Humans Aren't Robots: Recent Episodes
Digital Noir
Humans Aren't Robots is a series of conversations with designers and creative thinkers uncovering the human elements of teams and modern business practices. We speak to inspirational humans from some of the worlds most successful companies about design means to them in and in particular how it can be applied to the workplace and leadership.
In this episode, Sam chats with founder and educator Nicole Dyson. We always really enjoy chatting to Nicole and hearing about the ways she is challenging education systems, inspiring young people and building a new way of learning and adapting for kids in a world that is rapidly changing. We are now in a world where the average 12 year old will have 17 jobs in their career and 50% of jobs won't even exist at the point that young people leave school. Nicole is providing new ways for students to learn, to experiment and explore.
Links:Nicole DysonFuture Anything The Art Of Gathering book by Priya Parker
This week Sam chats with entrepreneur, journalist and creator of Young Blood Men's Mental Health, Callum MacPherson. Young Blood is an amazing podcast all about men's mental health, challenging stigmas and striving for a world with less suicide. They chat about Callum's past in the media, how he is building his company, meeting amazing people and sharing life-changing stories. People's attitudes towards mental health has changed a lot over the past few years, Sam and Callum chat about what this means for workplaces, teams and how to create spaces where people can be open about issues.
Lauren is a Social Impact Specialist. She works for the Atlassian Foundation and was here in Adelaide to run a session at Southstart. Lauren works with dynamic, creative and purpose-driven teams and leaders. She had some great insight into companies that really live their values and encourage their teams, building aligned teams of people.
In this episode I chat with Ben Colley who works for Teamgage and founded the GOOD Product community here in Adelaide. I've been keen to have Ben on the podcast for a while, he has a really interesting background and has some great experience working with startups and building diverse teams - something I was really keen to chat about.
Purpose is a bit of a buzz word at the moment but it's something that is really important to people, and more and more it is essential to think about for customers. It's something I have been going back and fourth on for for a while, often it is assumed that to make an impact, your purpose needs to be huge - something that will change the world. I am trying to reframe this, I think we can approach it more simply with smaller goals that actually still create a big impact - to do meaningful work with your team, choosing partners who align with your goals and working in a way that can help our communities.Everything we do these days says something about us, where we buy our clothes, what food we eat and especially where we work. People want to be a part of something they believe in.
At Digital Noir, we work in a creative environment and industry so creativity is kind of a given but creativity is in everyone, and in all industries. Creativity is how we approach problems, how we look at things, how we work with different skillsets to get to a common goal. So many business practices can really stifle creativity - we need to allow the time and the space for new ideas, creativity and ambiguity.
Fear is something that affects people in all walks of life. In all jobs and industries. It's an extremely strong emotion and something that can really affect our ability to perform at our best. We discuss Fear with our guests and interestingly hear it described in so many ways - all of our guests had a different take on how it can manifest in situations and ways of confronting it.
This season, each episode is a mash up of different conversations centred around a theme. This week’s subject is Diversity. It's something we've been thinking about and discussing on the podcast for a while. Not just integrating diversity at a "high" level in a company, but actually looking at practicalities and some real issues faced by current and new staff.
All these conversations were recorded live at SouthStart.
In this episode I speak with Sally-Ann Williams - CEO at Cicada Innovations, Lauren Capelin - Principal at Starmate, Katrina Dunn - Global MD Impact Capital - Catalize, Sarah Nolet - General Partner at Tenacious Ventures
This is the first episode of our new format! This season, each episode is a mash up of a few different conversations centred around a theme. All these conversations were recorded live at SouthStart.
This week’s topic is The Future of Work. It's something I’ve been thinking about for a while.With Covid and its huge impact on all of our lives, changes to the working world really were fast tracked. As expected, we spoke a lot about pandemic and how work-life has changed, but we also got into how this can and should can be personalised - something that works really well for one person could not be right for another.
In this episode I speak with Emma Weston - Founder / CEO at Agridigital, Flavia Tata Nardini Co-Founder & CEO at Fleet Space, Lauren Capelin - Principal at Startmate, Julie Trell - Chief Play Officer at Playful Purpose, Katherine Boiciuc - Associate Director at Maximus, Sarah Nolet - General Partner at Tenacious Ventures and Nicole Dyson - Founder at Future Anything.
In this episode, we speak with Craig Swann from Southstart. I love chatting with Craig. He is so passionate about building community and doing it in the most 'frictionless' way possible. We spoke a few weeks out from the 2021 Southstart Conference Emergence.
I really enjoyed my chat with Nick. He is best known as the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Linktree. If you have not heard of them I am not sure what rock you have been under! Linktree is a tech platform that connects audiences to the online ecosystems of brands, celebrities, creators and causes. I am sure many of you have it on your Instagram account as we speak. Nick is a fellow designer and has lead a really interesting career.
It was a pleasure chatting with Cormac. He was speaking at Pause Fest last year and we sat down and had a wide-ranging conversation. Storytelling is at the heart of everything Cormac does and in our chat, I discoed it has been a constant thread in his life and career, starting from, his Punk Rock roots in Ireland and taking him around the world in a variety of roles. Some key areas of the conversation were:
* The future of the Cannabis industry in Australia
* Changing the narrative on cannabis
* Media narratives setting us apart and we how can deal with that
* How a DIY punk rock ethic can help you in business
* How to learn and grow as a modern marketer
* What is Ethical Marketing?
Thanks to Pausefest for making the conversation possible and to Cormac for his time!
Alastair Simpson is a leader and mentor, serving as VP of Design at Dropbox. He loves working with multi-disciplinary teams to solve complex business and interaction design challenges. When we spoke to him, he was head of design at Atlassian, leading a cross-geo design team across a portfolio of their cloud Products and Platforms; Trello, Confluence, Platform, Design System, Ecosystem and Growth. He hails from the UK but has spent time living and working in Australia and Sydney and is a passionate advocate for design becoming more central to modern business. We spoke to him at Pausefest about design in the modern world, leadership, and finding a mentor. Enjoy!
This week on Humans Aren’t Robots we present a fantastic conversation with the world’s leading authority on sextech, Bryony Cole. Sex Tech you say? What is that? Oh, just a 30 30 dollar industry and valued at 130 billion over the next 5 years. A perfect guest for our podcast. I started the chat by asking Bryony what one of the most defining moments in her life has been and from there we tackle a number of topics including changing the narrative around sex, sex tech and what it means to be a male in 2020! A fascinating conversation, thanks Bryony!
On this weeks episode, we sat down with Trent Clews-de Castella - Co-founder of Phoria. PHORIA is a world-leading immersive tech studio that specialises in cutting-edge Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality (VR/AR/MR/XR) technology. Trent started the business with some friends from school and they have grown to a team of over 30 people in Melbourne. We met Trent as they were demoing some of their interactive experiences live from Pause fest earlier in the year. We discussed the real-world use cases of VR and AR and what the future of the space looks like. What it is like growing a business with three mates and some insights into fast growth.
I had such a fun time talking with Miles Orkin. Miles is a UX lead at Google and spends a lot of his time thinking about how he can empower teams. Miles started his career writing to Thrasher magazine. Which basically makes him my hero! Miles had some fantastic insights into how to create an environment in your workplace that is geared towards maximum happiness and success from teams.
I was really excited to sit down with Dom Pym who is the Co-Founder of Up Bank and software development company Ferocia. I have heard Dom speak a few times and have been a fan of Up since it launched a few years ago. If you have not come across Up, it is at the forefront of changing the way we think about bank and banking. I fell in love with their customer-centric approach and attention to small detail. Things that I love in any product, especially ones as integral to everyday life as banking. Dom has had an interesting career covering many roles and I took this opportunity to dive int his mind and uncover some gems for all of you.
It was an absolute pleasure to meet and chat with Kate earlier this year at Pausefest. Kate has followed her curiosity and passion and found herself the director of design at NEST which is now a Google company. She studied industrial design here in Australia and had dreams of designing more human connections with computers. She started her career at Emu design in Brisbane at a time when there were only a handful of serious product agencies here in Aus. Her career has taken her to Finland working with Nokia and to the heart of silicon valley with Twitter and Amazon. We spoke about some of the differences in culture across these companies and how they let their employees flourish at work.I am really interested in the bridge between industrial design and interface design. I think back to 2000 in my final year of high school, in my design class we worked on designing mobile phones, looking at new form factors (mine looked like a slightly slimmer 5210 🙂 I can’t help but wish we had focussed on the interface design at that point in time. An industrial design ethos lends itself very well to UX / UI and Kate and I discuss these parallels and how they have helped shape her career across both hardware and software design.If you would like to find Kate you can on LinkedIn or Twitter and also check out Google Nest
Welcome to Season 2 of Human's Aren't Robots. In this series of conversations we dive into the realm of creative leadership with humans from some of the worlds most successful companies. We have guests from Google, Atlassian, Nest, Phoria, The future of Sex, Up Bank and more - We touch on a wide range of topics with Creative leadership and Design as the central theme - but get into punk rock, skateboarding, sex toys and much much more. We were podcasting live from Pause Fest 2020 - just prior to COVID and the end of travelling podcasts as we knew it! We hope you enjoy this season.
Following another week of rapidly changing new stories, government updates and more uncertainty, I reached out to Jim Antonopoulos, a fellow designer and friend who’s thoughts on leadership and teams I find extremely interesting and thought-provoking. Jim runs Tank, a strategic design & innovation consultancy - if you aren't already subscribed to his weekly newsletter I’d definitely recommend signing up here at marchfirst.com.au
There is A LOT of information going around at the moment, some of it helpful, some less so. I got in touch with Michael and Tim from HT Capital, clients of ours who are perfectly positioned to offer a helpful perspective to small business owners in the same position as us.We discussed the importance of small businesses really taking the time now to take a step back, look at their cashflow, pipeline (short and longer-term), different scenarios and how the situation could affect their individual business; rather than diving immediately into getting access to government stimulus packages. It's important to assess your own situation, as every business is unique. How can you shape your business to be in the best possible position in 12 months time?
We were joined at _southstart by investor and entrepreneur - Steve Baxter. Most people will know Steve from Shark Tank Australia but his career is a lot more extensive than that. He has worked with many successful companies in leading roles over the last 25 years, roles that include Founder, Director, CEO and more.
We discussed the work ethic of young people and how it’s changed since Steve’s earlier work with start-ups; with an insight into the difference between millennials entering the workforce now vs the generation that were starting out just after the recession of the 90s.
I asked Steve how he maintains his teams, he likes to keep it old school – no ping pong tables and no working from home.
And of course, I had to ask Steve about his time on Shark Tank and whether, as an investor, it was beneficial. Also, touching on the Beer Pal pitch, an app we developed.
A great chat with some insights into an old school work culture in a modern environment. Enjoy!
In this episode from _southstart I sat down with three incredible people: Adam McCurdie, Mark Reading and Sarah Gun. They were a part of a panel called “Social Impact: The Time is Now”, a really interesting discussion that dove into how we can align technology with humanity to tackle some of the most pressing issues that we face. We take a look into their worlds and what lies ahead for each of them.Mark is Head of the Foundation and the Australian Lead for the Pledge 1% Foundation. This foundation encourages, inspires and assists companies to pledge 1% of either their equity, profit, time or products to a chosen cause.Adam is the co-founder and director of Humanitix. A ticketing platform that allows events to make an impact as 100% of booking fees goes towards closing the education gap. They have programs helping girls go to school, scholarships available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and give nutritious meals to kids who need it as well as educating them on the importance of a balanced diet for a healthy body and mind.Sarah is the founder of GOGO Events, an Adelaide based company that employs those at risk of and facing homelessness. They run elaborate gala award nights, corporate celebrations, community festivals and more. They are also founding members of Carbon Neutral Adelaide, ensuring to take care of the planet by choosing local suppliers and producers.This was such a great chat and really inspired me to want to do more. I have signed our team at Digital Noir up to Pledge 1% and everyone has really got on board with this and we’re having some great conversations about how we can donate our time and expertise. Watch this space!
Adelaide local, Devin Mancuso (now based in California) has worked for Google for almost 4 years, initially as a Senior Interaction Designer and now in Design Strategy, Platforms and Ecosystems.
I had a really interesting chat with him about so many different topics. We discussed how he got into the design space, recounting the exact moment he really fell in love with it (while studying computer science and business management). As well as the struggles of teaching himself UX at a time when there really wasn't a lot of information available.
We talked about the importance of having a great user experience in apps, how people made decisions before designers were really a thing, and what human-centred design means to him.
We also dive into how design strategy became something he wanted to pursue, and where he got a chance to do this at Google initially. He really paints a picture of the energy that people in Silicon Valley feel, and how exhausting it can sometimes be! Showing the importance of aligning yourself with what you want to do and who you want to be.
This is a great chat to check out for anyone working or with an interest in the design space. Enjoy!
In our last PauseFest podcast from 2019 we chat with Ben Lee, Founder and Chief Revenue Office at Rootstrap. If you've never heard of these guys before, you should really check them out - they're known as globally-recognised digital masters and have worked with Google, Master Class and heaps of other exciting businesses.
In our chat we discuss how Ben is taking a different approach to the usual 'entrepreneur thing'. He's stopped posting as much, stopped vlogging, stopped doing eternal podcasting and is focusing more on his work and his team.
Ben and I also touched on the short term success that exists in the current climate; brands with so much exposure and thousands of followers can be forgotten about the next day. People's attention span is so short these days, it can be hard for businesses to stay afloat. We also got into a discussion about distributed teams, offshoring, and the importance of having as much 'in-person' time as possible.
Ben also shares his insight into how the Australian start-up market is different to what he's used to in America, and what surprised him most!
This was another exciting chat that I'm excited to share. Enjoy!
Sitting down with Elaine Stead again was exciting. Since our last chat, Elaine has been working with the South Australian Venture Capital Fund, doing some great things here in Adelaide.
We got into the importance of having a purpose. Knowing the "why" of your business will keep you on track and focused, whether you're doing great or shit's hitting the fan.
Elaine also gave us some insight to what the SAVCF are looking for when entrepreneurs and founders come to them with their ideas. As well as give us some tips on approaching and meeting with venture capitalists; what makes people stand out, how you should act and how to get on their radar.
This is a great chat to listen to if you're starting a business or thinking of taking your current business to the next level! Enjoy.
It was exciting sitting down with Penny Locaso again, if you've been listening to our podcasts for a while, you'll remember we talked to her at _southstart last year. Penny founded Bkindred and calls herself a "happiness hacker". She teaches people how to slow down, think more, and make decisions to adapt, coining the term Intentional Adaptability Quotient (IAQ) - a means of measuring how skilled someone is at making an intentional change in a complex environment that's evolving at speed. We dove into the theme of penny's talk at _southstart, discussing the busy epidemic. How as a society, people are forced to cram as much stuff into their day as possible leading to bad mental health, especially anxiety. Penny spills some of her hacks for productivity and managing her work into a small portion of her day. This is an inspiring conversation that challenges people to think differently, enjoy!
As our world is taken over by more products and services than ever before, it's the job of people like Laura Ryan to ensure that these will assist and benefit people's wellbeing. I sat down to discuss this with her at PauseFest last year.
Laura is the Strategy Director at Mentally Friendly, an exciting design and innovation studio with a human-centred approach.
We talked about what wellbeing (really) is and where it can come from - especially in the workplace. A feeling of wellbeing stemming from a sense of purpose, by doing something that matters to you, by being empathetic.
Laura refers to herself as a designer, even though she says she can't draw, she works as part of the design team using research and strategy to help the process, rather than designing in the traditional sense.
We both believe that designers have a responsibility when it comes to marrying profit with empathy and ensuring that what they produce doesn't cause distress or concern to the user.
We chatted about all this and more. Another very fitting podcast for our Humans Aren't Robots series. Enjoy.
Sitting down at SouthStart with Alex Moss over some wine sparked an exciting conversation. She is the CEO and Head designer of Canaria Technologies, a cutting edge tech company that brings together the space, mining and medicine industries into one little wearable that can monitor and track the wearers vital signs.
Alex has not always worked in this space though, she comes from a fashion, design, and art background. After reflection, she decided she wanted to do something different. Something that would make a difference. For nine months, she taught herself medical device engineering in a garage and in 2016 won the NASA Hackathon Best Use of Hardware. This hardware has been altered since then, making it more appropriate for use in the mining industry.
We got to discuss where the inspiration for the device came from and how she managed to keep her idea alive for long enough to see it launch. She also tells us what she has in store for the future of the company.
This is a chat I'm excited to share, enjoy.
In this episode from _southstart, I sat down with Dan Levy who I've known for a while now. His business, More Space For Light, uses design thinking methods to find problems within companies and find ways to solve them. They look at customer/user experience, strategy and consultation, with specialisation in design sprints and workshop programs.
Dan gives us a rundown of how the whole process works and how implementing these strategies can be beneficial to a business. We were also lucky enough to hear the beautiful story behind his company's name, and how it inspired a mantra that Dan stands behind.
Hopefully, I can have another exciting chat with Dan soon. Enjoy.
At South Start 2019, I got to sit down in our podcasting tent and chat with Dr Jemma Green. We found out exactly how Jemma went from working mainstream finance in a bank to finding a passion in sustainability.
Jemma is the executive chairman at Power Ledger where renewable energy is at the forefront of their mission. Through the utilisation of blockchain, Power Ledger have enabled peer-to-peer trading of excess solar electricity.
We discuss the importance of disruptive innovation in terms of leading to big change and exactly how her tech works.
With the current nature of the climate, looking towards sustainable methods is a rising importance. This is a great listen for anyone interested in making a change to solar energy or for those interested in Power Ledgers operations. Enjoy!
I finally got the chance to chat with Amelie Veale from Be The Drop, another awesome Adelaide based podcast. In this episode, we talk about branding, culture, customer services, and get meta about podcasting. We also discuss the way podcasting has grown for both of us.
This was a really exciting chat and a great listen for anyone thinking of starting their own podcast, enjoy!
At Pause Fest, I got the chance to sit down with Stephanie Winkler. She is currently the Head of Insights for VICE, previously in the Senior Digital Strategist role. Stephanie also does a lot of work with General Assembly, an organisation that takes young people and equips them with skills in marketing, coding, UX and Design, and more.
We talked about how content and relationships at VICE have been bettered using data. As well as touching on how VICE do their best to take refreshing approaches to their work, accommodating the need for new exciting content that their audience craves.
I hope I get to talk with Stephanie next year at Pause Fest 2020.
I am excited to share this chat with you all. Lou Wiess is the CMO At Shutterstock. If you have ever worked in or around a creative role, you would have heard of them. They are the worlds most abundant source of stock assets. Lou knows his shit! Having been involved in the world of digital marketing for the lifespan of the modern web. Speaking to Lou, you get the impression he has been ahead of a few curves and has racked up an impressive wealth of experience in his field.
We touched on some of this history and then took a dive into the current state of stock content and where Shutterstock want to take it. We also spoke about how you can leverage content to create viral campaigns. He was a pleasure to chat with, and I could have gone on for a lot longer. Hopefully, I can catch him for a beer in New York over Christmas.
Sam was joined at Pause Fest by Sam Gledhill and Marcus Nance from the Movember Foundation. Together they discuss how a charity can become such a success and what the future of mental health support holds.
When I first heard that someone was doing 'cool stuff' on the Popeye, my ears pricked up. For those of you not here in Adelaide, the Popeye is a historic cruise boat that motors up and down our humble Torrens River. Many of us would have fond memories as kids going for a ride or spotting it while walking the bank or visiting the zoo. Bianca Shuman has recently taken over the wheel from her dad; she is in her twenties and has a new vision for the Popeye. I was excited to sit down with her and discuss the complexities of inheriting a business, changing the popular perception and also looking ahead to the future and helping to shape what might be!
A great listen for anyone starting in business or interested in what it might take to get something fresh and innovative off the ground!
I had been podcasting all morning at this point, and Mykel arrived with Anna and suggested he buy a round of beers. The perfect start to a conversation, in my opinion. I had not met Anna before but quickly learnt she does incredible work in the fields of human rights, social work and public policy and had been travelling around Australia in a pop-top combi for several years listening to the stories of First Nations Australians. What followed was a great yarn that touches on the heart of why we wanted to update our name (to humans aren't robots).
Both Anna and Mykel spoke so fluently about some of the challenges that face us as modern humans and the disconnect we often find ourselves in. I particularly loved the concept of Dadirri that Anna brought up - which is an indigenous term for 'deep listening' - something we should all practice more often! I hope you enjoy the chat and please check out both Anna and Mykels work, two shining positive rays of light in a sometimes gloomy world.
I sat down with Craig Swann who is once again the driving force behind Southstart here in Adelaide. Craig is no stranger to our podcast, in fact this is his third chat with us! We will be joining him and his team at the event this year, podcasting live and helping to share some of the incredible ideas! The theme of this year is very much in line with our new re-brand on the podcast - Convergence: Humans - Impact - Technology! Craig discussed the reasoning behind this and what we can expect from the conference convergence!
We're kicking off our new podcast name with a very fitting guest - Stephen Gates! Human's aren't Robots: The people behind the digital.
Coming at you from PauseFest, Stephen is currently the head design evangelist at Invision - a company most of us in the creative fields will have heard of (and love). His role, essentially involves going into companies (they partner with 97% of the worlds Fortune 100 brands) to elevate the business impact of design through education, coaching and thought leadership.
The Crazy One Podcast: http://thecrazy1.com/
Craig Brown is the CEO of software engineering company, Everest Engineering. Craig is also the founder of LAST Conferences which focus on Lean Agile Systems. LAST Conferences take place in cities around Australia and are curated by local practitioners.
To find a conference, follow the prompts at: https://www.lastconference.com/
Read Sam's review of a LAST conference he attended: https://www.digital-noir.com/last-conference-adelaide-review/
Or you can follow the conference or Craig Brown: Twitter: @LASTconf @brown_note LinkedIn: Craig Brown https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigwbrown/ Website: https://everest.engineering/#/
We sat down with Jacqui live from Pausefest to chat about her experience with Sidekicker, a business she co-founded at the age of 22.
Sidekicker is a technology platform that lets businesses hire temporary staff, or as they call them, Sidekicks. Backed by SEEK and with offices in every major city across Australia and New Zealand, they employ 10,000 Sidekickers, connecting them with businesses seeking temporary and casual staff across hospitality, events, office admin, promotions and warehousing.
Sam is joined by Grant Munro, self made entrepreneur and founder of Flashstock. They chat about the scalability of a company, and the importance of providing relevant content to your clients. Grant has created custom content for the likes of Blackberry and Budweiser, and eventually had his company acquired by Shutterstock!
A good listen for anybody who works in a service business.
Grant Munro: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantmunro/ Shutterstock: https://custom.shutterstock.com/
Paolo is a user experience designer and leader with a serious CV to his name. He has been instrumental both as a designer and leader of people in companies such as Microsoft, Mercedes and Netflix. He is currently at Google as the director of UX in the YouTube Ads team.
Paolo spoke at Pause Fest earlier in the year about 'The 5 P's' - a practical framework that he has put together for leading teams, which we talked about in our chat. As well as this, we discussed his insights on what it takes to lead an innovative team and the state of UX design in 2019.
You can find him online at www.i4design.com and @wildchicken.
If you're interested in learning more about opportunities at Google, you can check out www.design.google for more information.
This week on Digial Noir Presents, we're joined by Aarron Walter - VP of Design Education at InVision. Aarron draws upon 15 years of experience running product teams and teaching design to help companies enact design best practices.
He emphasises that design isn't something to be applied to an end product in hopes of making it pretty, but a problem solving process.
We were really excited to chat with Charlie at Pausefest this year, we have been longtime fans of Bellroy and was really interested to hear more about the behind the scenes at the company. At the time of this conversation, Charlie was the head of flourishing at Bellroy. Helping their team and customer to 'flourish' in life is one of the guiding principles of the business and Charlie had some really interesting insights into how a fast-growing, dynamic organisation can fulfil such a weighty goal.
For more info on Pausefest head to www.pausefest.com.au Bellroy - www.bellroy.com.au To hear more podcasts - www.digital-noir.com/digital-noir-presents-podcast/
String built a loyal following on Meerkat and after its death moved across to Snapchat to build an audience to big up the powers of video for personal and business branding. She is great at it. She knows that consistency is key and 'showing up' at the same time every day / week to deliver scheduled, high impact content 'Live' is a brilliant way to build a tribe. That makes sense right?
Since those Snapchat days string has moved across other platforms, she was given early access to LinkedIn video and made a HUGE impact on the platform. using the skills she had honed on other platforms, she showed that having a unique voice, personality and style really cuts through, no matter what the audience.
We first met Julia as a part of the 2018 Telstra Business Awards. She was heading up the PR team and we were blown away with the quality of communications around the whole awards and events. We were lucky enough to sit down with her whilst we were podcasting LIVE from Pausefest 2019. We chatted about what it means to be a marketer in 2019, how small business can benefit from PR and the importance of strategy in telling stories.
Julia has 10 years experience delivering strategic communications and public relations for some of Australia's largest and most recognisable brands, including Telstra, ExxonMobil, Commonwealth Bank, Western Union and AGL.
She understands - and is passionate about sharing - how PR, marketing and communications sit within the broader context of a business and their role in driving the health of a brand, and therefore long-term commercial success
You can find more about Julie and Echomakers @ https://www.echomakers.com.au/
She also has her own podcast - https://www.echomakers.com.au/podcast
This week, Christo and I sat down with Phillip Dautell - Tonsley Precinct Director, to trade ideas on the need for expanding co-working spaces, Adelaide as a leading city, Office morale and creating self-sustaining communities in larger cities.
The Tonsley Innovation District is driving change and realising the future. It's a tight, focused, vibrant and dynamic development environment, drawing on the best and brightest in one of the world's most liveable cities — Adelaide.
Last week, Sam went down to Plant 4 to hang out with Jessie Spiby, Founder and Taylor Peplow Ball from My Grandma Ben. My Grandma Ben is not your average store/eatery. They have a real passion for sustainability and striving to be more eco-friendly in everything they do, especially their business practices. We had a chat about the importance of community, gardening, preserving food and a whole lot more.
You can find My Grandma Ben open from Wednesday to Sunday for late breakfast and lunch and dinner Wednesdays and Fridays at Plant 4 Bowden. More info here:
https://mygrandmaben.com/ https://www.facebook.com/my.grandma.ben https://www.instagram.com/my.grandma.ben/
Thanks for your time Taylor and Jessie!
You can find more about us @
https://www.digital-noir.com/digital-noir-presents-podcast/ https://www.facebook.com/digitalnoirpresents
This week on Digital Noir Presents, Sam & Nick chat with Elaine Stead, Managing Director of Venture Capital at Blue Sky Alternative Investments to discuss the finance industry and the critical humans factor in business. We touch on Australia's budget spending, ideas and problem solving, and the mental health of business leaders over a bottle of red.
Sadly we did not manage to sit down with Rachael O'Meara at Pause Fest this year but lucky for us she gave up some of her time to jump on Skype and have a chat with Sam. Rachael is the author of Pause. A book which outlines how to create intentional shifts in behaviour to help you lead a more meaningful and satisfying life. It teaches you how to harness the power of giving yourself a break! This is something that we spend a lot of time thinking about here in the studio, so it was fantastic to dive in and find out more from Rachael.
Sam sat down with Leah from Intimate (crypto for grown ups) at Pausefest 2019 to discuss all things Crypto, Adult and privacy.
Leah is the Chief Impact Officer for intimate, a cryptocurrency that is challenging institutional bias against the adult and sex tech industries. With over a decade's experience spearheading the business development and growth strategies for a range of emerging tech startups, she devoted a large part of her MBA to the topic of social entrepreneurship.
Find out more about Pausefest at www.pausefest.com.au and intimate at https://intimate.io/
What is the most memorable tv advertisement you've ever seen? On this week's episode of Digital Noir Presents, Nick and Nate are joined by Dominic Legg, Managing Director of Motion by Design, where they discuss all forms of digital advertising. Dominic also provides some extremely valuable insight into the production of video commercials and effective ways of reaching your audience. This is one for all marketers and content producers, so be sure to tune in!
Sam and Nick are joined by Mathew D'Onofrio, founder of Nightlife, a business he founded when he was 17! Nightlife is an event first aid service dedicated to creating safe partying environments amongst youth, alcohol consumption and drugs. Mathew's story of why he began this business is eye-opening and definitely worth listening to.
The guys also chat about Mathew's time in St Johns and where his passion for helping young people began, as well as university education versus real-world experience.
Katrina Donaghy is the Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Civic Ledger - a civic-focused blockchain Australian company, working with governments globally on the use of blockchain technologies. Angela DiFabio, Business Engagement at Flinders New Venture Institute, has culminated her understanding of banking with innovative technologies and processes to provide strategic vision for disruptive financial and social mechanisms to assist those living at the bottom of the pyramid. They join Sam to discuss the power of networking, as well as Blockchain and its real-world application.
Matthew Michalewicz is CEO of Complexica, a leading provider of Artificial Intelligence software applications that can optimise sales, marketing, & supply chain decisions. He joins Sam on the podcast at SouthStart to chat about why he moved to Australia, the business-related differences between the USA and Australia as well as the fear of failure.
On the last episode of our Podcasts from SouthStart series, Sam is joined by Mark Mendel, founder of 99starts. 99starts is a global on-demand conference content platform bringing you the very best keynote talks. The two discuss how to get the most out of a conference, from making connections, VIP tickets and why the word "conference" is overrated.
99starts: https://www.99starts.com/
Penny Locaso, founder and CEO of BKindred is the world's first Happiness Hacker, on a mission to teach 10 million humans, by 2025, how to future-proof happiness. Julie Trell, head of muru-D has a vast and varied background spanning both startup and corporate environments, working most recently as the Founder & Chief Life Officer of Playful Purpose. Suffice to say Sam is in good company for this episode of Podcasts from SouthStart.
Heather J. MacKenzie is an internationally acclaimed speaker who presents compelling keynotes and workshops on a variety of topics, including how healing childhood trauma improves professional and personal relationships, why funding females is good for everyone, and the importance of tending to founder mental health. She joins Sam as they discuss South Australia becoming more transparent and bringing awareness to mental health as a Founder/CEO.
With over 20 years of software development and specialising in Augmented Reality, John Sietsma is your go-to-guy if you want to implement AR into your start-up or large business. John currently works as an Evangelist for Unity, implementing AR to overcome technical, business and skill hurdles. Enjoy this episode of the podcast as Sam talks with John about getting entrepreneurs together and starting conversations as well as Augmented Reality and it's future in the consumer market.
Need to energize revenue growth, break into the next level, enter new markets or merge businesses to grow your market presence? Then Gus Quiroga is your guy. As the Acting Business Unit Leader - Watson Customer Engagement at IBM, Gus knows all about talent development, revenue focus and go to market transformation. He also knows a thing or two about iRobot, and if you want to know what we mean by that, go listen to his podcast from SouthStart.
Allow us to introduce you to Greg Cross. He creates digital humans (his words not ours). Greg is the co-founder of Soul Machines, a company with a mission focus on humanizing Artificial Intelligence and exploring the future of human-machine cooperation. He joins Sam on the podcast to discuss the implications and ethics of Augmented Reality and more!
John Henderson is a Partner at Airtree Ventures where he focuses on vertical applications of data analytics. He also co-founded London.ai, which has become Europe's premier AI meetup. On this episode of Podcasts from SouthStart, John joins Sam to chat about what the future could look like for humans in the world of AI and why the need for critical thinking is more vital than ever.
Airtree Ventures: https://airtree.vc/
You heard it here first! The robots have infiltrated our society! As suitcases...? This week on the podcast, Nick shares the most exciting new tech to come out of CES 2019 like rollable TVs, capsule beer and automatic toothbrushes, while Christo and Sam try to derail him as quickly as possible. It doesn't take long...
Actor, Singer, Filmmaker. You might be surprised to find we're talking about Co-Founder of Vinomofo, Andre Eikmeier! After recently stepping down as CEO of the company, Andre began transformation agency, Good Empire (FKA Cult Tribal), to help companies build culture-led brands and unite their own tribes by doing things right. A wealth of knowledge just waiting to be tapped, Sam sat down with Andre at SouthStart to chat about the point of difference that Vinomofo has, finding your tribe, and building a culture in your team.
You've probably heard of Cameron Adams, and if you haven't, you've definitely heard of Canva, the online design platform. Cameron is a co-founder and Chief Product Officer at the online design giant, with over 10 million users in 190 different countries. Sam delves into Cameron's history working in the web-space, from his time at Google to building Canva.
Ever thought about becoming a millionaire? We have the podcast for you!
Jay Samit: entrepreneur, best-selling author and serial disruptor. A man that wears many hats, Jay has made many accomplishments throughout his life; appointed by President Bill Clinton to assist in bringing Internet access for US schools, former Independent Vice Chairman of Deloitte, and raising hundreds of millions of dollars for startups. Jay and Nate discuss his business journey, why the word 'failure' doesn't really exist, and why you don't have to leave Adelaide to reach the rest of the world.
Download your free workbook here: http://jaysamit.com/
In 2015, Flavia Tata Nardini co-founded Fleet Space Technologies, a connectivity company with a mission to create a digital nervous system by launching system microsatellites into space to control IoT devices. Flavia and Sam chat about her love of space, the correlation between passion & entrepreneurship, and the future of space in Adelaide. All that and more on this episode of Digital Noir Presents: Podcasts from SouthStart.
Pam Melroy is a retired Air Force test pilot and former NASA astronaut and Space Shuttle commander (yes, you read that right). Pam is now Director of Space Technology and Policy at Nova Systems, a Professional Service Provider, specialising in the provision of engineering and management services. She gives Sam a bit of insight into the indescribable feeling of being in space, delving into 'the overview effect'.
In 2017, Lloyd Damp started Southern Launch and has a specialised team alongside him developing a Polar and Sun Synchronous Orbit rocket launch site and associated infrastructure. At SouthStart, Sam got to chat with Lloyd about the embrace of technology in South Australia and developing the infrastructure for businesses to bring their satellites and rockets to SA to launch.
With Pause Fest around the corner (or next week for those playing at home), Sam gets the opportunity to chat with its founder, George Hedon. They chat about what this year's event has in store for its attendees as well as give out something extremely valuable information to maximise your experience.
We talk business, festivals and about the great accomplishments a small team can make.
At 28 years old, Paul Vasileff, founder of Paolo Sebastian, has accomplished a lot. Being named the 2017 Young Australian of the Year, showing at London Fashion Week 2010, and graduating from Milan's Europeo Istituto di Design are just a few of his many accomplishments. Paul joins Nate and special guest Keegan Sard on the Podcast at SouthStart, as the guys talk about his journey from fashion designer to Young Australian of the Year and keeping his business in Adelaide.
Alex McCauley is CEO of StartupAUS, a company working with startups, corporates, and governments across the country to help get the settings right to make Australia one of the best places in the world to build and grow a tech company. At SouthStart he joined Sam on the podcast to have a chat about the growth of businesses in South Australia, "overnight success", and more!
Two for the price of one! For this episode, Sam is joined by Tony Clark, Managing Director of Rising Sun Pictures and Michelle Perugini, Co-Founder of Life Whisperer. Tony has been instrumental in making Rising Sun of the most renowned VFX houses in the industry. Michelle used her 13 years in health and medical research, specialising in predictive genetics and translational medicine to co-found Life Whisperer, a company dedicated to using artificial intelligence (AI) to better identify healthy embryos for IVF, and to ultimately improve outcomes for couples wanting to have children. The trio discusses a number of topics, from keeping businesses in South Australia to finding the right talent.
The gang is back on the mics this week! Refreshed and revitalised from the Christmas and New Year break, Sam, Nick, Christo and Nate take a look back on their first year of podcasting, as well as look towards the future, revealing some of their personal new year resolutions and hopes for the podcast in 2019. Nick also tells us about how much he dislikes Bird Box...
Welcome to the first episode of Digital Noir Presents for 2019!
We're starting off the year strong by launching one of the chats we recorded at SouthStart 2018, featuring speaker Lewis Horne, Founder and CEO of Uniti Sweden. Join Sam as they discuss the high stakes of the Startup world, building your business' team and "relying on the government".
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
Halfway through SouthStart 2018, Craig Swann returns to the hot seat, joining Sam on the podcast to continue their conversation from a couple of months back. The two recap the first half of SouthStart and reflect on how the event has panned out and how it has changed their perspectives on the startup game.
This is the first of many podcast episodes to be released from this year's SouthStart so make sure you stay tuned for more coming soon...!
Ever stayed up to the crack of dawn working on a passionate project that makes the hours fly by? Ruby Lee can relate to that. This week Sam, Nick and Christo chat to the side hustle coach about how she started her profession, finding time versus making time, staying passionate and how you can improve your LinkedIn profile immediately!
Check out Ruby here: https://www.rubylee.co/ http://bit.ly/ownyourhustlepodcast
This episode of the podcast was recorded on 14/11/18
We start this episode of the podcast with a good old bottle of gin, so you can imagine how the rest of the episode went. Still, its worth a listen. Sam tells us why he can't play video games and of the time he worked on a lettuce farm... let that sink in...
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
How lucky are we that we got to chat with Jim Antonopoulos, owner of Melbourne Design Studio, TANK? Answer: Damn lucky! Sam, Nick and Jim chat about TANK, why you shouldn't work for free, education reform and why having a foosball table doesn't equal good team culture.
http://wearetank.com.au/ http://www.jimantonopoulos.com/
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
Who would have thought that weeds could be the key to saving our planet? Certainly not Sam or Nick! Their minds were blown when Dru Reschke, Top Dog at Koonara Wines, joined them on the podcast this week to talk about organic farming, recycling for energy and turning his Winery organic.
Links to some of this week's topics: Soil Degradation - http://bit.ly/2PUTlZU Top Soil Wastage - http://bit.ly/2qFJsB7 Allan Savory TED Talk - http://bit.ly/2FevBM8 Harmful Herbicides - http://bit.ly/2QvHLkV Vitamin C cures diseases - http://bit.ly/2PqVpcZ Magnesium for Depression - http://bit.ly/2T2xoXz
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
This week, Sam and Christo are joined by Jenny Hassam, CEO of Rhetoric PR. The guys learned about Jenny's time and experience in the industry, as well as some extremely actionable tips and tricks. If you have an interest in Public Relations, then this episode is guaranteed to give you an edge!
This episode of the podcast was recorded on 17/10/18
With Sam away, Nick, Christo and Nate sit down to talk about a hobby they all have in common, gaming. They reminisce on their first and favourite gaming experiences, what the future could have in store for the industry and attempt to answer the age-old question... Xbox or PlayStation?
(Hint: the answer is Xbox, and you can't do anything about it, Nick because I control this post! - Nate)
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
We had a really interesting chat with Craig Swann last week about the upcoming SouthStart conference here in Adelaide. We are lucky to have people like Craig and the forward-thinking crew at the MoonshineLab bringing events like this to SA.
We chatted about the unique position that Adelaide has in the world and the exciting opportunities that are open to us if we just step up and make sh@t happen! Tickets for Southstart are on sale now and given the quality of speakers and the passion behind the event you need to get involved!!
MoonshineLab: https://moonshinelab.com.au/ SouthStart: https://southstart.co/
This week, Nick, Christo and Nate are joined by Jono Kaitatzis, owner of Plant 4 in Bowden, a multi-purpose facility that is used for weekly markets, corporate events, weddings and so much more! The gang chats about Plant 4's history, working in the events business, and the opera. All that and more on this week's episode of #digitalnoirpresents!
This podcast was streamed live on Facebook on 3/10/18.
It's another visual episode this week (sorry audio listeners!), as the gang go live on Facebook. They talk about this year's iPhone reveal, Ryan Toys Reviews on YouTube, then get distracted by Michael Cera being a diva. A challenge is also issued...
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
Daniella Pacillo, owner and trainer at The Fit Collective joins us on the podcast this week, as we talk about everything relating to the world of fitness. From marketing & social media, yoga, balanced diets, writing for fitness blogs, we cover it all!
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
JP Drake of Drakes Supermarkets drops by the podcast this week with a "platter" of knowledge to dish out. The gang talk about Elon Musk, intergalactic travel, vlogging and JP's dream to be a DJ. He also brings us an actual food platter.
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
The gang learn a lot of things about PR this week with guest Sarah Green, Head of Media Relations at Of Character. They talk about working with clients, how the PR industry has changed over the last few years and clickbait. It's another good one!
This episode was broadcast live on Facebook on 05/09/2018
With no guest this week on the podcast, Sam, Nick and Nate were free to do whatever they wanted. So they decided to set up a live stream and talk about barbeques, buttons vs zips, renos and the population of Port Macquarie (that isn't even a joke).
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
We swear we're not becoming a food podcast... we just like food. Get excited because this week we got to chat with 2014 My Kitchen Rules champion, Bree May! This podcast includes conversations about Bali, chilli, Bree's Catering business and blog 'Food According to Bree' and plenty more food-related topics. Bon appétit!
'Food According to Bree' Blog: http://www.foodaccordingtobree.com/blog/
This week on the podcast we had the pleasure of talking to Kayla Banfield! You might remember her from the TV show Totally Wild or from the CrossFit Games. Join us as we chat about all things fitness and health and her business.
This week on the podcast we got chocolate! Fiona Krawczyk from Haigh's Chocolates dropped by to chat about the SA-based company that has been making chocolate for over 100 years! WARNING: This episode is guaranteed to give you a cocoa craving!
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
Whoever said print was dead? On the podcast this week we are joined by Sam Dickinson, owner of City Brief Guide. We chat about the risk in small business, and how difficult it can be to break even.
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
Use code "digitalnoir" at checkout and get $10 off your next order from Hey Bianca https://heybianca.co/
In this week's episode, we sat down with Jason and Aman from Hey Bianca, a pizza delivery service in the heart of Adelaide with an interesting approach. Hear us chat about starting a new business, social media marketing & food!
Sam is nowhere to be found, the podcast is in disarray, it's up to one man to save the day. Mr. Mabbs comes to the rescue in this week's episode with his... interview questions... oh dear...
On this week's podcast, we chat about exploring Melbourne and tell you about our hunt for some Ramen in our three part Melbourne series.
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
This week we sat down with Dane Lang Wilton from The Arrest, a Melbourne based creative studio working at the nexus of fine art and functional design.
We chat about intellectual property, the world of counterfeit products, and 3D printing.
The World Cup has been going on for a month now and down to the finals. Who do you think will win, France or Coatia?
Online Dating: Good Thing or Bad Thing? What are your experiences with online dating? This week on the podcast we played around with a Tinder profile.
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
This week on the podcast we speak to Jenny Low, an Advance SA candidate working alongside John Darley.
Jenny gives us the inside scoop on what it's like to work in politics in SA. We talk about everything from motorcycle gangs to environmentalism.
Read more about Jenny here: https://www.advancesaparty.com.au/jenny-low
A little bit of everything this week on the podcast from "trippy" things like Hallucinogens and the Universe to talk on rating people on services like Uber to discussing languages. A conversation on everything, check it out!
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
Modernist Adelaide takes us on a tour through Adelaide's mid-century architecture.
Book a tour with Modernist Adelaide here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/modernist-adelaide-15552766578
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
Shout out to all the Adelaide Foodies! Whether you're a Chef, hospitality professional or just love food. This one is for you!
Check out this weeks podcast with Chef Frank Hero, Tafe SA Lecturer.
This week after we had a guest cancel last minute we decided to fulfill our podcast dreams and read an entire episode of Seinfeld LIVE on air. If you cannot stomach us acting, you can skip in 15 minutes or so and hear us talk about childhood TV shows amongst other amsuing banter
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
Are you a small business? This podcast is an interesting insight into digital and social media marketing for small business.
We chat to Marketing Consultant, Jessie Cursaro from Adelaide Artisan who provides her top tips on using different social media platforms.
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
This week on the podcast, the DN Presents team chat all things 'Black Mirror' and technology, and how we interact with tech in the real world.
What's your favourite episode?
Check out Nick's blog on a similar subject here: https://www.digital-noir.com/unlock-the-entire-history-of-you/
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
Enjoy hearing from the podcast crew about their recent adventure through the Adelaide Hills, drunken antics, encounters in Hahndorf and how the team are preparing for the Digital Noir True Grit Challenge.
Confessions of a shopaholic.
Naghhh... Sam, Nick and Christo talk about their online shopping experiences. What's the first thing you purchased online?
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
A chat with a local Adelady ... Michelle Pearson, founder of Comfort Food Cabaret.
An entertaining insight into the life of combining a passion for food with cabaret.
She can cook, she can sing, she can entertain, she even caters... Check out her latest act at this years' Tasting Australia!
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio. Could a lean startup help your business flourish and save valuable time? We chat with industry coach Elijah Eilert about how it works. Elijah is the founder of Innovation Metrics and specialises in Innovation Accounting
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
Insta what? Instagram.
We break down how you can best use your marketing experience on instagram to boost your business's reach.
Welcome to the new year. Ok, OK it's MARCH already! Far out where has the time gone? Let's just pretend it's the first of Jan and welcome in the new year with the crew from Digital Noir Presents.
Enjoy
This week we have a chat with business entrepreneur and co-founder of Playt, Nicole Henderson.
We have a special guest on this week's episode of Digital Noir Presents. We welcome the always witty, always sharp Google Home Mini into the studio for a chat about everything from Game Shows to Shazam.
Enjoy!
In this, our fourth instalment of Digital Noir Presents. We have a chat about some of the technology we are loving at the moment, in particular Nick's new iPhone X
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
UX design doesn't just apply to technology. You'd be surprised how much design has been implemented into all of our everyday lives, sometimes helpful, but sometimes not so much...
In this podcast, we challenge ourselves to come up with helpful UX solutions to everyday problems.
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
Looking for a fun way to expand your brand awareness? Or maybe you'd like to tap into a new learning resource? In this podcast we talk about the benefits podcasts could have on your personal and professional life.
Welcome to Digital Noir Presents. A podcast loosely based around life in a Digital Studio.
Good vibes only! In this podcast, we chat about how a workplace culture can be formed, and the benefits this has on professional relationships, business productivity and the self-value of team members.