We have known Derek since early in his previous role at StockX, where he led their EMEA team. He now heads up UNiDAYS marketplace, the world’s largest Student Affinity Network, as their Global Managing Director. One thing is for sure: wherever he goes, Derek confidently sits firmly at the intersection of creativity, culture and business, determined to create genuine positive impact. We’re looking forward to learning something new from Derek when we speak with him.—When talking with Derek, we went deep in right from the start. We discussed the nature of creativity along with how important it is to have different mindsets and thinking patterns in a team. It was great to get real about transparency as well, discussing the downsides as well as the upsides.Derek has a passion for philosophy and seamlessly joins the dots with decisions he makes in his day-to-day life. This was a really enjoyable talk for us that reminded us of how important it is to consider human philosophy and psychology concepts in a business environment.—This recording was a part of UB Live 2024, a series of live-streamed conversations and IRL panel discussions to celebrate Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com

James has been with Rosie Lee for over 13 years, working on most of the projects that sits in our portfolio. He heads up the creative team in Amsterdam (along with Toast) and always brings the extra to projects. His meticulous attention to detail and reluctance to let anything leave the studio that isn’t beautifully designed is inspiring to be around. We’ve been looking forward to having James join us for conversation since we started Unorthodox Blend.—In this conversation, we discussed differing experiences as creative directors and the challenges faced in transitioning from designers to leaders. The expectations and responsibilities that come with leadership roles are not for everyone and it is important to find the right balance between creativity and management for each individual. We also got a bit ranty about the need for more recognition and understanding of the creative field and accidentally geeked out about how e-bikes are transforming transport culture in Amsterdam.We covered all sorts of other topics including the importance of experimentation in design, the role of storytelling as well as James giving the inside track on his approach to various Rosie Lee projects he has overseen.—This recording was a part of UB Live 2024, a series of live-streamed conversations and IRL panel discussions to celebrate Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com

We met Mark through our work and participation with Run Dem Crew, and he stood out as one of the most welcoming, warm and humble people we’ve ever met. He is well respected and connected in London’s restaurant scene (check out Levan and Bar Levan if you haven’t already), but he is also well known as the founder of 2nd Drop records. Mark is a man of many talents, and isn’t afraid to take on the unknown and pivot to shake things up. It’s genuinely hard not to like Mark, we’re sure you’ll agree after listening to our conversation with him.—Mark offered up an honest account of his career to date, spanning various different roles and marketplaces. We talked about the non-linearity of careers, the reciprocity of service and the beauty of genuine community. We’ve known Mark for some time and it was lovely to talk with him in this context, where we shared a lot of similar stories about business growth and whether it is always worth it.Although we work in different industries, it is clear that his approach to restaurants has many similarities our approach to the creative industry. Mark left us with lots to reflect on, and you’ll find the same.—This recording was a part of UB Live 2024, a series of live-streamed conversations and IRL panel discussions to celebrate Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com

Born in Australia, Mina has a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts and Masters in Teaching - Secondary Visual Arts and is truly one of the OG Sneakerheads. She has worked for and with a list of brands and talent that most of us could only dream of. But it hasn’t been straightforward for Mina, being a woman in the historically male dominated cultures of skate and sneakers. Her enjoyment, passion and determination saw her through and now she is heading up partnerships at Alyx & Au Départ.—We talked a lot about the nature of nostalgia and how that shows up for different generations, and how particular items can be a catalyst for reflection and personal meaning. Mina gave us an insight into the way product collaborations are conceived with some of the many people she has worked with, and how shared values are one of the most important ingredients in these projects.We also talked about the variety of roles in the creative industry that are aspirational but relatively unknown to most people, and that following your passion will always lead to unexpected, but valuable life experiences.—This recording was a part of UB Live 2024, a series of live-streamed conversations and IRL panel discussions to celebrate Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com

Dean Evans is a seasoned veteran of the gaming industry, boasting an impressive career spanning over 25 years. He has worked on some of the industry’s most iconic franchises including Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne, Splinter Cell, Far Cry: Blood Dragon and Assassin’s Creed. Dean is the person responsible for introducing us (Mark and Russell) to each other over 20 years ago and the rest is history. (And he is also an NPC in GTA San Andreas!).—Dean didn’t disappoint - a lively conversation from the heart with some well-articulated truths about creativity, work life, culture and future technology. Dean’s passion and honesty come through in bucketloads throughout this conversation, with an unfiltered bravery to say out loud what a lot of us are feeling about certain topics.Highlights include an open share about the state of the gaming industry and how it has evolved since he joined 20+ years ago, and a deep dive into the ethics and importance of Generative AI with a great, poignant story about the evolution of stop motion in Jurassic Park.Although we haven’t been the best at staying in touch since we first met, when we started talking and, in some ways, it was like time hadn’t passed at all. If we could all be a bit more Dean then the world could be a better place - a little bit more untamed but 100% definitely better!—This recording was a part of UB Live 2024, a series of live-streamed conversations and IRL panel discussions to celebrate Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com

Mick is well seasoned Chief Creative, ECD, Head of Product, Professor of Design along with some other things. He has 20+ years design experience in our industry both client side and agency side. We worked closely with Mick in his time as VP Marketing (NA) at Samsung and he very quickly became a friend of Rosie Lee. A kindred spirit who, like us, wants to set the world on fire without hurting anyone.—Our conversation covered a lot of ground. We started with a discussion about age, experience and creative freedom and then onto the benefits of AI versus the concept of ‘The Struggle’ making things more worthwhile. Mick shared a very personal insight into how a bad experience at one of his first jobs shaped his career, and his belief in how a broad organisation-level process is important to the success and individuality of creative units.It’s always a pleasure talking with Mick, we share a lot of values and ideas about our industry but appreciate each other’s vantage points. We always learning something, and have lots to think about afterwards.—This recording was a part of UB Live 2024, a series of live-streamed conversations and IRL panel discussions to celebrate Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com

Richard Hoare is Russell’s DJ partner with Vintage Mobile Disco, a 10 year long project based on a love of 7” vinyl and eclectic music tastes. He’s the man behind Hoare Associates, a pioneering alternative legal services provider for the UK music industry that favours modern, agile ways of working in contrast to some other dusty corners of his industry. Oh, and he is also an award winning author. He can shift topics from music to discordianism, and from politics to ley lines without coming up for air.—Our conversation touches on the role of music lawyers in the industry and the evolving business models for musicians. The conversation highlights the power of music to evoke emotions and memories, as well as the potential influence of artists on social and political issues. We explore topics of artistic expression, the impact of music on memories, the challenges of balancing artistic integrity and audience expectations and the role of alcohol in social interactions (amongst other things!).We most definitely didn’t talk enough about negotiation - one of Richard’s areas of expertise and so we will definitely need to plan a part two.—This recording was a part of UB Live 2024, a series of live-streamed conversations and IRL panel discussions to celebrate Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com

We’ve known Ben since we begun working closely with StockX. He is always willing to make time for us to just check in and talk and holds his ground in just about any topic, particularly if it relates to culture, art or creativity in general design. We always leave our conversations refreshed and inspired and feeling more at ease that there are other people like us in the world!—Ben combines his understanding and enthusiasm for Culture, Community, and Collaboration to create award-winning, impactful, memorable moments and campaigns that push brands forward, drive growth and create conversation.He has a varied experience, from running his own clothing brand to working at unicorn startups like StockX. Ben has had the pleasure of working with various collaborators including Revlon and Megan Thee Stallion, Daniel Arsham, Sarah Andelman, Lewis Hamilton, Nothing and 100T amongst others.—Our conversation with ben focussed on the culture and psychology of collecting, organic creativity and the need for us all to just put ourt work out there to see what happens.—We’ve announced all of our speakers now for UB Live 2024, which is taking place next week. UB Live 24 is a series of live-streamed conversations and IRL panel discussions for 3 days around Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday. Head on over to the Substack page or find us on LinkedIn to learn more and to attend the sessions. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com

Our relationship with Joseph has had many different phases but he has always been a friend. It’s hard to sit in a room with Joseph without getting into some deep conversations about the nature of creativity. And once we hit the record button he became even more animated than usual! I thought I had a clear handle on what we might talk about in this conversation but we really got into our personal opinions about creativity, vulnerability and what it means to be an architect.—Joseph is a cultural architect, designer, amplifier and creative problem solver who has a knack for details. He is constantly curious about built environments, design, story telling and making things; he often couples these with using running and cycling as a vehicle to explore the world.He believes that a culture of physically crafting and making things should be nurtured and not forgotten. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA, BArch and Tsinghua University with a MArch.—This conversation was an absolute pleasure and I can’t wait to do this again with Joseph. His curiosity shines through, as does his humility and sense of direction. We truly lost track of time and could have carried on for a lot longer.Enjoy this one, and please do get in touch if you want to know more.We’ve started releasing information about UB Live 2024, where we’ll be live streaming a series of conversations for 3 days around Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday. There is more to share over the coming days so please do subscribe below to stay in the loop. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com

Nikky is one of our go to people when Rosie Lee needs to find employees and freelancers. Her network of talent is awesome and aligns with our work ethos, but that isn’t why we wanted to talk with her at Unorthodox Blend. Talking with Nikky is always like a breath of fresh air - her positivity, energy and lateral thinking are truly contagious. We didn’t know exactly where our conversation would go when we started but we knew we’d learn something.—Nikky Lyle is best known as being a 'creative recruiter with conscience' and has 12+ years of experience placing top talent within a mixture of branding and creative agencies.She is also a huge fan of side hustles and has a number herself, including Shepway Social Club, Damp Disco and Post Quarantine.On top of this Nikky has delivered a TEDx talk, has been a D&AD President Judge, a Domestika Teacher and has been named on The Dots 100+ rising stars. Nikky is dedicated to helping clients and under-represented groups navigate an industry that can sometimes be tough, making sure the best talent finds a home where they can thrive. —We’re still thinking through some of the topics we discussed and hopefully you’ll find some food for thought too. It really felt like there was more to talk about so hopefully this is just the first in a series of conversations with Nikky.Take a listen and get in touch if you want to know more. Keep your ear to the ground, we have a big announcement coming soon about Unorthodox Blend later this week.P.S. We’ve just announced UB Live 2024, our series of live conversations happening in early April. Subscribe or follow us on Instagram to stay in the loop. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com