Culture Archives | Bristol Creative Industries

BRAVA (Bristol Academy of Voice Acting) is delighted to announce that it has received two Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS) Award nominations.

The nominations are for Outstanding Podcast – Best Producer/Host – for BRAVA Founder and CEO, Melissa Thom, for the High Notes podcast on the art and business of voice.

From Monoglian throat singing to vocal health, accents, gaming and more, High Notes uncovers the craft behind the business. Series 3 has just dropped and explores ‘Words at Work’, talking to some of the best minds about voice, speech and communication for business.

BRAVA has also been nominated for Outstanding Audio Drama for Angels in Bristol, an original Film Noir script based in 1954 Bristol, written and directed by Elaine A. Clark, and produced by Melissa Thom.

Elaine wrote the script exclusively for BRAVA’s in-person Characters Masterclass, held in Bristol every summer. This annual event provides participants with the opportunity to be cast in and record a range of productions, from audiobooks, to audio dramas, video games and more.

“I could not be prouder of everyone at BRAVA involved in these nominations. It’s a real testimony to the talent of our voice clients. Here’s to storytelling, community, and the power of voice; to putting Bristol and the South West firmly on the global voice map; and, most importantly, to creating art for pleasure!”.

BRAVA’s High Notes podcast is hosted and produced by Melissa Thom, audio and video engineer Euan McAleece, and audio and video editor, David Macgregor.

The Angels in Bristol cast: Carla O’Shaughnessy, Tiffany Xin, Marilla Lamour, Tina Duffin, Gwen Henderson, Tyler Woodburn, Guy Pass, Daniel Watson, Amy Smith, Rebecca Kozlen, Tabitha Owens and Melissa Thom. The Producer was Melissa Thom and Assistant Producer, Tabitha Owens.

To work with BRAVA on voice, speech and communication in the workplace and beyond, drop us a line at [email protected] or visit our website at www.brava.uk.com

Fiasco is excited to announce that Nathan Crosby has joined the team as its new Creative Director. Nathan brings over 14 years’ experience working as a designer and creative director, with past clients that include Lego, Coke, IHG, OVO, Heidi, and Bath Rugby.

Nathan’s commercial experience, creativity and leadership skills make him a fantastic addition to Fiasco as it continues to expand its breadth of work to take on bigger, bolder, more diverse projects.

“Nathan’s perspective brings fresh thinking to the agency and helps raise the bar for our strategic and creative output. His experience working across an impressive roster of big-name brands along with his sharp strategic lens make this an exciting time to join as we continue our trajectory of growth” – Ben Steers, Co-founder and Executive Creative Director.

“I’m thrilled to join the team at Fiasco. Their new brand promise, to move businesses
forward with feeling, puts emotional resonance squarely at the heart of the work they do – as both a platform for creativity, and a true value driver for the businesses they work with. I’m excited to help shape what this means for the agency’s output with a team already setting the bar for creativity and craft so high.” – Nathan Crosby, Creative Director

Fiasco’s recent rebrand – a collaborative effort shaped by the team – sharpens its proposition and expresses with greater clarity what makes it different, and why that matters. This includes the repositioning of its client services team, along with strategic new hires across different areas of the business. With its focus on growth and ambitions to penetrate a larger international market, including the USA, it’s a pivotal time for the business and an exciting time to reposition what Fiasco stands for.

Emotion-led, feeling-first design sits at the heart of everything it does – and is based on the fact feel-good isn’t just a vibe, it’s a value driver. Work this year has expanded to include high profile clients in the technology and AI sector, such as $1 billion dollar valued business planning platform Pigment, and it recently won an award for its rebrand for Britt. Its approach translates into stronger relationships, greater retention, and more sustainable growth.

About:
Fiasco is a brand and digital agency that combines strategic thinking with creative craft to drive businesses forward. By pairing strategic clarity with creative conviction, Fiasco turns complexity into connection, building brands that move both hearts and minds. You can read more about Fiasco and Nathan, over on their site here.

Bristol’s legendary Slapstick Festival celebrates its 22nd year with an all-star lineup.

Inaugural ‘GOLDEN BAZ’ Award in honour of Barry Cryer to be presented to Armando Iannucci, reuniting stars of In The Loop and The Thick of It

Fans of comedy and silent film will have plenty to choose from at the 2026 Slapstick Festival. The beloved festival, now in its 22nd year, has become a key event in Bristol’s cultural calendar, with its eclectic lineup of new, classic and silent comedies, as well as stars of stage, screen and the music world gathering to celebrate cinematic magic and merriment.

The cast of The Thick of It and In The Loop will reunite in honour of writer-director Amando Iannucci, who will be the first recipient of the Golden Baz Writers Award during a special event where he will look back at his remarkable career as a writer, director and broadcaster – exploring his inspirations and creative process. Created to honour the enduring comic legacy of Barry Cryer, the Golden Baz celebrates comedy writers whose work reflects his values: wit, warmth, originality and a deep commitment to the craft of making people laugh.

Continuing the tribute to Barry Cryer, Slapstick also features the World Premiere of Joke, directed by his son Bob Cryer. Bringing 10 of his gags to life as a sketch film, Joke includes Dame Judi Dench, Sir Stephen Fry, Alison Steadman, Harry Hill, Rebecca Front, Les Dennis and Miles Jupp (amongst others!) in the cast.

Satire is a theme of this year’s festival, which also features a rare live discussion with Alexei Sayle revisiting his groundbreaking 1980s television series Alexei Sayle’s Stuff. In conversation with Robin Ince, Alexei will reflect on the chaotic creativity behind a show that redefined British TV comedy with its fearless mix of surreal sketches, biting satire and political edge. Nearly forty years since it first exploded onto BBC2, Stuff remains as bold, subversive and brilliantly funny as ever.

‘In curating this programme, my aim has been to remind us why comedy, and laughter, matter. At a time when public discourse can feel increasingly brittle and polarised, satire allows us to explore difficult questions without retreating into anger or fear. Laughter disarms. It connects us. It opens a space for empathy and self-reflection where accusation and defensiveness might otherwise reign.

Celebrating 20 years of his creation on the small screen, Lee Mack will be explaining how Not Going Out evolved from stand-up beginnings to a multi-award-winning series loved by millions. In this exclusive anniversary event, Lee will look back at two decades of Not Going Out: from its pilot episode to record-breaking longevity as the BBC’s longest-running sitcom. Expect a lively on-stage conversation packed with quips, warmth and Lee’s trademark quickfire humour, interwoven with classic clips, outtakes and behind-the-scenes stories.

Slapstick nurtures the audiences of tomorrow and this year families will love Andy Day’s Cracking Brass Comedy Show, with timeless classics from Laurel & Hardy and Bristol’s own Wallace & Gromit accompanied by the 30 piece City of Bristol Brass Band for a cracking afternoon of fun. Lovers of musicals will appreciate Sing! – the animated tale of theatre koala Buster Moon, who stages the world’s greatest singing competition to save his beloved playhouse. Sing! celebrates courage, creativity and the joy of performance with a few delightful nods to silent-era legend Buster Keaton, who inspired Buster Moon’s name and the film’s spectacular fish-tank sequence.

Acknowledging the contribution of women to early cinema is a strand of films including The Flapper – the first use of this word in a film title. The Roaring Twenties were a new age for women, who bobbed their hair, shortened their skirts, danced, drank and smoked and discovered a world of previously forbidden freedoms. Long before Clara Bow or Louise Brooks made the flapper a global icon, screen star Olive Thomas defined the look, attitude and energy of the modern young woman on screen in this story of a small town girl moving to an elite finishing school.

Famous faces include Lee Mack, Alexei Sayle, Armando Iannucci, Chris Addison, Robin Ince, Lucy Porter, Shazia Mirza, Rick Wakeman; with more events and surprise guests still to be announced, there’s something for everyone at this year’s Slapstick Festival, a comedy cornucopia. See you in the front row.

🚫 “It’s great to be here.”
🚫 “Hello, I am [insert name, job title]. Today I’m going to talk about…”
🚫 “Thank you for having me”

Avoid these predictable presentation intros. These just set up your talk as nothing new.

If you want your talk to be memorable you need to hook your audience from the very beginning and give them a compelling reason to pay attention.

The graphic below from Sequoia Capital illustrates a typical attention span over 60mins and the potential to lose 90% of your audience within the first five mins…but how to remedy?

Here are three ways (and a bonus fourth😁) to help to set up your talk as unmissable:

🎬 Set the scene like a movie.
“Our industry is facing seismic challenges. That’s what I would have said – until six months ago we discovered something that changed everything. Here’s what happened..”

📊 Drop an eyebrow-raising stat.
“If women started and scaled new businesses at the same rate as men, we could create £250 billion in additional value to the UK’s economy, according to a recent review. Here’s what needs to happen…”

🔍 Use a prop or an attention-grabbing slide.
One influential presenter wordlessly put up an image of an elephant to kick off a talk where they went on to talk about tackling ‘the elephant in the room’ of their industry, while another promised a visual to capture the current state of the economy…and put up a completely black slide.

Remember: with audio only, retention of content three days later is around 10%, but with an image that increases to an incredible 65%

⭐ Or you can call us. We can to help you to be memorable in all your business interactions.

As part of ADLIB’s ‘True Diversity’ series, they had a chat with Andreyana Ivanova, Head of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing at KeolisAmey Docklands. With over 16 years of cross-sector experience her work focuses on building inclusive, resilient and high-performing cultures through insight-led strategy, organisational capability building and inclusive design.

Andreyana believes that thriving employees are the driving force behind sustainable business growth. She helps organisations reimagine and shape more human-centred, equitable employee journeys, cultivating workplaces where people feel they belong, are valued, and empowered.

ADLIB: Let’s start with the need for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) – what’s your take, why is it so important?

Andreyana: In my work, I approach DEI as a strategic lever for unlocking productivity, innovation and long-term growth. I often describe DEI as the engine of high performance and belonging as the fuel that powers it. When people feel safe, valued and empowered, they bring their full potential to work, perform at their best, and stay engaged and motivated. Organisations that embrace DEI not only attract and retain top talent, but also accelerate innovation and remain resilient through change. In other words, DEI is the infrastructure behind high-performing, human-centred and future-ready workplaces.

DEI goes beyond representation. It is about redesigning the systems, structures and everyday practices that shape how people experience work. When embedded in work design, leadership competencies and decision making, DEI helps organisations cultivate inclusive cultures, resilient workforces and human-centred workplaces where everyone feels they belong and can thrive. This people-first approach not only supports colleagues through key life moments, but also strengthens customer confidence and loyalty, ultimately accelerating organisational growth and social impact.

In an increasingly complex and polarised competitive landscape, DEI matters even more. Rising backlash in some regions makes it harder to sustain momentum, yet DEI remains the anchor that keeps organisations grounded in purpose and aligned with their values.

ADLIB: What are the risks of not prioritising DEI and what are the tangible benefits of building an inclusive workforce?

Andreyana: The link between DEI, organisational culture, resilience and performance is now widely recognised and backed by both research and practice. In the absence of inclusive cultures and equitable employee experiences, the consequences for organisations and their people can be significant: employees feel disengaged, isolated or struggle in silence, often resulting in presenteeism, attrition, or low discretionary effort. These outcomes not only impact individual wellbeing and performance, but also steadily erode organisational culture and long-term success.

According to Deloitte (2023), poor mental health costs UK employers £51 billion annually, with presenteeism alone accounting for £24 billion. The latest Workplace Wellbeing Deficit report (2025) adds further depth: people from lower socio-economic and marginalised backgrounds are disproportionately affected by mental health challenges at work. Rather than taking time off, many employees feel compelled to continue working while unwell, often to avoid stigma or falling behind (a pattern known as ‘leavism’). This hidden toll of exclusion leads to burnout, low psychological safety and a culture of survival. Over time, it deepens structural inequalities and stifles potential.

On the other hand, embedding DEI into the fabric of everyday work and employee experiences fosters wellbeing, engagement and belonging, and in doing so, boosts retention, performance and collective resilience. When people feel they belong, they are more engaged and connected, more likely to stay with their employer, and empowered to contribute meaningfully to the organisation’s shared success.

From a business perspective, embracing DEI provides a competitive advantage. Teams that reflect a diversity of lived experiences are more creative, adaptable and better equipped to solve complex problems. As research continuously shows, diverse organisations consistently outperform their peers. According to McKinsey’s 2023 report, companies in the top quartile for gender or ethnic diversity on executive teams are 39% more likely to financially outperform less diverse peers (McKinsey, 2023). Other studies on board-level diversity, such as those by Bloomberg Intelligence, point to similar trends across regions (Bloomberg Intelligence, 2023).

Cloverpop’s research shows a direct link between inclusive decision making and stronger business performance:

Taken together, these findings reaffirm that DEI is not only a moral imperative but a business one, delivering measurable results and long-term impact. Organisations that embed DEI as a core enabler of their strategy and ESG commitments are better positioned for sustainable growth. They connect more authentically with employees, customers and stakeholders, building cultures of trust and accountability. In doing so, they strengthen both their employer and customer brand, and establish themselves as credible, responsible leaders within their industries and communities.

The message for leaders and organisations is clear: if you don’t embrace DEI as a strategic advantage, your competitors will. In fact, the most forward thinking ones already have!

ADLIB: How can organisations make DEI more impactful and sustainable across the employee experience?

Andreyana: While there is strong evidence that more engaged employees drive stronger business outcomes, too few feel truly connected to their organisations in a human sense. Accenture’s research (2022) shows that only one in six employees feel a deep connection to their work, culture and colleagues, described as ‘omni-connected’, which has a significant impact on retention, productivity and revenue growth. This highlights the gap between stated commitment and lived experience.

The best place to start is by listening and learning, using both data and employee voice to identify barriers, inequities and opportunities to create fairer outcomes for everyone. Ask the deep questions: Do colleagues feel safe to speak up? Whose voices carry weight? Are policies designed for the diverse realities of employees’ lives? Alongside feedback loops, organisations need robust data and insights to identify pain points in the talent journey, inform their strategies and priorities, measure the impact of their efforts and hold themselves accountable.

The next step is to act. That means integrating DEI into every stage of the talent journey from attraction to offboarding, and embedding equity into systems, processes, leadership behaviours and daily practices that shape organisational culture and how people experience work. Crucially, DEI and Wellbeing go hand in hand: colleagues are more likely to thrive and contribute fully when they feel supported through key life stages and challenges. As part of this, digital platforms and AI-enabled tools must be reviewed through an inclusion lens to ensure they deliver fair outcomes rather than perpetuating bias.

Fundamentally, embedding DEI into the employee experience is about creating equitable workplaces where people feel safe to speak up, supported to grow, and empowered to contribute fully. Achieving this requires leaders, managers and colleagues to take an active role in DEI, modelling inclusive behaviours that strengthen organisational culture. To sustain progress, DEI must also be embedded into leadership responsibilities, performance metrics and promotion criteria, ensuring accountability is consistent, measurable, and aligned with the organisation’s purpose and values. When DEI is woven into every stage of the employee experience, it transforms daily interactions into a culture of belonging where people and organisations can truly thrive.

ADLIB: What skills, mindsets or shifts do DEI and People leaders need to navigate the future of work?

Andreyana: The future of work calls for a different kind of leadership: one that is collaborative, human and grounded in integrity. DEI and People leaders are not only delivering programmes; they are working to reshape systems and cultures that were often not designed with everyone in mind. That requires clarity of purpose, resilience and the ability to navigate complexity. In today’s world of increased scrutiny and polarisation, balancing commercial focus with humility is more important than ever.

We cannot ignore the dynamic global landscape. The backlash in some regions, particularly the US, has created a more complex environment, one where the value of DEI is being questioned or misunderstood. But this also presents an opportunity to reflect, realign and strengthen the case for meaningful, systemic change that drives innovation, customer trust and long-term growth.

The most sustainable change happens when DEI is built into the way an organisation leads, makes decisions and grows. Leadership is central as we need leaders at every level who model empathy, accountability and allyship, and who foster trust and psychological safety.

The best leaders I have worked with lead with curiosity, courage and vulnerability. They listen, reflect, ask the hard questions, collaborate and bring others with them, not through blame but through shared ownership. They adopt inclusive leadership and allyship in their everyday behaviours, using their voice and influence to make space for others, challenge inequity and act even when it feels uncomfortable. At the same time, they use data and storytelling to demonstrate impact, making the business case for DEI visible and credible across the organisation.

Ultimately, inclusive leaders recognise that DEI is a continuous journey, not a destination. Especially in times of uncertainty it requires intentional, collective effort, guided by clarity and consistency, and the courage to lead with vulnerability, integrity and compassion. As Maya Angelou reminds us: ‘Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.’

If you are a part of an initiative, brand or company that proactively champions diversity and would like to be featured as part of the “True Diversity” series please get in touch with Tony.

About ‘True Diversity’ by ADLIB:
Our series, True Diversity, is dedicated to featuring the people, organisations, and initiatives that truly understand why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (EDI) matter.

We spotlight who they are, what they do, and why their work is important. Through their stories, we explore how they’re driving meaningful change and how businesses and potential employers can get involved in building a more inclusive future.

Season 3 of High Notes, the podcast about the business and art of voice, will drop from Monday 27th October for eight weeks. It will see host Melissa Thom talking to leading figures across business, culture, and communication.

Guests include world-leading speechwriter Simon Lancaster, voice coach Dr. Rockford Sansom, writer and historian Jane Duffus, BAFTA’s Colin Burgess, PR legend Lynne Franks, and broadcaster Janey Lee Grace.

Together, they explore how voice shapes influence, leadership, and true connection at work: how to stay composed under pressure, engage an audience and speak with authority.

High Notes’ host, Melissa Thom is a speech and communication coach and acclaimed voice actor with decades of experience voicing projects including Grand Theft Auto V for Rockstar Games, Elder Scrolls for Zenimax, LL COOL J, Google, Amazon, Nike and many more.

Melissa is also the Founder and CEO of BRAVA, and has trained thousands of people in communication and voice from the UK and beyond – from rappers and reverends to ad creatives and countesses.

Melissa Thom said: “This season of High Notes is focused on how professionals can use their voice for impactful communication in the workplace and beyond. Our guests bring a wealth of experience from different sectors and creative disciplines – we hope our listeners will both be entertained and come away with actionable tips to supercharge communication confidence.”

High Notes season 3 can be found at brava.uk.com/podcast and all major podcast platforms, from October 27th, 2025.

As part of ADLIB‘s ‘True Diversity’ series, Tony had a chat with Lee Chambers, Founding Director at Male Allies UK, business psychologist, male allyship specialist and speaker.

This article is based on a transcript from that chat where Lee talks about why inclusion matters, how it helps build better workplaces, and why men need to be part of the conversation.

Tony: Starting with the need for diversity and inclusion. Why is it so important?

Lee: So from my perspective, and from a lot of the work that I’ve done, the importance of diversity and inclusion spans a variety of different areas. The first one for me is, in an increasingly individualistic world, the things that actually bring us together, especially across difference. Because as we become more individualistic, we actually start to fear difference more than embrace and celebrate it.

So things that actively work to bring different people together in a proactive and intentional way are increasingly important in an algorithmic world, which is trying to bring commonality together rather than difference. I think it’s vital for society that we’re able to create communities of difference rather than communities of commonality.

I think, secondly, it’s important because we still live in a world without modern meritocracy. Your outcomes are still massively determined by lots of things that you can’t necessarily control yourself, but that do potentially present either an awful lot of systemic barriers to overcome, or significantly less. And we all benefit when we collectively work together to reduce some of those barriers, because fundamentally it means that we can create better outcomes from the work that we do together.

There’s more opportunity to work with great people. Talent gets the ability to rise. People can get closer to their potential. People get the opportunity to perform, which is vital for sustainable businesses. And more than ever, people feel like they can belong, not necessarily their whole self, because many people don’t want to bring their whole self into the workplace, but they would like to bring their best, most effective self. And an inclusive culture allows that to happen.

It allows that embracing of difference which, whether we’re looking at commercial or societal outcomes, helps us mitigate risks earlier, see more potential opportunities, create more effective products and services, and just make better workplace cultures where people want to stay, continue to develop themselves, and continue to contribute. They see it as a net positive rather than something that takes away from them.

I think that’s vital because the next generation is more sensitive towards these things and is definitely looking for more purpose and more alignment in the very work that they do. So yes, it’s vital in a lot of different ways. When it’s done effectively, and in a structured and really considered way, it simply makes for better ecosystems that humans can exist within.

At the end of the day, as humans, we need those spaces to be able to grow and thrive. And it’s not always on us as individuals to create those spaces.

Tony: That’s a brilliant answer. Thank you. Absolutely agree with all of that. Can you share a little bit more about what you do at Males Allies UK?

Lee: Male Allies UK fundamentally exists to help men engage in inclusion. From our work, we’ve seen that when it comes to people-orientated projects in the workplace, whether that’s around well-being, inclusion, people engagement, or people development, there are a lot more women who get involved. In the bigger picture, that means men are missing out on the opportunity to be part of designing what these people structures will look like in the future. If they’re not present, they can’t be part of co-designing and co-creating them.

We’ve also seen over the years the impact on men’s health when they don’t take a more collective approach to navigating the world. The isolation, individualism, self-reliance, and self-sufficiency, sold as independence and freedom, actually come at a cost. No man is an island. If men can connect with people, it gives them the ability to feel more connected to the world, and also to themselves.

So we exist to engage men in inclusion, to support them in building the skills of allyship, and to be honest about the systemic barriers that still exist for all genders in the workplace. We specifically start from a binary perspective and move beyond that over time.

We do this through delivering masterclasses that are more informational, busting myths and misconceptions, identifying barriers from our research, and highlighting the benefits of inclusion. Too often, inclusion is framed only around when it goes wrong, microaggressions, discrimination, poor behaviours, bad cultures, rather than amplifying the benefits of getting it right and doing it well.

We also create spaces and consult on engagement, whether that’s events, men’s networks, male partner networks, male strands, or male pillars. We host what we call creative spaces, where men can share their perspectives on inclusion without judgment, contribute their honest views, and express sentiments they might feel suppressed from sharing elsewhere. There are boundaries of respect, but it removes the sense of “I can’t say anything.” This lets them explore their beliefs, and as we go through that process with curiosity, we often find the root of resistance is linked to their own personal challenges, economic pressures, divorce, mental health struggles, fertility issues, lack of friends, caring for parents, and more.

If men don’t feel they can share these experiences, it can cause frustration that other challenges get more attention or visibility. In these spaces, they can connect, support each other, and see they’re not alone, because again, no man is an island.

We also look at what organisations can do systemically to get more men collaborating together. Our big mission, beyond those safe spaces, is to get everyone in the room together. It’s vital to shine a light on our blind spots, recognise that men and women are not homogeneous groups, and that there are massive intersecting identities within both. There are also common challenges across genders, and many issues that impact women in the workplace have a tail, end effect on men that often goes unconsidered.

If we can work together to address the gender stereotypes and norms that restrict us, many of which are at the root of these challenges, we can start to create a world where we can be who we truly are, rather than who we’ve been told to be. This will make us less judgmental, more curious about each other, and more able to explore what’s possible, bringing our own authentic expression into the world.

Lee: Yeah, so the word “allyship”, when I first came across it nine years ago, I didn’t like the term. It felt very militaristic, like “good guys versus bad guys,” a rallying cry of “join us and let’s blow them up.” That didn’t mirror my perspective on what I wanted to achieve.

I’d been on a personal journey, building a tech company, getting ill, learning to walk again, stepping out to become a stay, at, home dad, and through that, I began seeing the world differently. I realised there were many things I hadn’t seen or noticed before, a lot of unfairness in the world.

Initially, I resisted the term, but then I learned its root comes from the Old French word alliere, meaning “to combine, to unite, to come together.” That clicked for me. Allyship is about that collaborative, collective coming together, partnering with people for change, and partnering through difference.

Good allyship is multifaceted. It starts with personal work: unpacking your own conditioning, educating yourself on other perspectives without placing emotional labour on others. Then there’s allyship “in the moment”: thinking about who’s not in the room, who is in the room but not being heard, who’s being interrupted or not credited. It’s having the courage to bring someone in, amplify their voice, ensure they get the credit they deserve, and being mindful of who is doing work that goes unrecognised.

There’s also the systemic aspect, examining policies to see if they create more or less opportunity, and looking at processes like meetings, networking, promotions, project allocation, recruitment, and more. We all have different levels of systemic power to make change, but everyone has some ability to make change.

I see allyship as a skill to build, not an ideology to believe. We’re often beginners when it comes to the lived experiences of others, but over time we gain benefits from building these skills. It requires willingness to learn, humility, courage to challenge, and curiosity about what we don’t yet know.

Good allyship also means knowing when to step forward to challenge and question, when to step to the side to partner on change and projects, and when to step back to allow others to take the platform and lead. That ability to move fluidly, stepping forward, aside, and back, is the essence of allyship. It’s easy to get stuck in one of those positions, but true allyship is an agile skill.

Tony: I love that meaning of allyship! And your point about stepping forward, stepping to the side, and stepping back is a great one. A lot of people, maybe through fear of getting it wrong, default to stepping back, and I’ve done that in the past. Then, once you do step forward, the tendency might be to do it all the time or too much. So that’s a really good awareness point , I’ve learned something just from hearing that. Thank you.

Lee: In terms of good allyship, there are more great examples than we often appreciate. Sometimes those examples are small and easy to overlook, because we tend to think of allyship as lots of small, intentional, inclusive acts that build the skill set.

We don’t see allyship as making big sweeping statements, grand gestures, or one, off transformational changes. It’s about those micro, moments in the day, to, day. Yes, there’s a lot that could be improved, but even simple actions can be powerful, like seeing senior leaders openly say, “I’m going to pick my kids up” or “I’m taking time off with my children.” Especially for male senior leaders, that challenges stigma and models what I call “caregiving loudly.”

Other examples include men calling out sexist remarks in meetings and explaining why they’re problematic, or pulling women back into conversations when they’ve been interrupted, saying, “Hang on, you’ve just interrupted her, let her finish her point.”

Some of the most powerful examples of allyship, though, are the ones we don’t see, like changing policies or systems, or using institutional power to advocate for something you wouldn’t necessarily expect them to be passionate about. Those are moments when people put real skin in the game, because allyship can be uncomfortable.

If you’re going to build this skill set and take action, it’s going to feel risky at times. You might feel scared or unsure. In our research, fear is the biggest barrier to men stepping in. That’s understandable given the current climate, but fear can also be a signal to act. Today’s discomfort becomes tomorrow’s growth.

It’s important for men to see that allyship is a beneficial skill to build and to understand the potential personal benefits over time. That perspective can help turn discomfort into growth. While that might sound transactional or self, centered at first, we’ve seen that men who sustain their allyship journey often don’t know the benefits at the start, they discover them gradually, and that keeps them engaged.

Lee: Our social impact work as a company includes working with boys in schools. We’re passionate about that, because many of them are not far from entering the workplace themselves, a workplace that’s increasingly volatile, dynamic, and, at times, really challenging.

It’s a very different environment compared to the education system. These young boys have grown up in a fascinating but complex world. They’ve had a digital, first existence; social media has been present in their lives from the day they were born. Many of them have never experienced living on a street where they know all the neighbours, people of different ages, cultures, and political affiliations, and sharing those everyday connections, like a garden party. They haven’t had that exposure to difference.

Instead, they’re often algorithmically pulled into echo chambers of people who think and act exactly like them, manipulated, shaped, moved around, and sold to, growing into future consumers. At the same time, they’re living in a world where masculinity is unclear. The way it used to be isn’t how it will be in the future, but there’s no clear definition of what it is now. Many young boys are searching for answers during that crucial adolescent period, trying to figure out who they are.

We wanted to understand what it’s like to be a boy between 12 and 15 in the UK today. So we spoke to over a thousand boys, asking their perspectives on education, the future, technology, masculinity, and femininity, just to understand how they see these things. Our upcoming report will bring their voices to life, sharing their views directly, in their own words.

Ultimately, they too will benefit from building the skills of allyship in a world of disinformation and moral outrage, where they’re often told they’re hard done by. And yes, economically, it will be difficult for many young men to achieve what their parents did, given the current economic cycle.

But I take a lot of hope from speaking to them. They’re insightful, and I think we often undervalue their perspectives. More than ever, it’s a challenging time for them, but if we can support them through it, they can help us understand the world they want to live in. That’s why we need to work together across generations, something we haven’t always been very good at.

Lee: It’s going live on the 30th of October. We’ve got a launch event at the House of Commons.

Lee: Yes, there’ll be an accessible version available, which will be downloadable after the event.

Tony: How can businesses or potential employers get involved with Male Allies UK?

Lee: The best thing to do is connect with us on LinkedIn, where we share a lot of resources and perspectives. You can also visit our website, maleallies.co.uk, which has a range of resources.

Engage with us, because the most valuable thing we do is speak with people. We work across 13 different industries, so we see a wide range of perspectives, commonalities, and sector, specific challenges. Everything we do starts with a conversation.

We don’t gatekeep our lessons or knowledge, because we want companies to make this work relatable to them. The key is for us to connect and follow each other’s journeys. There might be a point where you’re looking to engage more men, or when allyship skills could benefit your culture, and at that point, we can partner and do something more formal.

Until then, it’s just good to be connected, to understand the work, and to know you’re not on the journey alone. This is meaningful work, and in these uncertain times, coming together is more important than ever.

Tony: Thank you so much, Lee. I’ve really enjoyed chatting to you and there are so many takeaways. Best of luck with everything and I look forward to reading the report when it’s live.

Male Allies UK is on a mission to normalise active allyship and cultivate gender equity within organisations and communities.

If you are a part of an initiative, brand or company that proactively champions diversity and would like to be featured as part of the “True Diversity” series please get in touch with Tony.
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About ‘True Diversity’ by ADLIB:
Our series, True Diversity, is dedicated to featuring the people, organisations, and initiatives that truly understand why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (EDI) matter.

It’s no secret that creatives thrive on collaboration, culture, and team spirit. But when it comes to socials, too many of us fall back on the same old routine – a quick drink at the pub. Fun, sure. But does it really reflect the creativity and originality our teams live and breathe every day?

That’s where Yuup comes in. As a Bristol-based marketplace for local experiences, Yuup connects teams with independent hosts offering unique activities right here in our city. From hands-on workshops to unforgettable evenings out, Yuup makes it easy to plan socials that are as inspiring as the work your agency creates.

Working with clay is hands-on, playful, and grounding – the opposite of digital screen time. For creatives, it taps into the joy of making, sparks conversation, and encourages collaboration in a calm, open setting.

Cooking together builds collaboration under pressure while leaving room for fun and improvisation. For agency teams, it mirrors the creative process: ideas, execution, and presentation – with the added reward of sharing a meal together.

Escaping the city resets creative energy and helps teams see each other outside of daily routines. Fresh air and shared discovery are powerful for agency teams who thrive on new perspectives and storytelling.

This hands-on workshop encourages teamwork through creativity, patience, and shared discovery. From kombucha to kimchi, teams will learn ancient techniques with a modern twist, sparking conversations about flavour, culture, and process. Just like agency work, it’s about experimenting, refining, and enjoying the results together.

Removing sight forces teams to rely on other senses – and each other. It’s an exercise in trust, problem-solving, and adaptability, making it a uniquely bonding experience for teams used to thinking outside the box.

Guided by an expert, teams explore local landscapes while learning to identify edible plants and herbs. It’s mindful, surprising, and deeply grounding – a perfect antidote to screen time. For creative teams, it offers fresh perspectives and inspiration drawn directly from nature.

A relaxed, low-pressure space to sketch, laugh, and share ideas. For creative teams, it encourages vulnerability (nobody expects perfection), which builds trust and sparks new conversations beyond project briefs.

Printmaking celebrates experimentation and bold expression – perfect for teams who work with design and ideas daily. It encourages individuals to create side by side, with instant visual results that celebrate group creativity.

It’s playful, surprising, and guaranteed to make people smile. For creatives, this light-hearted experience breaks down barriers, reduces stress, and encourages teams to see the world (and each other) differently.

Exploring the city’s independent food scene gives teams the chance to connect socially while discovering new stories and flavours. It’s an experience rooted in place and culture – something every creative agency can appreciate.

The right social can do more than fill a calendar slot. It can spark ideas, strengthen culture, and remind your team why they love working together. Whether it’s creating, cooking, exploring, or simply laughing side by side, these experiences go far beyond a night at the pub.

A groundbreaking new festival is set to transform Bristol into an international beacon for technology, creativity and culture this October.

Taking place from from 6-11 October 2025 in and around Bristol’s Old City, BTF+ will offer an accessible and impactful experience for founders, technologists, creatives, investors and culture-makers.

The festival, curated by techSPARK in collaboration with Bristol Creative Industries and MyWorld plus headline partner Ghyston, will feature bold keynotes and panels alongside breakthrough tech demonstrations in several venues. They range from the prestigious Bristol Beacon and Bristol Old Vic to more intimate locations.

Attendees will experience cutting-edge tech showcases, immersive performances, live music and future-facing learning opportunities. Businesses involved will be able to speak, raise their profile and connect with potential partners and investors.

Inspired by legendary festivals like South by Southwest in Austin, BTF+, an evolution of the much-loved Bristol Technology Festival, is designed for start-ups, scale-ups, creators, storytellers, founders, technologists and anyone with curiosity about what’s next.

Whether attendees work in film or fintech, programming or performance, strategy or software, the festival provides a platform to grow businesses, launch ideas, discover emerging trends and help shape the future of their industries.

All profits from the festival will be reinvested into supporting local talent, start-ups and communities. It has been created with inclusivity and accessibility at its heart, through low-cost tickets and many free events to ensure broad participation reflecting Bristol’s spirit.

BTF+ is being brought to the South West with the intention of further cementing the region’s reputation as one of the most exciting and innovative not just in the UK, but in Europe. The event will look to drive growth, investment, and job creation across the region, emulating the impact seen from SXSW in Austin, Texas.

The compact city setting allows people and ideas to move freely, encouraging discovery and purposeful connections. Days will feature talks and workshops from regional talent across tech, creativity and culture, alongside national-level speakers sharing inspiration and insights. As evening falls, music and networking events will provide opportunities for attendees to connect, share experiences and celebrate together.

Bristol Creative Industries at BTF+

For our involvement in BTF+, we’ll be running an exciting two days of events on 7 and 8 October, with some high profile and inspiring speakers from across the creative industries. Look out for announcements over the coming weeks.

Early bird tickets for the BFT+ Summit which takes place on 6-10 October, and tickets to free events during the festival are available now. Find out more here.

One of the most common mistakes we see in immersive experience design is this: all spectacle, no soul. The lights are dazzling, the environment is beautiful, the tech is impressive. But something’s missing.

That something is story.

At Immersive Ideas, we believe narrative is the beating heart of a powerful experience. Whether it’s a theatrical show, a brand activation, a festival space, or an interactive exhibition, people need to know:

Why am I here? What is this world? What am I supposed to do with it?

Without those answers, even the most stunning environments can fall flat.

**The Role of Narrative in Immersive Design**

In traditional theatre, the story is front and centre. In immersive work, the story often surrounds you instead. But that doesn’t mean it should disappear. In fact, it becomes even more important, because the audience is no longer just watching, they’re in it.

A strong narrative:

Grounds people in the world you’ve created

Helps them understand their role or perspective

Guides behaviour and encourages meaningful interaction

Creates emotional connection and long-term impact

And here’s the key part: **even if your audience never fully sees or understands the story, you and your creative team still need to know it inside out**.

The internal logic of the world, the backstory, the rules, all of it matters. It acts as an invisible backbone. When everyone designing, performing, or producing knows *why* things are the way they are, the experience becomes richer, more coherent, more alive.

Audiences might not be able to articulate the story, but they’ll feel it. They’ll sense that this world makes sense. They’ll trust it. They’ll lean in.

This Applies to Brands Too

In experiential marketing, the term immersive gets used a lot. But too often, what’s actually being built is just a visually impressive space or activation, cool, yes, but sometimes a lil shallow. A brand might commission an activation with high production values and creative flair, super photogenic, but if there’s no narrative underpinning it, audiences walk away remembering the look, not the feeling.

Immersion isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s about emotional logic. If a guest walks into your space and doesn’t understand why they’re there, or what they’re part of, the moment doesn’t land. It becomes a photo op instead of an experience.

Narrative in this context doesn’t mean writing a script. It means understanding the purpose, perspective, and emotional arc of the guest. It means layering in meaning and intention. A well-designed brand experience should tell a story through its structure, its pacing, its language, its atmosphere. It should feel like stepping into a world that has depth, even if that depth is only hinted at.

What Happens When Story Is Missing

When narrative is an afterthought, audiences feel unanchored. They start asking questions that pull them out of the moment.
Am I allowed to touch this? Should I be doing something? Is this just for looking? Who am I meant to be?

This creates hesitation, not curiosity. Confusion, not wonder. It turns a space that should feel magical into one that feels awkward or unfinished.

We’ve worked on experiences that were visually stunning but emotionally hollow… until we added just a few layers of story. Suddenly, everything clicked. Audiences relaxed, interacted, cared. Because they understood their purpose in the space.

Start With Story, Not Stuff

It’s tempting to lead with the big ideas, the set piece, the wow moment, the cool tech. But those should always serve the story, not the other way round. We always ask our clients the same three questions at the start of a project:

Why are people here?
What world are they in?
What do we want them to feel when they leave?

Those answers shape everything else. From the layout of the space to the way performers interact, from sound design to signage.

Whether you’re producing a theatre piece or a branded experience, story creates meaning and meaning is what makes people remember.

Final Thoughts

A well-crafted narrative doesn’t just support an immersive experience. It is the experience. It’s the glue that holds it all together. It turns audiences into participants, spaces into worlds, and moments into memories.

If you’re building an experience and want to get the story right from the start, let’s talk. We’ll help you craft a world that feels real, purposeful, and impossible to forget, whether you’re making a new experience, launching a product, or creating a space your audience will genuinely connect with.

Sarah Morris – Immersive Ideas Ltd

Bristol Creative Industries at BTF+

The Role of Narrative in Immersive Design

This Applies to Brands Too

What Happens When Story Is Missing

Start With Story, Not Stuff

Final Thoughts