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Great Creators Podcast

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Great Creators Podcast is a series sharing the diverse stories of design and entrepreneurship in Northern Ireland.

We’ll feature start-ups, community-led projects, and established businesses which together make up the rich innovation ecosystem.

This podcast is a project by The Graduate School at Queen’s University in partnership with Belfast Design Week.

Listen now via Soundcloud & Spotify

We want to highlight that opportunity is all around, if you know where to look for it and to delve deeper into understanding how a product or service comes about from those “in the know” – the designers and entrepreneurs themselves!

The podcast will share different business models and approaches, the challenges and pivots of entrepreneurial journeys, and contain useful and easy-to-implement advice and resources.

EPISODE 1 – PRODUCT INNOVATION

The first episode is on product innovation and features Dr. Peter Barrett The Buchas Dog and Azhar Murtuza Born Maverick

Dr. Peter Barrett

Dr. Peter Barrett is a scientist who has recently set up the first kombucha company in Northern Ireland – The Bucha’s Dog. Starting as a passion project in Peter’s kitchen for his own enjoyment and for family and friends, The Bucha’s Dog has grown organically to become a business and Peter’s kombucha can now be found in many cafes, delis, bars, and restaurants in Belfast and beyond. The Covid-19 lockdown has hit the hospitality sector hard but Peter has used this period to continue developing The Bucha’s Dog through rebranding, designing a new facility to make kombucha, coming up with new recipes and planning future workshops to teach people how to make their own home brews.

Instagram – www.instagram.com/thebuchasdog/
Facebook – facebook.com/thebuchasdog
Website – www.thebuchas.dog

Azhar Murtaza

Azhar Murtuza is an entrepreneur who initially came to study at The Graduate School at Queen’s University in Belfast from Mangalore in India and decided to stay and set up an ethical food business, Born Maverick. He believes strongly that “change is up to us” and brings this philosophy to all aspects of his “flexitarian” food products and it is also his advice to entrepreneurs and “want’repreneurs. Azhar believes that Northern Ireland is an excellent place to set up a business and that opportunities are there all around us waiting to be found and made use of. Entering competitions and pitching has given Azhar the confidence to boldly forge forward with new products including coconut milk popsicles, vegan eggs, vegan prawns and coffee alternatives. As well as being an entrepreneur, Azhar is a keen writer and photographer taking in the beautiful landscapes of Northern Ireland.

Twitter – twitter.com/bebornmaverick
Instagram – www.instagram.com/born_maverick/
Website – www.wearepur.com

RESOURCES

The Graduate School at Queen’s University – www.qub.ac.uk/graduate-school/
QUB Enterprise SU – qubsu.org/EnterpriseSU/
Belfast Design Week – belfastdesignweek.com
Invest NI – www.investni.com
Invest NI Business Information Centre – www.investni.com/support-for-busi…tors-and-markets
Catalyst Inc. – wearecatalyst.org
Invent Awards – wearecatalyst.org/programmes/invent/

 

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Almost the weekend and thankfully a bit of sun ☀ for a change. Let's hope it lasts

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Jul 31

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Almost the weekend and thankfully a bit of sun ☀ Almost the weekend and thankfully a bit of sun ☀ for a change. Let's hope it lasts

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#Meettheresident

We got the pleasure to catch up and interview Wilson from @motivepeak & Benji from @concreteclouds__ who are Blick ...

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Jul 30

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#Meettheresident We got the pleasure to catch up #Meettheresident We got the pleasure to catch up and interview Wilson from @motivepeak & Benji from @concreteclouds__ who are Blick Residents in our Malone Studios.  We wanted to ask them about their project they have been working on together and see how they have been getting on. Stay tuned for the full release of the interview!

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‘The Power of Design’ series is a project that was created by @creatingaspace & @belfastdesignwk with the aim to explore and interview ...

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Jul 29

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‘The Power of Design’ series is a project that ‘The Power of Design’ series is a project that was created by @creatingaspace & @belfastdesignwk with the aim to explore and interview different designers within Belfast. The aim of this series was to ask designers what their process is, how they got started in the industry, who inspires them, and what advice they would give to people just starting out. In this interview we get to talk to @lydia.mokros who is a German designer based in Belfast. We asked her ‘what does POWER mean to you’? ‘POWER’ was the theme of Belfast Design Week 2019, and we wanted to explore how people receive that word and the connotations attached to it. “For me POWER has mainly a negative association when I hear it. I guess design is a good opportunity to empower people. Sometimes within institutions, or in societal structures, we feel everything is as it is, but then we have to question if we can swell change it. I think with feeling powerful, that is the kind of possibility for us to change something or be part of the change. And maybe we need to rethink about the term power."

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Have you entered yet? @belfastdesignwk has teamed up with @jamesonwhiskey_ni on a t-shirt design competition for emerging creatives and those studying...

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Jul 27

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Have you entered yet? @belfastdesignwk has teamed Have you entered yet? @belfastdesignwk has teamed up with @jamesonwhiskey_ni on a t-shirt design competition for emerging creatives and those studying design (18+) to capture the 2020 Northern Ireland spirit on a Jameson t-shirt. . With prizes of £500, £300 and Jameson Whiskey and Merch Pack for all shortlisted entrants, industry feedback and Intellectual property retained by the entrant, so this is a great opportunity for emerging designers and creatives to work on an industry brief. The winning designs will be chosen by a panel of judges from Jameson Whiskey NI, Belfast Design Week and the local hospitality industry. Prizes are as follows: 1st Prize £500 cash prize + Jameson Whiskey & Merch Pack + t-shirts printed and given to bartenders across NI 2nd Prize: £300 cash prize + Jameson Whiskey & Merch Pack + t-shirts printed and distributed through our promotions and events in NI Shortlisted finalists: All 10 shortlisted entries will receive a Jameson Whiskey & Merch Pack and be showcased in our winner announcement countdown activity Competition deadline is Sunday 9th August! For full details visit: https://www.jameson-creatives.com/ https://www.blickstudios.org/belfast-design-weekblog-posts/jameson-design-competition-for-emerging-designers/

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VIRTUAL SERVICES

We offer virtual services for all business types with reduced rates for creative industry businesses. Whether you are just ...

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Jul 24

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VIRTUAL SERVICES We offer virtual services for a VIRTUAL SERVICES We offer virtual services for all business types with reduced rates for creative industry businesses. Whether you are just starting out and can’t yet afford workspace or are happy to work from home but seeking a professional public image for your business. A city centre address creates a confident and professional first impression and separates your business and home life and as a virtual office customer you are entitled to 20% off meeting room hire fees and free AV equipment use with any hire. We have two premises to choose from: our South Belfast address at 51 Malone Road, BT9 6RY or our Cathedral Quarter address 46 Hill Street, BT1 2LB. What we offer : - A Monthly Business Address Service Please check the website for pricing options https://www.blickstudios.org/virtual-services/ - A Weekly Business Address Services Please check the website for pricing options https://www.blickstudios.org/virtual-services/ For more information, please visit our website where you can see the price options, and different packages appropriate to your business needs. https://www.blickstudios.org/virtual-services/

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Behind The Scenes - The Blick Team⁠
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We wanted to share a team photograph we took back in February - showcasing the Blick Team. ⁠
...

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Jul 23

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Behind The Scenes - The Blick Team⁠ ⁠ We wante Behind The Scenes - The Blick Team⁠ ⁠ We wanted to share a team photograph we took back in February - showcasing the Blick Team. ⁠ ⁠ Introducing Christine James who is the CEO of Blick Studios. She has a background in fashion design and Founded Blick Studios in 2007 after returning to NI from Italy. ⁠ ⁠ Christine is passionate about the creative industries, building creative communities, encouraging diversity within entrepreneurship and supporting and championing creative entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland.⁠ ⁠ Introducing Rosy James who is in charge of Finance & Operations at Blick Studios. Rosy studied Economics at University before moving into the financial side of business. ⁠ ⁠ Rosy has been working with Blick Studios since it began in 2007 and with Christine has worked to grow Blick from scratch into the organisation it is today. Rosy has responsibility for the finance and operations at Blick Studios. Rosy has a strong interest in entrepreneurship and the growth of small businesses.⁠ ⁠ Introducing Esther Mogada who is in charge of social media, marketing & events management at Blick Studios. ⁠ ⁠ Esther studied Fashion & Textiles at University and then ⁠went on to a Masters in Retail Management in Fashion and Textiles. She is currently building a small video production company called @creatingaspace whilst working with us to do social media, content creation & event planning. ⁠ ⁠ She is passionate about the creative industry in Belfast and has been working alongside Blick the last year. We just wanted to show the faces behind the brand!

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We’re excited to announce that as part of our podcast project @stbdpodcast we are creating a special 4-part audio documentary series exploring the ...

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Jul 15

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We’re excited to announce that as part of our po We’re excited to announce that as part of our podcast project @stbdpodcast we are creating a special 4-part audio documentary series exploring the experiences and personal stories of creatives during the Covid-19 crisis.  We’ll be looking at how the last few months have impacted on the work, communities, networks and health of entrepreneurs, freelancers and workers within the creative industry sector in Northern Ireland. We want you - the listeners - to get involved too and we’ll be sharing some call-outs so you can add your voice and tell us your stories! This project is funded by Future Screens NI and @northernirelandscreen as part of their ‘Rewriting the Narrative’ project and co-produced by Blick Shared Studios with Small Town Big Dreams #smalltownbigdreams #creativeindustries #belfastcreatives #podcasts #nicreatives #creativeentrepreneurship #creativity #creativecity #collaboration #creativestartups #creativestories

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We wanted to do a throwback to last year's Belfast Design Week and highlight some of our favourite videos we created.

‘The Power of ...

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Jul 9

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We wanted to do a throwback to last year's Belfast We wanted to do a throwback to last year's Belfast Design Week and highlight some of our favourite videos we created. ‘The Power of Design’ series is a project that was created by Creating A Space & Belfast Design Week with the aim to explore and interview different designers within Belfast. The aim of this series was to ask designers what their process is, how they got started in the industry, who inspires them, and what advice they would give to people just starting out. Our first interview was with Paul Boal who is the Creative Director at @thatcleverghost a brand & design studio, Blick Resident of Hill St Blick Studios. He kindly shared with us some advice for people just starting out in the industry and his journey on how he took the leap to become fully self-employed. “Get involved with design. Get involved in every level. Collaborate with people in house, take that harder job and just learn the craft. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out of your comfort zone.” You can reach Paul Boal through his website & social media handles. Website: www.thatcleverghost.com/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/thatcleverghost/

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Slowly getting back to normal and so nice to see a bit of sunshine after all the rain!

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Jul 6

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Slowly getting back to normal and so nice to see a Slowly getting back to normal and so nice to see a bit of sunshine after all the rain!

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Looking for a new podcast series to listen to?
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We have something that can sort you out!
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We are excited to introduce a new ...

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Jul 1

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Looking for a new podcast series to listen to? --- Looking for a new podcast series to listen to? ---- We have something that can sort you out! ---- We are excited to introduce a new project that we have been working on the last while. As part of our work with @belfastdesignwk , we have been helping with their new podcast in collaboration with the team at The Graduate School at Queen’s University. ---- This series will be focused on sharing diverse stories of design and entrepreneurship in Northern Ireland. ---- We want to highlight that opportunity is all around, if you know where to look for it and to delve deeper into understanding how a product or service comes about from those “in the know” - the designers and entrepreneurs themselves! ---- For links and more information, please check the Belfast Design Website. www.belfastdesignweek.com ----- https://www.blickstudios.org/belfast-design-weekblog-posts/great-creators-podcast/

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Hopefully not too long now until we can get back in here and our other studios properly. In the meantime we have been busy behind the scenes working ...

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Jun 25

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Hopefully not too long now until we can get back i Hopefully not too long now until we can get back in here and our other studios properly. In the meantime we have been busy behind the scenes working on some exciting new projects to be announced over the next few weeks

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Happy Friday and another lovely sunny weekend ahead! looking forward to getting back into this space once things get back to normal!

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May 29

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Happy Friday and another lovely sunny weekend ahea Happy Friday and another lovely sunny weekend ahead! looking forward to getting back into this space once things get back to normal!

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Check this out before it finishes on 21st May - beautiful online exhibition by Blick resident Gallery 545 ‘Contemporary Art of Northern Ireland ...

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May 26

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Check this out before it finishes on 21st May - be Check this out before it finishes on 21st May - beautiful online exhibition by Blick resident Gallery 545 ‘Contemporary Art of Northern Ireland #2’, is an annual major group exhibition curated by Gallery 545 and presenting over twenty emerging and more established artists based in Northern Ireland. Due to COVID-19 this year it is running online at www.gallery545.com between 3 – 31 May. This exhibition celebrates the wealth of talent is this region showcasing a diverse selection of exciting artworks encompassing paintings, works on paper, objects and textile pieces. https://gallery545.com/blogs/exhibitions/gallery-545-contemporary-art-of-northern-ireland-2

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Gorgeous day in the Cathedral Quarter - queueing for post isn't so bad in this weather

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May 26

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Gorgeous day in the Cathedral Quarter - queueing f Gorgeous day in the Cathedral Quarter - queueing for post isn't so bad in this weather

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Grateful to have an excuse to leave home for studio building checks and mail collection and a few hours of uninterrupted work in this lovely space ...

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May 20

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Grateful to have an excuse to leave home for studi Grateful to have an excuse to leave home for studio building checks and mail collection and a few hours of uninterrupted work in this lovely space this morning

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Missing this cosy workspace and our lovely residents. Fingers crossed we get back to normal sooner rather than later and can enjoy our Fridays ...

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May 15

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Missing this cosy workspace and our lovely residen Missing this cosy workspace and our lovely residents. Fingers crossed we get back to normal sooner rather than later and can enjoy our Fridays properly again!

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Looking forward to getting back to this lovely peaceful space and getting some separation between work and home again.

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May 8

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Looking forward to getting back to this lovely pea Looking forward to getting back to this lovely peaceful space and getting some separation between work and home again.

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Some motivation for the week @stbdpodcast podcast guide - some of our favourites from business to inspiration to wellbeing there's something for ...

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Apr 27

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Some motivation for the week @stbdpodcast podcast Some motivation for the week @stbdpodcast podcast guide - some of our favourites from business to inspiration to wellbeing there's something for everyone for all lockdown moods & activities https://www.smalltownbigdreams.co.uk/smalltownbigguide

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We know there are lots of surveys floating about at the minute, so sorry to add another one to the mix, but we are working with our residents to find ...

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Apr 22

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We know there are lots of surveys floating about a We know there are lots of surveys floating about at the minute, so sorry to add another one to the mix, but we are working with our residents to find out what impact Covid-19 is having on their business/creative work and what support they require to be able to adapt and survive the current crisis and we thought it might be an idea to put it out to our broader network to capture the opinions of a broader range of creatives whose voices might have been missed in the different arts and business surveys so far. If your creative business/work has been impacted and you would like to share your experiences please fill in the following short survey link below and in bio: https://blickstudios.typeform.com/to/I05hld

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We have been busy behind the scenes planning for a somewhat uncertain future and enjoying a bit of downtime so have taken a bit of a break from social...

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Apr 21

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We have been busy behind the scenes planning for a We have been busy behind the scenes planning for a somewhat uncertain future and enjoying a bit of downtime so have taken a bit of a break from social media. We are still checking on our buildings and plants and missing the calm and serenity of our working spaces and our community of residents. We're looking forward to getting back to work properly in our lovely studios for focus, company and better balance in our lives. Working from home is tough!

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Monday Motivation on a very difficult week for most small businesses. Like most small businesses in Belfast we have already been impacted by the ...

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Mar 16

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Monday Motivation on a very difficult week for mos Monday Motivation on a very difficult week for most small businesses. Like most small businesses in Belfast we have already been impacted by the pandemic and will continue to be over coming months. We have postponed all our events and workshops, cancelled external bookings and are closed to new residents for the time being. No-one knows what will happen in the coming days and weeks so all we can do is keep calm and try and use the downtime efficiently to rest and think, develop new skills and work on new projects

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#fridayfocus
Happy Friday everyone!
Hope you all are keeping cosy and warm in this spring weather.
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We are back again with some new ...

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Mar 13

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#fridayfocus Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all #fridayfocus Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all are keeping cosy and warm in this spring weather. . We are back again with some new events & funding opportunities that are happening in Belfast City. . Each week we try and gather information and resources from various industries just so you know where to look. . Keep the momentum going, the weekend is near! . Full blog on our website - link below https://www.blickstudios.org/fridayfocus/fridayfocus-events-funding-opportunities/ #workspace #creativeworkspace #coworkingspace #socialenterprise #creativecity #nicreatives #fridayfocus #blickstudios