About the author
Roy Sharples is the Founder, President and Chief Creative Officer of Unknown Origins on a mission to unlock everyones creative potential.
Manifesto
Manifesto
Inspirational conversations with creators about architecture, art, design, entrepreneurship, fashion, film, music, and pop culture.
“It's all about storytelling. You have to know what makes the beats of a story arc work”
Jon S. Baird
Filmmaking
From BBC Television to Hollywood Movie Director, Golden Globe nominee and BAFTA award winner, collaborations with Martin Scorsese, Danny Boyle, Jim Carrey, Mick Jagger and a host of award winning actors, to being one of Britain's most exciting directorial talents.
“Mediocrity hides behind choice. Because if you have too much choice, everything can be mediocre”
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Steve Lillywhite
Music
Steve Lillywhite is a multi-award winning music-making pioneer and Commander of the Order of the British Empire, whose iconic work spans over four decades, producing over 500 records including The Scream by Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Crossing by Big Country, Peter Gabriel by Peter Gabriel, Sparkle in the Rain by Simple Minds, The Joshua Tree by U2, Naked by Talking Heads, Vauxhall and I by Morrissey. He has been Managing Director of Mercury Records and Senior Vice President of A&R at Columbia Records.
“The better you do your job, the more invisible you as a designer become”
Malcolm Garrett
Design
Professor Malcolm Garrett MBE RDI is a graphic designer who has mastered the art and science of creativity, as evidenced by a diverse portfolio that spans four decades creating landmark designs for musicians and bands, including Buzzcocks, Duran Duran, Simple Minds, Boy George, Peter Gabriel, Oasis, and Pulp, and done numerous innovative digital projects with Apple, Virgin, Warner Brothers, Transport for London, Design Manchester, and many more.
“It’s never good to try to mimic or manufacture a style, because it needs to be authentic and develop naturally”
Anita Kunz
Art & Illustration
Anita Kunz has created iconic art that has been internationally shown and published for four decades. She is famous for her covers for the New Yorker, Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, the New York Times Magazine, and many others. Her work has appeared in numerous galleries and museums, and she has won many awards for it.
“The purpose of the creative arts is to provide the necessary service to humanity to be entertained”
Alana Clapp
Stage Management
From Carnegie Mellon University, to working on multiple events for film, television, and comedy specials, Alana Clapp is the General Stage Manager for Mystère at Cirque du Soleil, invoking the imagination, provoking the senses, and evoking people's emotions by facilitating communication across all creative and technical aspects of the performance.
“The harder you work the luckier you get”
Dave Cronen
Artist Management
From Virgin to Rough Trade, PIAS and Grand Royal Records, then Trust Management by guiding the careers of hundreds of revered artists that have influenced popular culture - The Beastie Boys to Johnny Marr, Ash, We Are Scientists, Dexys and Baxter Dury. Working with artists who received Ivor Novello Awards, Oscar nominations and NME Godlike Genius Awards. Mentoring the next generation of artists, producers and entrepreneurs at the Academy of Contemporary Music.
“Commit and keep going because everyone is going to tell you why you can't do it”
Alan McGee
Label Management
Culture catalyst, music industry entrepreneur, record label owner, and artist manager Alan McGee founded Creation Records in 1983. He nurtured and brought to the masses multiple influential artists who inspired a generation - The Jesus and Mary Chain to Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, and Oasis.
“It's the power of being the outsider; looking left when others are looking right”
Clive Grinyer
Design
Design pioneer Clive Grinyer is an acknowledged expert in service design, design thinking, digital and technology innovation, and customer experience. He has led award-winning design teams for companies worldwide, including IDEO, and founded the consultancy Tangerine with Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive. He is a trustee of the Royal Society of Arts, a visiting professor at the Glasgow School of Art, and head of the pioneering service design program at the Royal College of Art in London.
“Having a moral grounding as an entrepreneur provides you with an unlimited source for motivation”
Jonathan Burns
Entrepreneurship
Whilst studying for his degree at the Academy of Contemporary Music, Jonathan envisioned and brought to life an innovative venture by reimagining the sustainability and reusability challenges of the fashion industry in an ethical and respectful way.
“Be open, determined, and willing to really push yourself and explore who you are as a person”
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Cherry Valentine
Performance Art
Growing up within a Roma Gypsy community in the North East of England fueled Cherry Valentine's creative instincts, a bias for adventure, and freedom for expression, to emerge as an influential voice in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community by combining life experience, curiosity, comedy, and satire into performance art.
“Bring to the table a sensibility of co-design and co-creativity, which understands all the relational issues which climate throws up”
Jeremy Till
Climate and Creative Practices
Jeremy Till is an architect, educator, and writer. As an architect, he worked with Sarah Wigglesworth Architects on their pioneering building, 9 Stock Orchard Street. As an educator, Till is Head of Central Saint Martins and Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Arts London. As a writer, Till's extensive work includes Flexible Housing, Architecture Depends, and Spatial Agency, all three of which won the RIBA President's Award for Research. He curated the UK Pavilion at the 2006 Venice Architecture Biennale and the 2013 Shenzhen Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism.
“Know your craft, always come prepared, and bring your own unique perspective to the character”
Cathy Murphy
Acting
Actor Cathy Murphy, who has gone from being a student at the Sylvia Young Theatre School to Allan Clarke's Made in Britain, Stars of the Roller Skate Disco, Doctor Who, EastEnders, Holby City, Family Affairs, The Phantom of the Opera, Shameless, Extras, About A Boy, Misery, Two Woman, Once A Catholic and many more.
“Resilience, grit, and stubbornness are the secret sauce to keep going”
David Hieatt
Entrepreneurship
Bankrupt at 16. Thrown out of college at 18. Joined Saatchi and Saatchi at 21. Left advertising to go back to Wales. Started Howies in 1995. Sold it to Timberland. Started The Do Lectures, which was voted one of the top 10 ideas festivals globally by the Guardian. Started a company making jeans called The Hiut Denim Co in his hometown of Cardigan. A town that used to have Britain’s biggest jeans factory. Its purpose is to get 400 people their jobs back. As of today, it now employs 24 people.
“Communication is the most critical skill for a product designer - listening to what people say and what they dont”
Ghulam Rasool
Product Design
Ghulam Rasool is a design management practitioner at Ford. He leads a team of designers innovating electric, autonomous, and connected vehicle future that benefits society with improved safety, less pollution, freeing up time, and customized services and experiences.
“Fight for the art against the tensions that counter it”
Mat Bancroft
Art Direction & Curation
From Johnny Marr's Art Director to being part of the curation team that organized and realized True Faith - an exhibition of the artistic legacy and influence of Joy Division and New Order exhibit at the Manchester Art Gallery and Manchester International Festival in 2017. Spearheaded various pop culture archives, including the archives of Factory Records, Tony Wilson, Rob Gretton, and Derek Jarman's archive for Art Fund UK.
“A positive mind makes better decisions”
Doviak
Music
From high profile commercials and films to being Johnny Marr's co-producer. Melanie Isaac, Priya Panda and Benjamin Schoos' co-writer and producer. Mixing music for multiple up and coming bands, to being an acclaimed independent artist.
“The purpose of a photography assignment is to capture the essence of the subject and make it memorable”
Brian Smale
Photography
Brian Smale has photographed some of the world's leading businessmen and women, scientists, inventors, and politicians. He has had assignments for magazines such as Fortune, BusinessWeek, Forbes, Fast Company, Esquire, GQ, Rolling Stone, and Spin. His commercial clients include Microsoft, Panasonic, Boeing, Fuji, and Seattle Children's Hospital.
“Reboot your mind to being in an uninterrupted starting place with a fresh perspective”
Leticia Pettená
Brand
From building brands in Brazil and the USA, Leticia Pettená has dedicated herself to changing behavior for the better by influencing corporate cultures and societies through strategic focus, creative thinking, and technology innovation, helping the likes of Itaú, Natura, IBM, Nestlé, Rise Ventures, Beleaf, Verde Asset Management, and Beautybox to reimagine their brands.
“Everything begins with real research to frame the problem and understand the context”
Thais Fonseca
Design
Thais Fonseca leads the brand strategy practice at the Brazilian-based creative agency Marcus com SAL. She specializes in turning strategic thinking and creativity into brand love – brought to life across a diverse Brazilian client portfolio, including Grupo Boticário, Beleaf, Beautybox, and Itaú.
“You have to keep your ego in check because you've got to be able to throw things away that you may think are great”
Simon Leake
Copy Writing
After immersing himself in Shakespeare's language and craft at graduate school in Stratford-upon-Avon, Simon Leake joined Amazon.com in its second year of operation. He was part of the team that built the company's customer service messaging, then joined their editorial department to create content for the books and DVD divisions. After that, he became a freelance copywriter, creating video scripts for various clients, including Microsoft, Nordstrom, the World Bank, and the Gates Foundation.
“Make the emotional and human connection first and foremost”
Gary Burt
Product Innovation
Product innovator Gary Burt has guided the success of multiple breakthrough products and services at technology companies: Microsoft, O2, Siemens, Atos, and Blue Prism. He has set the strategy, roadmap, and feature definition to maximize business value by being deeply committed and continuously honing his craft through quality execution and completeness of the entire product life cycle with a focus on the design-based, human-centered approach.
“The key is to find the creative trigger and just start!”
Iwan Gronow
Music
Independent musician Iwan Gronow, the bassist in Johnny Marr's band, has toured the world and played at festivals including Glastonbury, Coachella, and Fuji Rock, and appeared on Later with Jools Holland and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
“You learn more from your mistakes than successes”
Ben Thornley
Film Production
Whilst travelling through America and stumbling upon Hollywood, taken aback and moved by the endless possibilities, it led him down the path he has since excelled in - creating inspired content for delivery over a global platform with thousands of clients from the rainforests of Madagascar to the streets of Mumbai, where his work has been viewed by over a billion people.
“Inspiration is very personal and there's really no cookie-cutter process that can be replicated or applied to other people”
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Clara Blume
Art, Culture, and Music
Clara Blume, Ph.D., is an Oakland-based artist, cultural diplomat, and researcher. As head of the Open Austria Art + Tech Lab, she curates artworks that explore the interplay of human and artificial creativity. As a professional musician, singer and songwriter, Blume was invited to tour Europe and the US. Apollo - The International Art Magazine most recently selected her among the 40 UNDER 40 most talented young people worldwide working in Art + Tech.
“Storytelling has been integral to survival. To know where you've come from, help you see where you're going, and understand the world you live in”
Tanya Denning-Orman
Media Broadcasting
Tanya Denning-Orman leads National Indigenous Television (NITV), an Australian channel dedicated to Indigenous voices, overseeing its diverse and innovative multiplatform content. Tanya plays an instrumental role in developing and delivering First Nations storytelling across the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) network. As a champion for strong Indigenous media, she holds several industry Board positions, including Media Diversity Australia, First Nations Media Australia, and the World Indigenous Television Broadcast Network.
“Don’t take yourself too seriously and surround yourself with people way smarter than you”
Chris Kay
Creative Leadership
Chris Kay is the CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi. Chris has been the Head of Marketing for Manchester City Football Club, who helped expand the club's global footprint, led the Adidas business globally, worked on the 2012 London Olympics for Cadbury, and helped build the brand proposition for LA as it won the 2028 Olympic bid.
“You've got to have the determination that what you're doing is the best thing in the world and simultaneously know that there are competitors out there who want to kill you”
Ian Ritchie
Entrepreneurship
Ian Ritchie, CBE FREng FRSE FBCS CEng, is a serial entrepreneur whose work in the technology industry alone has helped influence how we live and work today as a society, including his pioneering work with the software company he founded, Office Workstations Limited (OWL). Ian has helped build Edinburgh and Scotland as a center for innovative high-growth technology companies where he has been instrumental in developing over 50 startups and served on the boards of Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Funding Council, and co-chair of the Scottish Science Advisory Board.
“Always be distinctive and well crafted”
Paul Buckley
Creative Direction
Paul Buckley is a Senior Vice President and Executive Creative Director at Penguin Random House, where he conducts a large staff of exceptionally talented designers and art directors overseeing ten imprints called The Penguin Art Group. Paul also designs, and art directs for a few of the imprints under his umbrella and is directly responsible for the branding of authors, big and small. His iconic design and singular art direction have been showcased in thousands of books, winning many awards and invitations to speak around the globe.
“Finding my own voice made me strong enough to push myself into places that I ordinarily wouldn't have felt comfortable being in or doing”
Tolu Stedford
Film Production
Tolu Stedford is a writer, producer, and actor with over 20 years of industry experience. She has written and produced an assortment of multi-award-winning short films, stage plays, concept teasers, and music videos. As well as working in production as a woman and member of marginalized groups, Tolu is committed to activism lobbying for better representation within the industry.
“If people believe in you, the creative environment is far more fertile”
Paul Mellor
Creative Leadership
Paul Mellor is the Master of Decibels (MD) at the Ad Agency Mellor&Smith which he founded in 2009 amid the banking crisis and has been making sensible decisions ever since. A self-confessed certified pain-in-the-ass asker of difficult questions and creator of advertising that makes brands famous. Paul's primary role in life is the direct opposite of a hostage negotiator – convincing people to take risks. He is the founder of London's biggest creative event series, #takefuckingrisks, co-author of 'The Bland Book,' partner at Series A, and has recently received 4 BAFTA nominations for his film "Boiling Point."
“Truly understand what type of an entrepreneur you are. And with that, you know, excel at key points that differentiate you from others and augment your skill sets”
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Hossein Rahnama Entrepreneurship
Dr. Hossein Rahnama is a computer scientist and an academic entrepreneur. He is a visiting professor at the MIT Media Lab and Toronto Metropolitan University, where he co-founded Ryerson Digital Media Zone (DMZ) - ranked the #1 university-based tech incubator worldwide. His research explores artificial intelligence, data governance, and the transparent design of data-driven services. He is also the founder and CEO of Flybits Inc., a data intelligence company that serves a global customer base, and has written over 30 publications and patents in computer science.
“Being on the bleeding edge is very scary in many ways, because almost by definition, the world is not yet bought into that”
Vicki Dobbs Beck
Storytelling
Named by Variety as a "Digital Innovator to Watch in 2020", and in 2019, recognized by the Advanced Imaging Society with a Distinguished Leadership Award for being a significant "entertainment industry growth catalyst," Vicki Dobbs Beck is the Executive in Charge of ILMxLAB, the award-winning division launched by Lucasfilm in 2015 to pioneer in the field of immersive storytelling. ILMxLAB wants to make it possible for people to 'Step Inside Our Stories' in ways never before. Using virtual and augmented reality technologies, ILMxLAB aspires to create connected experiences that transform places, spaces, and our daily lives as we transition from storytelling to story living.
