs from their new album ‘Invasion’. Psquare brought the Afrobeats Festival to a climax when they performed Africa’s biggest ballad ‘No one like you’ acapella. The Afrobeats Festival exceeded everyone’s expectations and the organisers Cokobar, Phoenix Media and SMADE in association with Choice FM outdid themselves. It was an award winning night, which now raises expectations for the Afrobeats Festival 2012!

The next day African star D’Banj did a solo show where his label boss Kanye West jumped onstage with him and twitter went nuts with cries of ‘’OMG Kanye West is onstage with D’Banj and just gave him his G.O.O.D MUSIC chain!’’.

JASMINE WITH TINCHY STRYDER AT THE MOBO AWARDS LAUNCH PARTY.

The weekend didn’t stop there as the whole of London’s urban music industry and beyond made their way to the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel where it was the annual MOBO nomination launch party. The previous parties were held at London’s Mayfair hotel but I told MOBO CEO and my mate Kanya King that it would be refreshing to see it at a new venue and the St Pancras renaissance is new, on the doorstep of linking us to the rest of Europe and a lovely ornate grand staircase connects the rooms.

On arrival there was already a huge wide red carpet covered with paparazzi and fans and on entering the glass function room we were greeted with champagne and soft tropical juices. Nibbles on silver trays were handed out as the nominations were announced to all attending.

UK chart topper Jessie J leads with 5 nominations,  whilst obvious nominee Adele is up for 4. Other females with 4 nominations include Katy B, Emeli Sande and Yasmin whilst males with 4 nom’s include Wretch32 and Tinie Tempah- all extremely well deserved nods.

Also amazing to note that new kids on the block Rizzle Kicks got 3 nominations! I only had lunch with their team 2 months ago saying they were working with a new duo and here they are-arrived!

JASMINE WITH MZ BRATT AT THE MOBO LAUNCH PARTY.

At the launch party N Dubz (minus their female lead star Tulisa), were causing their usual attention grabbing commotion on the press run, Tinchy was professionally doing all his press in his stunner shades, Princess Nyah was poured into a racy red dress highlighting her curves and rocking a particularly vertiginous pair of leopard print sky scraper platforms, Mz Bratt rocked a casual trendy look highlighting that pretty face that people keep talking about, wretch was rocking a long, big sheepskin looking coat and looked extremely pleased with himself, newcomer to island records Josh Osho performed, legend in the game Omar looked chuffed with his nomination, Scorcher was running around with Eastenders actress Preeya Kalidas, pop trio Ruff Diamondz were working their young and up for it look.

This night always makes the longer in the tooth players like myself smirk. It’s a night when every manager drags out their new emerging act onto the red carpet in hope of a sprinkle of the main action but most media just turn away and whisper ‘’who’s that?’’ to each other before moving on leaving the acts looking awkward with frozen smiles. There were more than ever of them this year and like last year I bet this time next year 1 of those has broken through. It’s a tough game and if youre in it for the long haul its good to know that all the acts you see that are successful now have been slogging away for years. its never an overnight sensation.

In the main room were industry tastemakers from every brand including ChoiceFM, Radio1Xtra, Hub entertainment, hiphop.com, pinboardblog, dj abrantee, DJ Shortee Blitz, SBTV, Ras Kwame. I still wish the MOBOs had kept the BEST DJ award. I know it caused a lot of controversy but in the urban music scene the DJ is the number1 tastemaker and so integral to the music’s success-it seems wrong to eliminate it. Also just for purely selfish personal reasons I used to love the DJ bitching sessions that this brought on!

I know the show will be great in Glasgow on October 5^th as I’ve worked on MTV Awards there. The city is buzzing, friendly, and the first city outside London that held the MOBOs and with Boys II Men performing at this years show I know it’s going to be another winner! .

JASMINE WITH THE BIGGEST BLACK WOMEN IN MEDIA!

A hectic summers week in London town which last night saw the annual MOBO PRE LAUNCH NOMINATION party at a slick new hotel in town which I suggested MOBO CEO Kanya King try out as an alternative option to the usual venue- (all the goss from that next time!),

My weekends have been as hectic as my week with me hosting Sunday dinner for family and friends which saw me cooking and juggling pots of every size on my stove and ensuring all food was simultaneously ready (a feat in itself!) and delicious (juggling everyone’s hot pepper levels) as everyone’s stomachs were starving. Just as I was exhaling with a vision for a foot massage my 11 year old godson Elliott then demanded I get up again and make him his favourite-‘’Jasmines pancakes’’-so up I was again, my belly growing daily as I cook up feats left right and centre.

I managed to fit in lunches with a number of artists both established and new; Alesha Dixon talked to LONDON 360 NEWS about the traumatic horror of female mutilation (more on that in a later juice too!),

Singer Princess Nyah popped up to the BBC to have a non-healthy muffin and cinnamon latte lunch with me-by the end of it we were both ready to take over the globe!.

JASMINE WITH RUFF DIAMONDZ AT THEIR HIP HOP KARAOKE.

Female music trio Rough Diamondz (RD) threw a private hip-hop karaoke night at THE SOCIAL which brought out the gangsta in everyone present. The trio and their label Polydor threw the party to celebrate the groups latest single ‘’Got Me Burnin’’ and so we could all have some serious fun. Every media tastemaker from both tabloid print press and radio and TV were all in attendance. Former Daily Mirror 3AM legend now at The Times-Eva Simpson, current Daily mirror 3AM girl Sarah Tettah, MTV talent representatives, record label big wigs, heat magazine, bliss magazine, top of the pops magazine, Sunday Mirror, The Sun, Daily Star, Star Magazine, and The Guardian! The list of willing performers was constantly full as we all wanted a piece of the action and many Polydor staff were surprisingly good-particularly a pair of straight nerdy looking white guys that dropped a Dre classic-their rhythm and lyrical flow was tight! RD jumped onstage to perform a few classics including Lauryn Hills ‘’That Thing’’ as well as Rick Ross’ BMH. Their energy was crazy infectious as a good artists always is. They also of course performed their single and were pleasantly shocked half way through as a load of dancers just jumped onstage and shocked out alongside them. I so badly wanted to get my hands on the mic. My peeps will tell you that I’m a karaoke nightmare and never give the mic up-its so much fun. But this was a music industry crowd and I didn’t have the balls to take the stage solo. My buddies who are fellow record label players and artists that shall remain nameless bottled it and so my possible moment of glory was lost!

The next night it was my work summer party on a moored boat on the river Thames before the week ended with the BBC CARNIVAL PARTY for staff and friends where singer Janet Kay performed as did actor/singer Victor Evans alongside Genesis Carnival Dancers- as usual a proper sweaty all out rave!

On Saturday photographer to the hip-hop elite Paul H threw a BBQ at his home and then I finally topped it off by attending the huge Afrobeats festival at Hammersmith Apollo where Award winning Afro Pop sensations P Square, Whiz Kid, Ice Prince and more did their thing!

Something I was honoured to be asked to be a part of was a TV series called ‘Black Women: In The Media’ Discover their journey to success!

It’s a three part documentary TV series that gives an exclusive insight into some of the UK’s most successful and talented women, paving the way in the Media Industry today. It’s premiering on 1^st September on OHTV (parts 2 and 3 on the 8^th and the 15^th- If you’re reading JASMINES JUICE from outside of the UK the show repeats across OH Africa and OH USA).

Alongside myself it features; ITN Journalist Charlene White, BBC Arts and Entertainment Correspondent Brenda Emmanus, Founder of Colorblind Cards and JH PR Jessica Huie, MD of VA-PR (World Music Awards) Vanessa Amadi, CEO of LGN Events (Producers for London Fashion Week) Yolande Letshou, BBC and OH TV Producer Michelle Brooks, Radio Presenter for Premier Gospel Radio Amma Aning, Award-winning Book Author Malorie Blackman OBE and Media Brand Consultant to MOBO Awards and Justin Timberlake Kubi Springer. it gives an exclusive up close and personal account of the highs and lows of our journeys’ to success. Dynamic and honest, we all discuss what it took for us to push past the boundaries and excel as Black women in Britain today.

To complement the show, Pride Magazine even dedicated a double page spread in their September issue to us, which was fabulous. As if that wasn’t enough there’s going to be a billboard campaign across London starting from 1^st September which makes us all look like super heroes. All of us ladies were whisked to a studio one summers afternoon and whipped into hair and makeup to tell our stories accompanied by sexy bubbly cocktails and the bonding and sharing experience immediately generated a whole new set of friendships and a network that I’m proud to have been a part of. Thank you everyone for a wonderful experience and a timeless, positive bit of TV content. I’ll be sure to tune in with my peeps for a VIP screening-(and of course it’ll be ladies only cos ‘who runs the world-GIRLS!’

3 PART SERIES

SEPTEMBER 1ST 8PM

SEPTEMBER 8TH 8PM

SEPTEMBER 15TH 8PM

‘Black Women: In The Media’

Discover their journey to success!

‘Black Women: In The Media’ in association with Paparazzi Studio and Hair by Sleek, is a three part documentary TV series that gives an exclusive insight into some of the UK’s most successful and talented women, paving the way in the Media Industry today.

Premiering on 1^st September 2011 ‘Black Women: In The Media’ features, ITN Journalist Charlene White, BBC Arts and Entertainment Correspondent Brenda Emmanus, Media Trust & Broadcaster former Head of MTV Base Jasmine Dotiwala, Founder of Colorblind Cards and JH PR Jessica Huie, MD of VA-PR (World Music Awards) Vannessa Amadi, CEO of LGN Events (Producers for London Fashion Week) Yolande Letshou, BBC and OH TV Producer Michelle Brooks, Radio Presenter for Premier Gospel Radio Amma Aning, Award-winning Book Author Malorie Blackman OBE and Media Brand Consultant to MOBO Awards and Justin Timberlake Kubi Springer.

From PR, to publishing, TV to radio, ‘Black Women: In The Media’ explores the careers of these ten phenomenal women. An inspirational and must-see show, it gives an exclusive up close and personal account of the highs and lows of their journey to success. Dynamic and honest, these women discuss what it took for them to push past the boundaries and excel as Black women in Britain today.

To complement the show, Pride Magazine is dedicating a double page spread in their September issue, alongside a billboard campaign across London starting from 1^st September 2011. OH TV is also proud to announce Hair by Sleek and Paparazzi Studios as the programme sponsors of ‘Black Women: in The Media’.

Watch the journey on OH TV and hear first-hand, how these iconic women, went from being aspirational young girls into inspirational Black Women!

Watch ‘Black Women: In The Media’ On OH TV (Sky Channel 199)

Part 1 broadcasts at 8pm on Thursday 1^st September 2011

Part 2 broadcasts at 8pm on Thursday 8^th September 2011

Part 3 broadcasts at 8pm on Thursday 15^th September 2011

Full Series broadcasting at 8pm on Thursday 22^nd September 2011

Full Series repeat broadcasting at 8pm on Thursday 29^th September 2011

Discover more by logging onto http://www.ohtv.co.uk/BlackWomen

Show repeats across OH Africa and OH USA.

JASMINE AND SEAN PAUL.

This week I’ve been working on new mainstream TV music shows and news shows for youth. My 2 favourite things. I also welcomed a whole new batch of new young journalists into the LONDON360 TV roles and next week spending most of the week interviewing loads of young people for the new LONDON360 reporter roles. I love my job when it combines all my passions.

I also grabbed a 5 day Craig David special with lunches with Sean Paul, Princess Nyah, DJ Manny Norte, the Grimedaily team, the British Urban Film Festival (BUFF) team, I did an interview with musician and actor Lonyo- (‘’Summer of love’’ singer and new movie lead in ‘’David is Dying’’).

And just to reassure all those on twitter who accuse me of not living in the real world or doing what real people do, I also had a doctor’s appointment, went bowling with friends, helped my mum and dad with shopping and cleaning and paid a parking ticket. There. Normal enough?

Sean Paul was in town for promo for his new music and his gig at the ONE LOVE PEACE FESTIVAL. We met at his hotel where his label rep the infamous Taponeswa Mavunga and his manager Steve Wilson were awaiting my arrival. We discussed world issues before Sean turned up. Everything from being gay, adopting children, Jamaican celebrities and Mohican hairstyles as Steve was rocking one. When Sean wandered in, it seemed he had also caught the Mohawk mania but he was quick to correct me. His he stated was a ‘’tappahawk’’. Sean told me he was currently enjoying the excitement about his single ‘’GOT 2 LUV U’’ produced by Norwegian duo Stargate (Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown), and the infectious new track features Roc Nation starlet – Alexis Jordan, which is nearing 2.5million views on Youtube. He mentioned that they were probably going to shoot the video in September. As well as performing at the One Love Festival alongside Shaggy and Busta Rhymes he also played a sold out Bristol 02 Academy date and told me he was eager to finish up and get out his 5^th new album early in the New Year.

I recalled the early days with Sean Paul when he was just starting out and we filmed his DIARY OF SEAN PAUL at MTV. We visited South Africa and places all across Europe where Sean sampled fine French wine, went into the African town ships and more. Sean’s an artist that has worked hard and his sound continues to get used in parties and clubs on the regular and has everyone dancing hard- even in my gym Body Jam classes!

JASMINE AND LETHAL B

Next Lethal B kindly popped up to the BBC building to speak to a group of young journalists and reporters from LONDON 360 for an impromptu press conference scenario. 2011’s been a good year for Lethal B- who I know as his birth certificate name -Maxwell.  He’s done a remix with a few of the new school artists, set up his own label. And on the back of that, a lot of doors have reopened for him. He re released his next single called Mind Spinning, and now he’s working on an album probably to be released towards the end of this year or early January time and going on tour.

Maxwells from East London, Walthamstow. He understands more than most what its like for young frustrated people. He said ‘‘the council estates, a lot of negative things happen. That kind of inspired me to do better. I knew at some point this is only going to end in two ways, none of them are positive. So in that sense it was like the whole music thing was like bit cheesy but kind of like a saviour for me. When I was in a crew we used to support each other and go and make mix tapes and free styles and that was the kind of support we had for each other. Slowly we were building our career in disguise. We helped each other rather than being on the street and causing trouble’’.

Maxwell added ‘’ music definitely brings people together. Music’s the universal language. You see it doesn’t matter what colour you are, you know I do festivals, I do club shows, I do all sort of events and every single person knows that record. Now it is getting more accepted especially with festivals, a rock n roll kind of event and now it is starting to bring different genre in and people are just music lovers now.’’

Maxwell might be a pioneer in his game but he admitted he still feels frustration with parts of the media explaining ‘’Recently I was on the front page of the telegraph in Coventry, I was headlining a festival, and their headline was ‘’GUN RAPPER, HEADLINES FESTIVAL ‘’ and I was like what the hell are you talking about?!. And they were referencing my song ‘’Pow’’ saying it was more about guns and stuff like that. I was disappointed to see that. The negative, ignorant media stereotyping is still there. Slowly slowly, we’ll get there one day’’.

Maxwell explained to the young people in his presence that ‘’Grime life style is about expressing yourself. There is no kind of rules or anything; Grime has made me express myself. It’s made me dress how I want to. Don’t be scared to speak. If you don’t speak no one’s going to hear your opinion. Everyone has an opinion. So grime helps me express myself, how I want to express. If that makes sense.

The real thing about grime is when it started I was at the start of it; we didn’t even know what we were creating. We were just making music for the fun of it. And now it’s become this big huge whole thing. I think it’s the story of young kids from the streets of London who may not necessarily have the best background but who are becoming young entrepreneurs from nothing to something. I think that is what is making the story so powerful’’.

Maxwell laughed about how far Social Media can help a new act-something he didn’t always have the advantage of having at his fingertips ‘’now it’s a lot easier, it used to be very hard. When I first started doing the whole music thing, it was ten years ago, there were no things like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube. Now you can use resources and do things like free styles and collaborations which may not necessarily be on the album but it giving back to your fans’’

He did want to clarify that the new generation needs to pay attention to his era of acts claiming ‘I’m one of the pioneers and have set a blue print. When I came in, we didn’t really know what was going on, we just made music for the fun of making music and next minute we are on top of the pops and I think the new generation needs to really pay attention to see how its been done . And grime gets a lot of negative press. We are all positive guys from a negative environment.  We are just trying to better ourselves. It’s all about empowering yourself. About doing better. Being negative is only going to lead you in one way so I definitely feel like the new generation should pay attention and listen because we have done it’’.

We agreed that most celebs and brands were focusing on pro-social, positive community projects now with acts like Alicia Keys, Brad Pitt, Estelle and Samuel L Jackson supporting charities and orange networks sponsoring ‘’orange rock corps’’ and more. To this end Maxwell talked about his passion for organisation Biggafish. He sad ‘’Biggafish is amazing like organization. Its just kids on the street they get to meet their local stars. Its real positive, at that age 14 15 16, doing something productive, school holidays, times where a lot of kids have nothing to do and they get out to stuff, negativity comes off, Biggafish is important. it gets people involved’’.

Maxwell is putting his actions where his mouth is and talked about his passion for mentoring. ‘’I think that could really be positive. As I said you know especially at that age you are really not confused, but you don’t really know what you want to do where do you want to go, it’s all about trying to find inspiration and direction. If you are speaking to people who you look up to or you may respect give a bit of insight, where you wanna be, where you wanna go, so it could definitely help. Positivity is the way forward, most definitely’’.

If he hadn’t made it in music Maxwell confessed ‘’I think I’d probably be in education probably university, my parents are African Ghanaian so, they are really strict on this education thing. Maybe work in some sort of profession. My dad wanted me to be an engineer, electrical engineering and music thing picked up for me. I think I would probably be doing maybe engineering or a job like that’’.

With the Olympics coming to his area he thinks ‘’The Olympics was obviously a positive thing, the whole shopping centre thing is a catch 22, its gonna give young kids more jobs and help the economy. Bring more opportunities and yes it is getting a bit done up over there. When I was there it was just towers and blocks and garages, I hope it has a positive reaction’’.

Maxwell did admit though that he doesn’t live in his old hood any longer ‘’I don’t live in east London anymore, let me just put it out there, but my experience in east London is going to be there forever. As my journey goes along its always going to be reflected in my music, I don’t know if not still being there will really affect me that much’’.

Finally with African celebrities taking over our charts, sports and politics Maxwell said he’s a proud African now as ‘’it is hard being an African in the world, when I went to school ages ago,  it was like a crime to be an African, I used to get teased..uh uh uh you are from Africa! I’ve always been a proud African. And now Africans have just empowered themselves.. I have been in a Nigerian crew, but I am a Ghanaian, so I represent Ghana. But Africa as a whole, we have come a very long way. African parents born here managed to build a career. It’s a beautiful place man.. People are proud and we can find some African restaurants. You can find African clubs and African culture being embraced and all-it’s a happy day!.

With that I bid him farewell and stood taller and prouder with my own Kenyan roots!

Samuel l Jackson hosted his annual shooting stars benefit ball at the Royal Courts of Justice which had requested a Black Tie for men and glamorous for women dress code ,which saw me roll up on a very long, busy stressful day in my car just as dinner was beginning in my ride with my ball gown from DOLCE & GABANNA in my boot. I had to slide myself into it in the front seat of my car and hope passers by didn’t grab a shot of any Dotiwala bodily parts and then had my friend race around to my side of the car to zip me in! Such class.

A champagne reception greeted us as we arrived along the red carpet at this very striking old location with centuries of historical content. I smiled as I noted all my favourite brands were sponsors from the Moet & Chandon bubbly, to the Virgin Atlantic flights that were up for auction, to the slick AUDI cars that were taxing guests around. Even better, the healthy athletic shoe maker Fit Flop were the main sponsor and so each guest was treated to a free pair of any Fit Flop shoe of their choice-and as these are pretty expensive I took full advantage. I was sat on the Adidas table which was clearly the most lively and fun as others from the top tables actually came and requested to be seated at our table midway through the dinner as their table had been very quiet and stuffy. They could probably hear us laughing as we had caught one of the Adidas team with a topless photo screen saver of London’s finest actor-Idris Elba that all the ladies were salivating over in a quite disturbing manner! With Idris topless and Desperate Housewives heartthrob Jesse Metcalfe at a table beside us there were ladies swooning all over the place, whilst the non-stop alcohol which was being poured by silver service waiters had the rest swooning. To complete the massive swoonfest we had a little two-step with the main man of the night –Samuel- after he hosted the live auction which raised lots of cash for young people that just wanted their final wishes granted. What an amazing cause!.

JASMINE WITH NOEL CLARKE

Next my pal actor, director and screen writer Noel Clarke invited me down to hayes to the film set where he was making his latest film STORAGE 24. It was fascinating to watch the making of film as opposed to the TV that i’m used to. The detail and patience required is second to none. I saw aliens flying around and blood and wounds everywhere whilst noel just sat back like a G and took it all in his very classic stride. I wish more young people could hear Noel speak- he can articulate opinions for the younger generation like no one else in our scene. He has respect, talent and a following of thousands- politicians get him on board whilst you still can!.

What can I say about the Riots that hasn’t already been said. Probably not much as I’ve already tweeted like a mad woman this past week. I work in a news department. This means I speak to and empathise with a diverse range of people and their differing opinions.

So many divided opinions from all, so many lives affected. So many causes set back. So much worse to come now that we have to all pay for the clean up and have even less in our local communities to enhance our lives. As predicted the lazy cries of the press wanting to blame music and hip-hop came thick and fast.

DJ Semtex shot back ‘’rappers talk about the negative because we live with it. Get rid of the negative and it wont get rapped about. If we didn’t have hip-hop, if we didn’t have this form of self-expression, this mirror that reflects society, things would have happened years ago, and the situation would be a lot worse’’.

Arts impresario Ekow Eshun stated ‘’the violence is appalling but we only risk its repetition by failing to look at this as major social breakdown not just lawless thuggery’’.

South London rapper Giggs spoke out ‘’My Prayers go out to the people affected by the Riots, and the attacks on innocent people needs to stop’’

Should we blame hip-hop for thieving MP’s? Paedophiles’? Mass murderers? I listened to NWA, and watched shoot em up westerns throughout my childhood-it didn’t make me riot and loot. I also had free education, a youth club and activities after school and lived in a world full of hope where parents were allowed to reprimand me and I was frightened of disrespecting my teachers. This is the chickens come home to roost.

The government took away parents and teachers rights to be authoritive. Nowadays the reality is that there are kids threatening to call the police on their parents and threatening them with social services!?. Taking away parental power was the beginning of the end. That made kids rude. Then you cut all education, ignored poverty, pretended that postcode gang wars didn’t exist and let them get on with it. This made them frustrated. You said our country is in debt, cuts need to be made but you took it from the poor and left them with nothing whilst the rich got richer and bankers got bailed out-with pay rises. Now they are bored and idle and see that crime pays. You know what they say about the devil making work for idle hands.

You told people that if they were unhappy about society then we had the freedom to peacefully protest and our opinions would be heard. We peacefully protected in our millions about the Iraq war. We were ignored. Thousands peacefully protested about black people dying in police custody. They were ignored. Now we are angry, frustrated and bored with no pride in our area, ourselves or a stake in society. Why wouldn’t people lash out?

Yet there are also a whole generation of young people who have a huge sense of entitlement of what society owes them that is so laughable its ridiculous. We all helped ourselves. We too had single mothers and were poor. We worked hard and earned money and that’s just not how life works. We saw our parents go to work so we grew up with a work ethic-the new generation see their parents claiming benefits-is it any wonder they’re minds are screwed up!!? This mind set is inherited and handed down. We bombard youth with adverts for status symbols making them feel irelavent unless theyre blinged up-why is this looting such a shock?

The press are messed up. They have a responsibility to report the TRUTH.  We clearly saw the live TV footage show a mixed bag of cross sections of the public looting, but the next days papers show just pics of young black men. How is that fair news reporting? Are we surprised that the Daily Mail point of view exists?

Doesn’t  this underline the unspoken fear of black males always being seen as sexually aggressive, angry, studs? The best reporter in the country for print press was Paul Lewis with his honest tweets and daily blogs at THE GUARDIAN telling the real story. Similarly Sangat TV- a Birmingham, Sikh TV station saw a fearless young Asian reporter, Upinder Randhawa in the depth of the action chattering away-it was mesmerising.

Young gangs in postcode and area wars have been fighting and killing each other for years. The media made a big deal about it for a minute a few years back but now the kids are just left to kill each other- this week alone yet more young men are stabbing each other to death. Now that it’s affected commercial business and the wider community are involved its come to the forefront again. Alas-this has been the best advert that the racist BNP and EDL party’s need. Nick Griffin must be laughing in his whiter than white bubble bath.

The government need to invest in our young people in a better manner. Let me give you examples from my own life.
At my time as head of production at MTV BASE, I was privy to numerous meetings over the years where central government wanted to do something to put across anti knife crime messages. Instead of ever taking up any of my proactive ideas that would’ve actually taken groups of young people off the streets and given them new hope, all they wanted to do was a PR exercise where they paid MTV for advert time and editorial to show that THEY were to be SEEN as encouraging positive messages but not ACTUALLY investing in any change.

So of course the ad’s are on air and the politicians are seen to care but the message reaches no-one that really needs to hear it. That’s the extent of their reach.

There were a multitude of talking heads rolled out to comment on the riots including articulate people like Nii from Bigga fish and Anne Diamond. Yes Anne diamond!.wtf!?

As one blogger said ‘’ Most of the people who will be writing, speaking and pontificating about the disorder this weekend have absolutely no idea what it is like to grow up in a community where there are no jobs, no space to live or move, and the police are on the streets stopping-and-searching you as you come home from school.’’

In one TV report, a young man in Tottenham was asked if rioting really achieved anything:

“Yes,” said the young man. “You wouldn’t be talking to me now if we didn’t riot, would you?Two months ago we marched to Scotland Yard, more than 2,000 of us, all blacks, and it was peaceful and calm and you know what? Not a word in the press. Last night a bit of rioting and looting and look around you-all of you want to speakl to me now.”

I would actually argue that actually the message has been lost cos now they’re only seeing young black people looting for blingtastic materialistic goods. We’re brain washed by consumerism – they’re stealing status symbols. The governments cut benefits for those that can work- these people desperate now to keep up their ghetto superstar lifestyle want to go looting trainers, jeans and phones. At least they could’ve looted some bookstores to show they’re smart too? (You may have even learnt something!)

There’s been a simmering anger all over the UK’s cities-not just from young people in London –but from people from all areas and cultures. This has been bubbling for years. We have to focus on the lack of family structure in communities. Parents are now so out of touch with their kids. They’re actually trying harder to friend them. I regularly see kids rave with their mums and shop for similar clothes together. How can a parent demand respect if their child see’s them as an equal? Give back the power to parents and authority figures so they can command respect.

I spoke to a lady a while back who  ”thankfully told me she loved MTV BASE and VIDEO GAMES for babysitting her kids most evenings as it keep them quiet and out of trouble to do her own thing” ? Guess what her kids are like?

Young people want to get rich quick-or die trying. And they want fame. Whilst part of me was glued to the TV riots mesmerised by the disaster movie shots in front of my eyes, the other half of me knew that whilst this 24 hour rolling news footage was exciting, it was also inciting the bad ones to do more and make themselves famous for a minute like the naughty school kid playing up in class to impress their peers in the same way.

Fame and notoriety plays a big part in a culture that’s grown up on mafia movies and Jay Z hustle songs. Adults aren’t even aware that there’s a whole underground world they’re unaware of that exists. But their kids ALL know about it. Gangs from different postcodes are threatening each other online on websites and going through with killings and post shank, boasting about their deed. If you type in the words ‘’Brixton’’ or ‘’Peckham’’ on spifftv.com’s search engine hundreds of videos that youth have uploaded of themselves masked and unmasked brandishing weapons appear. This is an immediate instant fame platform for gangs that want kudos amongst their peers. As a kid when I had a fight my street knew about it. Now these sites mean the country knows about it.

Compare that openly available material with MTV content.If you attempt to put MTV programmes onto YouTube it’s usually taken down within hours due to the disagreement on content rights between MTV/VIACOM and YouTube. Because MTV have bigwig lawyers their content won’t be available for free online and gets shut down. Why can’t City Hall hire big wig lawyers to put legislation in place that ensure tastemaker sites with influence aren’t allowed to host violent content like this? Site moderators should have to justify their content. Instead I know City Hall hire community leaders that are so out of touch with the youth and have such old-fashioned views they’d be better off advising Jesus and his disciples than modern day youth. I’ve sat in on and been privy to a few of these meetings-they are so off track its tragic.  One recent one put into action a dance with celebrities to raise money for knife crime victims. No honestly. This is the reactive remedy that they think will help. How about being pro-active.

There’s a crisis of leadership in this country.We have no articulate, opinionated leaders within urban culture either. Most UK urban chart toppers are happy to tweet about their music all day long but many are ghost silent when asked to speak on things that matter to their audiences. If this riot had kicked off in the USA I have no doubt that leaders like Obama, Russell Simmons and Puffy would stand up, rally the troops, bring in the NATION OF ISLAM to try and diffuse the situation and make their voices heard correctly. I tried to think of one, very famous British face who the UK urban youth would listen to and that would be prepared to speak. I couldn’t think of one that had enough influence or articulation. Russell Simmons reached out last week to Estelle and Tim Westwood to try and help. How embarrassing that we need to be policed by Americans, as we can’t sort out our own problems? Only a Londoner knows what London’s going through. Years ago I had DefJam UK tell me they were bringing in an American to teach me and my peers how to sell UK URABAN music to the UK charts. They failed. Miserably. And snuck back to New York with their tails between their legs leaving the hopes and dreams of young Londoners they had signed up shattered and broken.

One blogger said ‘’People riot because they have spent their whole lives being told that they are good for nothing, and they realise that together they can do anything – literally, anything at all’’.

How ironic that the young people involved that usually wouldn’t dare step into each other post coded ‘’endz’’ were now putting that curfew on hold and uniting together for now against a common mutual enemy-the police. I wondered if subconsciously the young ones were relieved to be able to be one big happy ‘’family’’ gang together for once instead of having to look over their shoulder for each other. Maybe they thought it might lead to a long term bonding by uniting together against another external foe? Because lets face it-surely this must be what they want-right? Can you imagine how powerful these gangs of kids would be if they united for positive change? THey’d be unstoppable!

Also-how long can the police get away with their behaviour? So many black men have died in police custody but not one police officer is suspended? But recently a dog died due to being left in a police car that over heated and the dog died-the police man was immediately suspended? Are human black lives worth less than a dogs?

Could Mark Duggans family not have received better treatment and answers? You can never justify the riots or looting. They were wrong full stop. But you should be open minded enough to see why its been a boiling pot waiting to bubble over. There were people angry about Duggans death and police inaccuracies, there were people who were caught up trying to pilfer as much as they could and there were people who are so frustrated they want to fight and let their tension out whoever they hit-and to them the police are an easy and justifiable target.

The bottom line though is that there is no intelligent justification for the carnage that innocent people and their livelihoods have suffered, people have died!. Young boisterous men fuelled with testosterone ran the streets and now innocent people are dead.

There is no one solution to this. Its an iceberg effect where the riot marks the seen visible tip of the riots but underneath there have been layers of deep, thick issue that’s been building strongly for years. So instead of a simple solution of just punishment for the savagery, how about pro-active change in Britain’s moral society which is corrupt from high to low?

So last week the EVENING STANDARD newspaper picked up on the LONDON360 news story about literacy in London featuring celebrity chef Marco Pierre White   that my team made. People don’t read as much now as in the past and as a testament to this libraries are shutting down and we care raising a generation of people that can’t spell or enjoy reading. People send me letters and application forms with CV’s that contain practically illegible grammar. They attend interviews and they can’t speak coherently. They want to be musicians and presenters but they can’t write? Every Tuesday afternoon after school my mum used to turn my library trip into an adventure that I looked forwards to. I felt independent choosing my own books from the bookshelves and exploring loads of different topics that I had not encountered before. I loved Nancy Drew and hardy boy’s child sleuth novels as well as Enid Blytons secret 7 and famous five fun gang stories. I learnt how to escape the streets of Southall and Harlesden for a couple of hours a day into fantasy worlds that helped me dream big and learn how to be articulate. In fact young people aspire to be like their hip-hop heroes but every time I ever worked with Pharrell and Kanye west we would discuss which books we were reading and in fact it was Pharel who first had me hooked on the Dan brown books before they became very commercial. For people that tell me they don’t need libraries as they will buy their kids books or let them read them online they are being very tunnel vision-ed and ignorant. The child cannot experience the wonderful experience of browsing through hundreds of books and picking any outside of their usual interest to broaden their horizons. The joy of carrying the book, seeing how far into it you are, the anticipation of nearing the end conclusion. All these things are fascinating for kids and I as an adult STILL use my local west London library. The number of biographies I read I couldn’t afford to buy them all or would want them cluttering up my home after reading. My bookshelves are full to the brim of my favourite reads which I re read (piers Morgan’s books) or flick through (my HIP HOP IMMORTALS COFFEE TABLE art book). In fact if ever asked the proverbial question ‘’if your house were on fire what would you save-it would be one of my favourite signed books!). I urge you to encourage literacy amongst those around you- it’s the first step towards greatness!

I was invited by Saddler’s Wells theatre to go and see the amazing production of Fela, which has already captivated audiences worldwide. About the Nigerian musician and political activist Fela Kuti the show focus’ on Fela’s final gig at Lagos nightclub-the Shrine and was a wonderful night of great music, mesmerising dancers and an intriguing storyline that focused on Fela’s relationship with his mother, the fact that he came to London to study medicine then was drawn towards jazz music and his relationship with many women simultaneously.

Fela was the pioneer of Afrobeat, a genre of music that’s going to blow up in the UK soon-there’s already a huge afrobeat show happening this month in London and DJ Abrantee has an afrobeat show on CHOICEFM. Even Kanye west has signed 2 African acts recently-perhaps America is slightly ahead of our game with this one.

The audience were encouraged (forced!) to participate through out the show with dancing in our seats and in the aisles, which could have been a little cringe worthy but was taken well even by the conservative half of the audience. The ‘’clock dance’’ where our hips were encouraged to move around the clock was hilarious. Even sir Andrew Lloyd Webber was sitting with us!.

The cast made humorous references to ‘’ethnic folks’’ reputations by asking ‘’how kind of you all to come especially considering how dangerous this area and how dangerous we are-as Reuters will tell you’’.

They mocked the ’white people coming Africa to steal our soaps, dressing gowns and ashtrays from hotels, steal our diamonds, steal our people but left us with’ gonorrhoea’’. There was a massive cheer when they talked about multi national corporations like BP and News Corp and raised eyebrows as to whom were the corrupt in society’’. I thought it was a great show but would’ve liked more of Fela’s real story and fighting the brutality of the African regime and less booty shaking. My friend agreed and wished that all black musical shows didn’t focus on stereotypes of blacks. I knew fela is lauded by many of my American friends and looked upon as a hero and I was a bit disappointed not to learn more about why this was.

On Saturday morning I drove down to Clapham common to see my girl Lisa Maffia (former So Solid Crew first lady) run the 5k RACE FOR LIFE-one of 28 races that have happened around London this summer. It was nice to attend in South London as Race for life started in 1994 in Battersea Park and since then millions of women have taken  part Lisa’s mother was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and so Lisa has been positively putting on a brave face and generating positive energy around her determined to make a difference. She put together TEAM MAFFIA to run with her and the group included one of her best mates Su-Elise (former Mis-Teeq member). We arrived early to film the event with the LONDON360 TV crew and found 4,500 women in pink t-shirts warming up in front of stage where an aerobics instructor was doing her thing.  Each runner had a square card pinned to their backs with their personal dedication to whom they were running for. Many were running to remember parents and family members that had passed away. Just as many were running for people in their lives that were dealing with cancer presently. It was emotional and heart breaking to read them all. Runners ran alone, in pairs, in groups, even with their prams with babies and dogs running alongside them. The feeling of unity in the air was humbling and strong.

It’s easy to feel it doesn’t affect you until it does. The facts are that in London alone one person every hour is diagnosed with cancer in and one in three of us are affected by cancer.

I hated sponsored events as a school child. The endless begging people holding a paper and trying to collect cash. Nowadays the rest is out there in a click with e-mails and facebook/twitter and with justgiving sites you don’t even need to collect money! The last time I ran this race I ran for the ACLT and raised £3000-it literally was a doddle. The organisers told me ‘’Its brilliant when celebs get on board as the amount of celebrities that are getting involved in race for life, not only that they are taking part but its special for the other participants to see them taking part and they tweet, they go on Facebook and they really raise awareness for race for life and cancer research UK in the public’’.

Lisa told me just before the race began ‘’ I’m feeling very emotional that these girls turned up for me, my mum was diagnosed with cancer in April and I asked the girls to all come and take part with me and they have and its going to be a great day. I’ve been training for about two weeks, I’m feeling confident I just want to get it done I want to make my mum proud, I think that’s what’s going to drive me round this course today. The cancer research does unite women in London because woman can be affected as well as men by cancer and you never know when its going to happen, I didn’t know it was going to happen to my mum, so its just so important that every penny raised can buy telescopes, doctors coats, it can do all sorts of things and every penny counts it really is so important, and women are together. I plan to crawl around the track, I’m running, I’m running the whole way, I’m going to try and run’’.

Lisa Mafia and Su-Elise weren’t the only music ladies running. The original female UK hip hop collective- Cookie Crew were there (MC Remedee -real name Debbie Pryce and Susie Q (born Susan Banfield) ,and informed me ‘’ we’re running the race for my cousin Paula and for DJ Swing (RIP) and for everyone we know who’s suffering. everybody has been affected in some way by cancer we all just feel that we’re compelled to do something because it’s a disease that you feel you cant do anything about so you feel that you have to do something and we’ve all been affected by cancer and we did make a decision that we will do more things for charity, that was our new years resolution last year. the best thing is that its on Clapham Common this is literally our back garden and its where we grew up and this is where hip hop started’’.

The stage host asked team mafia to get onstage pre-race and do a mini press conference. He asked Lisa about why she was taking part. Lisa replied ‘’ my mum was diagnosed with cancer in April and I just realised how important something like this…’’ before becoming overcome with emotion and teary. In true best friend mode without missing a beat Su-Elise hugged Lisa, took the microphone from Lisa and saved the day stating ‘’She’s doing it for her mum today and she wants to finish the whole race, make her mum proud and thanks you guys for joining in with us.  You all look absolutely fabulous by the way’’. I was impressed by their tight friendship bond and it was a heart wrenching moment. It was also a proud moment highlighting the unity that life-changing moments like this can bring. We caught up with Lisa as she sprinted past the finish line who explained ‘’ I’m a person that likes to help when I’m in a bad situation and doing this is just… I think it’s given my mum another hope, as it is a hard thing to go through.  I’ve never seen my mum in such a vulnerable situation and watching her daily and doing something like this I just know it gives her a new hope and I think it does it for everyone who has either lost somebody or some who’s going through dealing with cancer’’.

The runners just that day raised £600,000 for cancer research UK-an amazing feat! I salute all of you dealing with this-may your unity and courage gives you strength to take each day as it comes, comes what may.

JASMINE WITH INTERNATIONAL REGGAE STAR ETANA.

The very next day it was off to Wembley arena for the ONE LOVE PEACE FESTIVAL. I’ll be honest. I didn’t expect much. Much of the time urban events on a big scale in the UK aren’t great for turnout or organisation. So imagine my happy surprise on arriving to find thousands of people queuing around the arena in their most summery outfits in the scorching sunshine. Wembley hill was a roadblock! So THIS is where all the true diehard reggae and dancehall fans have been going instead of carnival!  It was like being at Sumfest! The arena was full, the vibe was great, flags were being waved and whistles blown, the acts who included John Holt, Aswd, Horace Andy, Etana, Trevor Hartley, Sandra Cross, Gyptian, Busta Rhymes, Sean Paul and Shaggy, were onstage from early afternoon until 11pm. There was a real positive energy and no bad vibes anywhere, just like a summery all-dayer in the city should be!.

My criticisms would be that the backstage media room wasn’t the best organised machine with random people crowding around interviews, photographers actually flashing cameras which render TV footage being filmed unusable and at one point we were all moved from the hot room to a freezing room next door-all day media were kindly provided beverages in the form of Levi Roots latest ginger beer offering and also ‘’Marley’s mellow mood juice’’ which provided much mirth.

Hilariously Levi Roots performed a set about ‘’reggae reggae sauce’’ and wasn’t as bad as it could have been(is there anything this man cant do?). Ray Lewis who works for the mayor’s office and is pals with Boris Johnson spoke onstage a few times and was promptly booed every time he mentioned Boris. Don’t know why-I think Boris is realer than any past mayor we’ve seen and unlike most politicians sticks to his word with his promises. Ray gave messages of anti gun crime throughout the day alongside community groups and this reminded the audience why we were there which I was pleased about as when my TV crew vox popped the crowd entering early in the day-hardly anyone was aware it was an anti gun crime themed event.

I also question whether an event like this is really making a different with those young gang members that are caught up anyway. Surely most of the crowd here were present as they were music lovers and already unified in their positive outlook on life. The ones that are still wasting their lives with street nonsense probably aren’t here anyway? And at £50 quid a ticket how many young desperate youth could afford it anyway?

Gyptian told me ‘’ “The one thing I’m glad about is that I’m not part of the artists that sing derogatory lyrics, ya know,.”

JASMINE WITH THE UK’S PRINCESS NYAH

Princess Nyah disagreed ‘’ Regards musicians that talk about gun crime and glamorize violence she stated “With every artist, everyone’s got their own story to tell, and I can’t penalize somebody else for talking about what they’ve been through. Regardless of all the negative press, if someone’s got a story to tell and they want to share it and people can relate to it, then who is the media or anyone else to say any different.I was really keen on taking part in the event because I was born and raised in north west London, and there’s a lot of crime that happens all the time but amongst all of that there are really good young people out there.”

Etana told me her thoughts on women helping the cause “I always feel for about representing women, my name Etanna, means the strong one, so its for every woman to know when they hear the name Etana it represents you. “Women play a major role in keeping the peace. In a household, when a woman is upset the whole household is upset. Fathers upset, kids are miserable, everybody’s screaming and running around, that’s because the queen bee is upset, you know, she’s buzzin. So the best thing we can do as women is start with ourselves and remember we cant take our stress out on the kids.”

Father and son music duo PRB told us ‘(son) “It is basically bringing youths and adults together, so knowing that all multicultural people can come as one like Martin Luther once said and try and spread the love and peace and forget about gun and knife crime and end this.“When we are listening to music we listen and think, ah yeah this song may be catchy but what is it actually really portraying?’’ father Ruben added ‘“It’s about the mentoring skills as well and showing that care and concern so the kids don’t feel distant away from us“It’s a lot to do with the system, everyone has a standard in their home. A standard of how they behave themselves.”

Some acts that were mentioned on the flyer like Ky-mani Marley, Third World and Bashy didn’t show so many complained about that.  (I know Bashy was filming his movie so clearly some miscommunication there by the organisers!) Also many young audience members were there to see team UK acts like Donaeo and Skepta-and you could tell the event was organised by the older generation, as when sh@* hit the fan and the show was running late Skepta was finally allowed a really short set as was Princess Nyah but  ‘’party hard’’ star Donaeo was cut out of the show totally-much to his and the hundreds of young audience in attendance! They even had Skepta’s name flashing on stage whilst Sean Paul was performing. Oh dear. Elsewhere, Etena name checked Amy Winehouse, Busta and his co-hort Spliff Star are one of the top 5 live hip-hop acts in the world and killed the stage-the crowd were in a total frenzy by the time Mohawk haired Sean Paul came on to relax their vibe a bit with some gyrating, sexy tunes. The headline act Shaggy only got to play for 10 minutes, as they were running late- typical. Sean Paul and Shaggy had a tough time onstage-I’d love to print their thoughts here but alas it’s a family newspaper.

If any lessons were learnt from this show its that an outdoor arena with 2 stages so band set up times could be swift not making the audience wait ages for the next act could be beneficial.

Overall a brilliantly put together front of house show for the reggae community in the UK-one that hasn’t existed for a very long time! Organiser hugh summed it up nicely  ‘’ “What happens here today is an a culmination of what has been happening over the past month. On the first of July we went into the schools, the colleges, the youth clubs, into the playgrounds and we say youngsters look, we going to try and create a more equipped community able to negotiate a successful stake in the UK.”