Each Friday in The Wrap, one of the North’s leading media and creative figures gives us their take on the news covered by Prolific North over the last seven days. This week it’s the turn of Rachel Peacock, Head of Digital Union.
A Week in My Life: Holly Peacock-Goodwin, Digital Content Director at O
It was great to read this insightful article from Holly at O Communications – not only because she’s a great content director and from the North East but because, despite how busy her and the team are, they make time to give back to the community. She delivered a talk to a local school to help inspire the next generation of female leaders and this is such an important activity for businesses at all stages. We’ve all had a hero or mentor or looked up to someone at one point or another in our lives and need to make sure we ‘pay it forward’ as such. Well done Holly and the team.
ITN gender pay gap is double that of BBC
This is a hot topic at the moment, but unfortunately is nothing new. We know that inequality has been a huge issue for a long time and one which is still seen across so many sectors. It’s a shame when we have such amazing role models and speakers talking on days like International Women’s Day, which took place on 8th March. Stories such as this, involving large employers, just puts us so much further back in my opinion. The positive from this though is that it’s now out there for the world to know, discuss and campaign for. Let’s keep fighting the good fight!
Thompson Brand Partners to work on Mental Health at Work website
I was really pleased to hear that a mental health at work website has been commissioned by MIND. This is something I’m really passionate about and I was involved in an event Digital Union ran in partnership with Campus North in Newcastle this week to raise awareness. We held open discussions about the issues faced at work and the importance of well-being. What came out of the meet-up was that this is obviously a huge topic and it was great to see how many people are willing to get involved, give up their time to support and share their own experiences. However, we were perhaps a little naïve to think we could cover so much in so little time, so we’ll be working with businesses, organisations and other to run a series of events and promote what’s already happening. Having access to toolkits, resources and websites such as the one MIND are creating is crucial and we’ll do as much as we can to promote and support these charities in affecting positive change.
Mediaworks gets Wild in Art Down Under
The great thing about the North East is that there are so many creative digital businesses behind amazing campaigns, ideas and successes of local charities. I really enjoyed the Great North Snowdogs art trail and am pleased to see them partner with Wild in Art for charity art trails in Australia. Hopefully this will raise much-needed funds for the charities as well as bring together families for some fresh air, exercise and culture. With the Great Exhibition of the North happening this summer, I’m looking forward to getting out and about in the region, taking in the wonderful sights of Gateshead and Newcastle and seeing shows and exhibitions from the best and brightest organisations that the North as a whole has to offer!
New video and digital agency launches in Leeds
It’s always great to see a new creative business being created, especially when it’s in the North and the founders have spent time outside of the region and choose to ‘boomerang’ back. I may be biased, but there is a lot of evidence to support my claim that the North East and Yorkshire have a lot to offer business owners in terms of support networks, access to advice and information as well as talent. London obviously has its benefits, but it’s great to see business owners letting their peers and clients know that you can receive the same level of expertise and excellence in the North as you can in the capital! I wish creative director Ben and his co-founder Joe all the best with their new business, Mankind.
