Best Of Belfast: Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast

Quarantine Phone Call.

 

Oliver Jeffers is a visual artist and author from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

 

His critically acclaimed picture books have been translated into over forty-five languages and sold 12+ million copies worldwide.     After leaving Northern Ireland in his twenties, Oliver moved to NYC where he lived/worked for 15 years before travelling the world wife his wife and two young kids.     In today's episode we talk about:

• Oliver's early childhood experiences
• Where his inspiration comes from
• The impact having kids has had on his work
• And the greatest challenges/successes he's experienced along the way. 

This is an absolutely fascinating conversation with one of the most creative minds on the planet, and a chance to get to know the man behind the international success.

 

Check it out. 

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Oliver (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/oliver-jeffers-artist

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

Noel Allen is the founder and CEO of NI based food start-up Noisy Snacks.

 

Noisy Snacks is the award-winning innovative snacks company behind tasty, nutritional snacks that require all FIVE Senses to eat.

 

They claim their secret ingredient is noise and encourage all snackers out there to "shake to awake the taste."

 

In today's episode we caught with Noel inbetween deliveries to chat about:

• How he came up with the idea
• Why noise is so important
• How they make chickpeas taste good
• The future of personalised snacking
• And the greatest challenges/successes he's experienced along the way

 

Really enjoyed this super fun conversation with Noel Allen and know you will too.

 

Check it out!

 

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Noel (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/noel-allen-noisy-snacks

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

Emer Maguire is a multi-talented comedic, musical, public-speaking, broadcasting, science communicating legend from Strabane, Northern Ireland.

 

She's given multiple TEDx Talks, won countless awards for her work in radio and has just come back from a sell-out run at the Edinborough Fringe festival.

 

Oh yeah, and she's also a fully qualified speech therapist #sidehustle

 

In today's episode we talk all about:

• How she overcame her fear of public speaking
• Why she grew to love science later in life
• The business-side of creativity
• And her favourite joke (omg plz listen to this bit)

 

Our conversation with Emer is super-fun and light-hearted yet jam-packed full of entrepreneurial wisdom.

 

(And plenty of Strabane-infused craic along the way).

 

Enjoy!

 

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Lyn (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/emer-maguire-comedian

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

Had the absolute pleasure of chatting to friend and previous guest Mark Todd... an insanely good conversationalist, storyteller and talented architect (yet somehow we never really end up talking about buildings).

 

In today's show, we discuss a whole range of random topics including:

• The Borrowers
• Old Windmills
• Donaghadee
• And of course, leprechauns

 

If that doesn't make any sense to you, don't worry, it didn't to us either but we certainly had a blast along the way.

 

So check it out and enjoy following us down the rabbit-hole...

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Click here for our full 'proper' interview with Mark check out:

 

To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Mark (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/mark-todd-rabbit-hole-conversations

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

Ian McLernon is the CEO of Remy Cointreau Americas, a family-owned spirit business that dates back to 1724 best known for their cognacs Rémy Martin and Louis XIII.

 

Originally from Ballymoney, Ian has lived in Singapore, Hong Kong, London and now NYC with his family.

 

Throughout his international career, Ian has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world including Coors, Moet Hennessey and Dior.

 

In today's episode we talk about:

• How Ian got into the luxury good business
• The role price plays in marketing
• Successes/challenges he's faced along the way
• And how crisis can be an opportunity

 

Really privileged to have the chance to find out more about Ian's story and the chance to unpack some of his key insights.

 

Check it out. 

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Ian (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/ian-mclernon-remy-cointreau

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

Conor Houston is a... 

 

Well, he's a lot of things. 

 

• Director at Houston Solutions Ltd, a bespoke leadership advisory company.
  
  
• Founder of Connected Citizens, a civic initiative which promotes active citizenship and creates space for citizens to co-design solutions for our society. 

• Governor of The Irish Times Trust
  
  
• Director of ShoutOut (an LQBTQ+ youth charity)
  
  
• Chairman of the Board of Governors of Fleming Fulton Special School.
• Former Solicitor who has defended clients in the Supreme Court both in the UK and Ireland
  
  
• Head of Engagement for Digital DNA - the largest tech & digital conference in Northern Ireland.
  
  
• Fellow of the US State Department Rule of Law Programme
  
  
• Fellow of the British Council Hammamet Conference
  
  
• Inaugural Chair of The Ireland Funds Belfast.
  
  
• Guest lecturer at Harvard University, Loyola Marymount University LA, Trinity College Dublin and Ulster University.

 

Not one to be put in a box, Conor has had a vast career that is built around one thing: bringing about change.

 

A massive advocate for celebrating the island of Ireland on the world's stage, he has both founded, assembled and led various "tribes" over the years to make the "visions and values laid out in the Good Friday Agreement a reality" for the people who call this place home.

 

In today's episode we talk all about:

• Conor's origin story
• Why he got into (and out of) law
• How he balances passion with burnout
• Experiences that have shaped his perspective
• And of course the greatest challenges/successes he's endured along the way

 

This is a wide-sweeping conversation with one of our Ireland's most interesting minds and I know you'll really enjoy — and get a lot out of — today's show.

 

Check it out!

 

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Conor (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/conor-houston-connected-citizens

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

Leanne Ross is a marketing director, author, trainer, lecturer and former Belfast blogger who emigrated to Dunedin, New Zealand in 2016 (homeland of her retired Ulster Rugby playing Kiwi-Irish husband).

 

Born and bred in Poleglass (yeooo), Leanne knew from a young age that she wanted to be a marketer after being a big fan of ads, articles and other forms of storytelling.

 

In today's episode we talk all about:

• Why she moved away
• What it was like to start from scratch in a new country
• How New Zealand is tackling COVID-19
• What marketers can do during this time
• And of course, what she misses most from home

 

Really chuffed with how open and generous Leanne was when it came to sharing the highs/lows she's experienced along the way and what we can learn from her journey.

 

Plus, thanks to The Producer's Club, we were able to play some voice messages from home and connect with Leanne even though she's a million miles away.

 

Check it out!

 

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Leanne (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/leanne-ross-new-zealand

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

 

 

Peter Dickson is the legendary voiceover artist behind The X-Factor, Britain's Got Talent, the London 2012 Olympics and 30,000 TV/Radio commercials and a hugely successful career spanning over 42-years.

 

(And yes, he's from Northern Ireland).

 

After landing a gig with the BBC at age 17, Peter went on to become their youngest-ever TV News Presenter.

 

This kick-started a journey that has taken him all over the world and led to him working with some of the biggest brands on the planet.

 

But how do you become a voiceover artist? What does it take to make the leap from local gigs to global recognition? How do you perfect your craft?

 

In today's episode we talk about:

• Peter's origin story
• Why audio is such an intimate medium
• How to talk to an audience
• The world's #1 voiceover training school
• And the greatest challenges/successes he's faced along the way

 

I personally learned so much from this episode and was so busy taking notes that I could barely get the next question out! 

 

Absolutely fascinated to find out more about the man behind the voice and to discover some of the key insights and lessons he's learned along the way.

 

I know you'll feel the same.

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• Peter's website
• The Voiceover Training School
• Twitter

 

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Peter (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/peter-dickson-voiceover-artist

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

 

 

Dave Elliott is a comedian and podcaster from Bangor, Northern Ireland.

 

He hosts two weekly podcasts: Sly Guy and Boy Town.

 

In today's episode we talk about:

- How he got into comedy

- Golden pineapples

- His greatest challenges/success along the way

- And of course, his love of gardening/polytunnels.

 

This is a super chilled-out episode with plenty of good craic thrown in for good measure.

 

Really enjoyed hearing Dave's origin story as well as some of the key lessons he's learned along the way. 

 

I know you will too.

 

Check it out. 

 

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Dave (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/dave-elliott-comedian

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

 

 

Pete Snodden is a broadcaster, speaker and event host from Bangor, Northern Ireland.

 

He's the voice of one of the nation's most popular radio spots: The Cool FM Breakfast Show which he hosts alongside Paulo Ross and Rebecca McKinney

 

After being inspired by "the connection radio can provide" while homesick on a P7 trip, Pete knew from a young age that being a broadcaster was what he wanted to do.

 

But like most things in life, the journey to his current success was one full of challenges and obstacles along the way.

 

In today's episode, we chat with Pete about:

• His first gig with DJ Errol at his parent's friend's 40th birthday party.

• How he got his "foot in the door" with radio

• And the key lessons he's learned along the way. 

 

Was really impressed with insight and wisdom Pete generously shared our conversation and I know you'll enjoy hearing more about the man behind the voice.

 

Check it out. 

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Pete (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/pete-snodden-cool-fm

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt