EP67 - VINYL TOY CUSTOMISER - David Bishop RUN DMB

EP68 - ESSEX CONTENT CREATOR - Olly Thatcher

Olly Thatcher AKA Olly Thatchh is a content creator from Basildon (or Bas Vegas, depending on who you ask). Starting out behind the camera as a photographer, videographer and music video creator, he built a production company creating on-brand content for businesses before stepping in front of the lens to become a creator in his own right. Spotting a lack of Essex representation on social media, Olly set out to showcase the county's hidden talent, culture and character. He's on a mission to flip the tired Essex stereotype and show that there's far more to the county than teeth and tans. Essex is a place of many identities, from the coastline and countryside to its towns, cities and creative communities. As Olly puts it, Southend is basically the LA of England: palm trees, a pier, a ferris wheel and incredible sunsets. Canvey is Miami!  Through his videos, Olly explores unusual places, local history and overlooked stories. Essex's past is so rich it could easily fill a 20-part HBO drama series. His approach to content creation is simple: keep filming. The best moments often happen spontaneously, and the more time you spend behind the camera, the better your instincts become. Olly has been making videos since childhood. Armed with camcorders, he already knew what he wanted to do. He taught himself to edit, studied successful creators, and learned how to craft engaging content before building audiences on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. His advice? Ignore the view count and make the videos you want to make. We talk about documenting local culture, why behind-the-scenes content often outperforms the polished final product, and how his social channels have become a powerful marketing tool for his production company, OVisuals. We also discuss Cash In Hand, the Essex-made TV show he's worked on, the rise of Essex pride and "geezer hustle culture", and whether a new South Essex cultural movement is beginning to emerge. Along the way we celebrate the unique character of Essex's towns and cities, the importance of independent businesses, and the value of capturing a vibe rather than chasing perfection. We also hear about approaching strangers for interviews, the realities of content creation, and how his partner Jess helps bring many of his adventures to life while creating her own vintage fashion content - big up the Year 2K early 2000s fashion @jessicajoanlouise.  Plus: South Woodham Ferrers facts, Rayleigh appreciation, and Nick's latest public artwork — The Dogs' Bollard for Concrete Canvas Chelmsford. Olly Thatch instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ollythatchh/] OVisuals instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ovisualsz/] Olly on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@ollythatchh] Jess 2K fashion on insta [https://www.instagram.com/jessicajoanlouise/] Cash In Hand [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyIz6GJEEWLI6xp5qc2wFFA] Are You Creative? recorded by Adam at Lawker Media [https://www.lawkermedia.com/], Chelmsford, ESSEX Edited by Nick Hearne [https://nickhearne.co.uk/] Artwork by Alpaca Antenna [https://www.instagram.com/alpaca.antenna/] Don't forget to like, subscribe, share and all the good stuff. Follow our Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/are.you.creative.podcast] for latest news and behind the scenes photos  Send comments, questions, or suggestions for fascinating creative people in Essex give us a shout on our Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/are.you.creative.podcast] Thanks to NGDA [https://www.ngda-ltd.com/] for their support

EP67 - VINYL TOY CUSTOMISER - David Bishop RUN DMB

David Bishop is a adult vinyl toy custom artist. Originally from Billericay. Basically, he draws and paints on expensive collectible figures - like Dunny and BearBrick. David got into collecting through vinyl records, the magazine Straight No Chaser, and Mo’Wax records, and then the street artist Futura2000. It was a whole cultural world that appealed to him. Labubu from PopMart is like a modern limited edition adult collectible. He lived in Brighton and was deep in music culture, jazz, big beat, art, Skint Records. Pre-internet culture was knowledge from magazines and meeting other fans, and it was hard to come by items, there was joy in the quest. Japanese Niwaki secateurs. Pharell Williams and Kayne West have both used visuals with Japanese designers and collectable culture. Why has David got beef with Kaws!? Some customisation artists like to resculpt collectibles, but David prefers to just paint them. He gets a vinyl figure, strips the paint off with acetone (carefully), spraypaints a base colour and then uses Posca pens to create patterns. His style is detailed layers of graffiti over the toys. He learned fine art at university and wanted to be a painter. He saw a Kid Robot pop-up at Selfridges, and bought a Munny to customise. He posted it on an early website, and a lot of people had positive comments and there was a supportive Kid Robot community that still exists across social media today. David exhibits at ToyCon at Hammersmith, the biggest custom toy fair in the UK. The shape of the figure and the Posca pen nib will lead his art, he usually starts without a plan and sees where it takes him. Getting emotionally attached to commissions and having to let them go. Some artists don’t spend as long on the back because most people only see the front, NOT DAVID, he gives it all love. David mostly exports customs to America, Japan, and Europe. Flippers will buy customs and sell them on for a profit. David is our most chill guest ever. Digital detox and getting away from screens. Customising Jerry figures by Modern Toss. Art is like meditation for David, time just drifts away. He painted an Open Reach box for the Concrete Canvas street art festival with some Chelmsford cultural legends - Squarepusher and Ceephax Acid Crew. Customising sneakers for collectors. Painting trains. SEE IT, SPRAY IT, SORTED. You can start customising by buying a cheap old blank vinyl toy - check out the sellers at ToyCon! RunDMB website [http://www.rundmb.co.uk/] RunDMB Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/p/DXuZvIIDdgW/] Are You Creative? recorded by Adam at Lawker Media [https://www.lawkermedia.com/], Chelmsford, ESSEX Edited by Nick Hearne [https://nickhearne.co.uk/] Artwork by Alpaca Antenna [https://www.instagram.com/alpaca.antenna/] Don't forget to like, subscribe, share and all the good stuff. Follow our Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/are.you.creative.podcast] for latest news and behind the scenes photos  Send comments, questions, or suggestions for fascinating creative people in Essex give us a shout on our Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/are.you.creative.podcast] Thanks to NGDA [https://www.ngda-ltd.com/] for their support

EP66 - NSFW MINOR INTERNET HIT SINGER - Kunt

NSFW episode. NOT SAFE FOR WORK, KIDS, SHOPS. Warning! This podcast contains strong adult themes and very rude swearing from the outset. Kunt is a minor internet musical celebrity from Kunt & The Gang, The Kunts, The Krackpots, The Krown Jewelz and Kuntford & Sons, based in Basildon aka Bas Vegas. Kunt is not a rude name if it’s spelled with a K. He specialises in writing catchy rude songs. Starting off on b3ta.com [http://b3ta.com] and MySpace, which felt like our punk on the internet. Kunt grew up on Depeche Mode and started out making simple electronic music. Crocodiles covered in cocaine. Kunt had his song about D****** T**** taken down from Spotify and Facebook. Is T**** aware of Kunt? The Boris Johnson songs however are still on streaming platforms. 50p Lee has listened to F*** the Tories song. Kunt has had 4 top 10 UK singles, including a top 5 Xmas Single. People power with multiple versions - being Bob Geldof for a week hyping up sales. Going head to head with LadBaby and his Sausage Roll songs. ‘The certain sort of person’ that buys Kunt’s songs. Getting censored from the charts, even with clean songs like ‘Scrap the Monarchy’. Following the rules of The Manual by The KLF. Essex’s Jon Morter got Rage Against The Machine ‘Killing in the name of’ to number one, what advice did he have for Kunt? Kunt - ‘Culture now is warm diarrhea’ you need to do something a bit different. Kunt stopped gigging in 2016 and wrote his book ‘iKunt’ - available in the KuntShop. Kunt did a KickStarter for the book, and a stretch goal was to make a punk album of the greatest hits. Ginger WIldheart suggested that Boris Johnson is a F****** C*** should be Xmas Number One, and it snowballed, Charlie Brooker backed it and it flew. Getting stuck in the snow on the M1 after a gig. Kunt started Kunt & The Gang because he realised he wanted new adventures and new stories after a night at the pub. DIY music and having a laugh. Boring money off his Mum to buy a four track and learning chords. Writing songs in the major key with hooks like 80s advert jingles. Working for Essex Council youth services, and potential conflicts of interest. Comedy as protest. Punching up and getting meme nuggets into culture. Going to Edinburgh with a musical about Shannon Matthews. Putting together a musical with no experience and ending up with a sold out run at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Then making it into a crowd-funded feature film. Kunt’s plans for a true crime documentary series called Murder On Thames - watch this space. Being censored on YouTube and having channels removed. Getting cease and desists from Pudsey Bear and Simon Pegg. Making DIY music and having a top 10 hit that cost a tenner. Motivate yourself by booking a gig in, give yourself a deadline. It’s not embarrassing to try! You need to try to achieve stuff. Just go and fucking do it! ASMR on podcasts, cheesy fingers and scampi niknaks. Kunt and the Gang [https://www.kuntandthegang.co.uk/] Kunt on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/kuntandthegang/] Kunt on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/artist/6Btzyu14d11IGvTIkbovmr] Kunt on Bandcamp [https://kuntandthegang.bandcamp.com/] Are You Creative? recorded by Adam at Lawker Media [https://www.lawkermedia.com/], Chelmsford, ESSEX Edited by Nick Hearne [https://nickhearne.co.uk/] Artwork by Alpaca Antenna [https://www.instagram.com/alpaca.antenna/] Don't forget to like, subscribe, share and all the good stuff. Follow our Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/are.you.creative.podcast] for latest news and behind the scenes photos  Send comments, questions, or suggestions for fascinating creative people in Essex give us a shout on our Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/are.you.creative.podcast] Thanks to NGDA [https://www.ngda-ltd.com/] for their support

EP65 - IMPROVISING VOCALIST - Jo Morrison

Jo is an improvising vocalist who grew up in Basildon.. What even is that? Musicians and non-musicians will get together and improvise with voice, sound, objects, instruments. Performing with no rehearsal or planned outcome. Performances can last around 20 minutes, or hours with groups. Catching vibes, catching sounds, and responding to the energy in the room. Setting up spaces with a freedom to fail, and making participants feel comfortable to express themselves naturally. Jo attended a sound art course, and was exposed to improvised vocalists. It is a very inclusive means of expression, the barrier to entry does not exist, no skills are required. Karaoke with the universe. Discovering new facets to your voice during improvisation. There are improvised vocal groups you can attend and join in with. Jo started learning at a short experimental sound art course. Art is making something with artistic intention. Jo learned to capture and make sound with that intention - the course gave Jo the permission they’d been waiting for to make art. Then the artistic journey led to TOMA (The Other MA) in Southend. TOMA is run by Emma Edmonson and provides an alternative to traditional art school with a more financially accessible format. Big up TOMA - they teach artistic practice, but also about applications for funding to build a career in art. Jo encourages people to respond how they want during performances - laughter can be a great sound. Dealing with mixed feedback, and keeping the artist intention pure. Jo occasionally performs in masks and made bee wings from CDs. Big ups to Faradina Afifi. Making up improvised languages. Improvising and doing someone that no person has ever done before. Big up Fraser Merrick (previous guest!) Nick really doesn’t like unexpected participatory vocal improvisation. Derek Bailey’s Channel 4 show about improvisation around the world is a good archive of worldwide sounds. Every voice is unique, and the sounds we can make are there to be played with. Skronk in Deptford is a fun place to go and improvise. Chelmsford chronicle has declared that ‘Sangita Mittra is a creative expert’ - official.  Jo Morrison on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/joannemorrison72/] Jo at TOMA [https://www.toma-art.com/new-page-52] Noisy Women Present [https://www.noisywomenpresent.co.uk/] Are You Creative? recorded by Adam at Lawker Media [https://www.lawkermedia.com/], Chelmsford, ESSEX Edited by Nick Hearne [https://nickhearne.co.uk/] Artwork by Alpaca Antenna [https://www.instagram.com/alpaca.antenna/] Don't forget to like, subscribe, share and all the good stuff. Follow our Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/are.you.creative.podcast] for latest news and behind the scenes photos  Send comments, questions, or suggestions for fascinating creative people in Essex give us a shout on our Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/are.you.creative.podcast] Thanks to NGDA [https://www.ngda-ltd.com/] for their support

EP64 - PRELOVED MODERN CLASSICS RETAILER- Matt Love

Pre-loved modern classics seller. Matt runs The Good Love in Brightlingsea with his wife Laura. He might look like a sexy train driver, but he is a retailer. Previously above Roots And Grooves in Colchester. A shop with ‘everything in it’. Finding things for customers, like a record by a Blackpool Tower Organist. Finding vintage is like being a detective. Records are big sellers currently, people are loving retro vinyl. Collecting records since he was 12, and then buying and selling on discogs has given Matt an encyclopedic knowledge of what’s popular and what’s valuable - he’s in his element with a random box of music. People are loving wax jackets, the country gent meets Farrage look. Picking out vintage streetwear at car boot sales. How boot sales have changed, everyone’s a reseller! How to price up vintage clothes. Sell at the price you’d want to buy at. Brightlingsea is getting cool and growing a creative vibe. The Good Love is growing into a creative hub with DJs and coffee and chances to hang out. Which records always go into the bin. Wolf fleeces. When Matt met his future wife Laura, they were both sellers on Vinted, and connected over selling vintage. Circular fashion is an environmentally conscious way to shop. Giving out dog biscuits. First profit is best profit, keep stock moving. Rotating stock in the window to keep it fresh. Making friends with Matt via Mark563 in Australia and his hip hop colouring book. Buying pre-loved clothes in France. Dungarees problems and Orangutan Sausage Dog. Making it up as you go along with creativity and business.  The Good Love Presents Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/thegoodlovepresents/] Are You Creative? recorded by Adam at Lawker Media [https://www.lawkermedia.com/], Chelmsford, ESSEX Edited by Nick Hearne [https://nickhearne.co.uk/] Artwork by Alpaca Antenna [https://www.instagram.com/alpaca.antenna/] Don't forget to like, subscribe, share and all the good stuff. Follow our Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/are.you.creative.podcast] for latest news and behind the scenes photos  Send comments, questions, or suggestions for fascinating creative people in Essex give us a shout on our Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/are.you.creative.podcast] Thanks to NGDA [https://www.ngda-ltd.com/] for their support