January, 2023: It felt like January lasted a lifetime, but now it’s behind us... so, let's look at some highlights

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF MEDIA LOOK LIKE IN 2023?

It’s a big question. Media comes in so many shapes and sizes these days. From traditional mediums to the ever-growing array of social platforms, media is everywhere. This ever-changing landscape is so difficult to keep up with, the latest trends, rules and whatever stupid thing Elon has done recently can confuse anyone.

Luckily, Here Be Dragons have taken all the guesswork and complications out of the equation and produced a tidy little report aptly titled, The Future of Media 2023. Written in partnership with Declan Cashin (who has worked extensively across media, including Twitter, TikTok, the BBC, and BuzzFeed), the report touches on a range of topics including Twitter, TikTok, traditional media, and Web 3. Using the insight from a range of industry sources, the easily digestible report will quickly tell you everything you need to know about media this year.

To help launch the report we held a media event in partnership with The Drum. Held at Drum Labs London, the evening featured a panel of top industry experts. The night was hosted by Declan, but he was joined by: Enrique Anarte, Openly’s TikTok Lead as well as a reporter for the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Cate Sevilla, an author and the editor-in-chief of HuffPost UK. And finally, George Goldberg, a journalist at The News Movement, a social media-first news start-up founded by Kamal Ahmed and Will Lewis.

Each panellist gave their own unique take on the topics highlighted in the report before taking questions from the audience. The night was filled with engaging conversations followed by a dry (or not-so-dry) drink. The full report is available to download here from the Here Be Dragons?website, or if you would like to book a bespoke Tailwinds briefing for your team, please get in touch at [email protected].

MEANWHILE AT THE LAIR

FUTURE FARM DROP THE BEEF

2023 got off to a hot start with the release of Prince Harry’s new book, alongside his various TV interviews. The book was packed full of drama, exciting revelations and tit-for-tat comments aimed towards his family, specifically his brother. This ongoing ‘beef’ between the brothers was front page news, giving us the perfect opportunity to hijack this narrative.

Working with our new client, Future Farm, we crafted a message to not only take a dig at Harry but to build buzz around Future Farm’s Vegaunary campaign. We placed the message outside Buckingham Palace hours before Harry’s blockbuster ITV interview and landed coverage in?The Mirror,?The Express,?and industry publication?The Drum.

SYNG UK LAUNCH

The future of sound is here: at the tail end of 2022, Here Be Dragons officially launched the Syng Cell Alpha Speakers to UK shores. Marking a completely new listening experience, the Syng Cell Alpha is the world’s first triphonic speaker, delivering the most advanced sound in the market today. Impressive, right? Not only that, but it was born from the creative synergy of co-founders’ Christopher Stringer, ex-Apple, and Damon Way, co-founder of DC Shoes, resulting in an innovative design that bridges the gap between design, technology, and lifestyle. The launch caught the attention of?WIRED,?Highsnobiety,?Financial Times, HTSI, and?The Mirror.

LAB TONICA SELFRIDGES CART

Herbal wellness brand Lab Tonica officially launched a herbal tea cart pop-up at Selfridges iconic Foodhall in London this January, encouraging customers to tap into the alchemy of nature with Lab Tonica’s exquisite herbal product range, which champions century-old knowledge, sustainability, and the finest hand-picked herbal ingredients. Coming on the heels of the brand’s January campaign to provide a simple yet efficient solution to consumers’ New Year routines, and positively introduce them to the benefits of functional drinks, a trend that has soared in popularity over the last few years. The pop-up was featured in a number of articles including?London Daily News,?BDaily News,?and?London Post.

CULTURE BITE

One thing that got us pretty riled up this month was the Brit Awards, who changed their categories to be more inclusive, but did not include one woman or non-binary artist in the Artist of the Year category. The Brits said it was disappointing and blamed it on the fact that not enough female or non-binary artists had major releases in 2022 to be nominated - we reckon they probably could have found at least one though? If you feel like reading a bit more on the story, we enjoyed?this article?in Grazia that discussed why it's okay to be annoyed that only men got nominated but still support a non gendered category.

A DRAGON RECOMMENDS…

HOW NOT TO DROWN, THEATRE ROYAL STRATFORD EAST (and UK tour)

Award-winning theatre company, ThickSkin, returns to the stage with an action packed, highly visual production telling the painful yet uplifting true story of an eleven year-old unaccompanied asylum-seeker. The play opens this week at the?Theatre Royal Stratford East, at the start of a UK tour that includes dates in Birmingham, Blackpool Edinburgh and Oldham.

In 2002, in the turmoil after the end of the Kosovan War, an 11-year-old was sent on the notoriously perilous journey across the Adriatic. He was accompanied by a gang of people smugglers to a new life in Europe - How Not to Drown is Dritan Kastrati's real-life story. Relying on young wit and charm on his journey to the UK, Dritan’s fight for survival continues when he finds himself caught within the British care system, struggling to cling onto his identity and sense of self. Dritan plays himself at various points in the play which has been co-written with playwright Nicola McCartney, who is herself a foster carer, following 60 hours of recorded interviews between the two of them.

Featuring a diverse cast of five playing more than 30 characters, this is a vibrant story of endurance about a minor who wasn’t safe or welcome anywhere in the world. With an emotional relevance to how the world feels now, this is one boy’s story which hopes to give a voice to those who have been through similar experiences.

ThickSkin is a physical theatre company based in the North West which produces bold and ambitious theatre productions across live and digital platforms, nurturing the best new talent to develop 360° artists of the future. CSO Toto Ellis is a board trustee of this fantastic charity, and the employees of Here be Dragon are heading to see the press night of the play in Stratford this week. Here be Dragons worked with ThickSkin pro bono to craft their new BHAG and Purpose and helped with their successful Arts Council funding application.

SEE YOU NEXT TIME!