Wednesday 03 April 2024 - Friday 05 April 2024
If you've been following our Substack journey, you know we’ve been diving into an eclectic mix of topics. To celebrate Rosie Lee's 24 birthday, we're hosting a series of live conversations over 3 days at the start of April.
We've planned these events to capture the spirit of what Unorthodox Blend is about, with a whole bunch of inspiring people with diverse expertise and passions. Expect a mix of insightful discussions with people who think creatively, panels with industry experts and a chance to meet others who share your curiosity.
Day 1 - Wed 03 Apr 24
UBC007 Richard Hoare
Music, negotiation and philosophy.
Richard Hoare is Russell’s DJ partner with Vintage Mobile Disco, a 10 year long project based on a love of 7” vinyl and eclectic music tastes. He’s the man behind Hoare Associates, a pioneering alternative legal services provider for the UK music industry that favours modern, agile ways of working in contrast to some other dusty corners of his industry. Oh, and he is also an award winning author. He can shift topics from music to discordianism, and from politics to ley lines without coming up for air.
Wed 03 Apr 24
13:00 - 14:30
UBC008 Mick McConnell
Age, getting fired and working with good people.
Mick is well seasoned Chief Creative, ECD, Head of Product, Professor of Design along with some other things. He has 20+ years design experience in our industry both client side and agency side. We worked closely with Mick in his time as VP Marketing (NA) at Samsung and he very quickly became a friend of Rosie Lee. A kindred spirit who, like us, wants to set the world on fire without hurting anyone.
Wed 03 Apr 24
15:30 - 17:00
UBC009 Dean Evans
Video games, human creativity and toxic leadership.
Dean Evans is a seasoned veteran of the gaming industry, boasting an impressive career spanning over 25 years. He has worked on some of the industry’s most iconic franchises including Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne, Splinter Cell, Far Cry: Blood Dragon and Assassin’s Creed. Dean is the person responsible for introducing us (Mark and Russell) to each other over 20 years ago and the rest is history. (And he is also an NPC in GTA San Andreas!).
Wed 03 Apr 24
18:00 - 19:15
UBC010 Mina Kitsos
Sneakers, collaboration and working with your heroes.
Born in Australia, Mina has a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts and Masters in Teaching and is truly one of the OG Sneakerheads. She has worked for and with a list of brands and talent that most of us could only dream of. But it hasn’t been straightforward for Mina, being a woman in the historically male dominated cultures of skate and sneakers. Her enjoyment, passion and determination saw her through and now she is heading up partnerships at Alyx & Au Depart. Her positivity and openness to tell her story is inspiring so we’re really looking forward to this one.
Wed 03 Apr 24
19:45 - 21:00
Day 2 - Thu 03 Apr 24
UBC011 Mark Gurney
Dubstep, restaurants and running.
We met Mark through our work and participation with Run Dem Crew, and he stood out as one of the most welcoming, warm and humble people we’ve ever met. He is well respected and connected in London’s restaurant scene (check out Levan and Bar Levan if you haven’t already), but he is also well known as the founder of 2nd Drop records. Mark is a man of many talents, and isn’t afraid to take on the unknown and pivot to shake things up. It’s genuinely hard not to like Mark, we’re sure you’ll agree after listening to our conversation with him.
Thu 04 Apr 24
13:00 - 14:30
UBC012 Humanity in HR (IRL)
Remote working, quiet quitting and conscious employment
We’re excited to present a live panel event looking at the continuing evolution of workspaces. In response to global changes, the importance of human-centric practices in Human Resources (HR) becomes increasingly evident.
Hosted by Rosie Lee Group’s Operations Director, Tom Sebright-King, our panel event promises an evening of insightful discussions and thought-provoking dialogue.
The panelists include Linda Jonas, Mia Samaha, and Nikky Lyle, each bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to the table.
Thu 04 Apr 24
18:00 - 21:30
Day 3 - Fri 05 Apr 24
UBC013 James Nelson
Design, experimentation and toast.
James has been with Rosie Lee for over 13 years, working on most of the projects that sits in our portfolio. He heads up the creative team in Amsterdam (along with Toast) and always brings the extra to projects. His meticulous attention to detail and reluctance to let anything leave the studio that isn’t beautifully designed is inspiring to be around. We’ve been looking forward to having James join us for conversation since we started Unorthodox Blend.
Fri 05 Apr 24
13:00 - 14:30
UBC014 Derek Morrison
Culture, business and students.
We have known Derek since early in his previous role at StockX, where he led their EMEA team. He now heads up UNiDAYS marketplace, the world’s largest Student Affinity Network, as their Global Managing Director. One thing is for sure: wherever he goes, Derek confidently sits firmly at the intersection of creativity, culture and business, determined to create genuine positive impact. We’re looking forward to learning something new from Derek when we speak with him.
Fri 05 Apr 24
15:30 - 17:00
UBC015 Lauren Lotka
Partnerships, talent and networks.
Lauren runs LOTKA & Co, a talent partner and consultancy that believes in building culturally aligned teams rather than simply placing people into roles. Her impressive client roster includes The North Face, Blue Bottle Coffee, adidas and ACE Hotel among others. Whenever we meet with Lauren we are always impressed by her holistic understanding of creative businesses and brands. We always share a lot of common ground, whether in people we know or opinions on what’s happening in our industry. Our conversations always feel so effortless and we’re hoping this one is no different.
Fri 05 Apr 24
18:00 - 19:15
UBC016 Tom Sebright-King
Reflection, compassion and a couple of beers.
The original test subject for Unorthodox Blend Conversations. Tom is our Operations Director at Rosie Lee, and despite the difficult situations Mark and I always seem to put him in, he is always supportive of our experimental attitude to business. Tom is passionate about humans at work, and how organisations can interact with people compassionately for genuine mutual benefit. Tom is deliberately our last conversationalist at UB Live 2024, so we can reflect together, pick our favourite highlights and share what we’ve learned over the 3 days.
Fri 05 Apr 24
19:45 - 21:00
We really hope you can make it to some of the conversations, but if you can’t attend one that you’ve love to hear, don’t worry because we’ll be releasing them as podcast episodes over the next few weeks. Simply subscribe to our Substack or follow us on Instagram to find out when episodes go live.
