Ajaz Ahmed is the chief executive of AKQA, the digital agency he founded when he dropped out of university at the age of 21. With a client list over the years that includes Nike, Virgin, Rolls Royce and Netflix, Ajaz and AKQA have consistently pushed the boundaries in their field and hoovered up more awards than any of their competitors along the way. In this episode hear how AKQA grew from just a handful of people to more than 2,000 based in studios all over the world, how his upbringing in rural Berkshire informs his view of the future, and the daily routine he employs to ensure he’s at his most creative.

Stanley Chow is an artist and illustrator whose iconic and instantly-recognisable portraits of celebrities, footballers and musicians have received worldwide acclaim and generated a client list which includes the New York Times, The New Yorker, Manchester United and The White Stripes. In this episode hear how Stan’s love of drawing developed from a young age in his family chip shop in Manchester, why social media provided him with his ‘big break’, and why his love of football has been so key to his success.

At the age of just 22 Julianne Ponan became the owner and chief executive of the superfood brand Creative Nature. Just six years later Creative Nature products are stocked in the UK’s biggest supermarkets, and she and the company have won a ton of awards. In this episode find out how Julianne has grown the business, from prospective customers spitting out her first batch of snack bars to being sold nationwide, how she’s coped with anaphylaxis from a young age and how that’s inspired what she does now, and the rule she tries to live by when it comes to business opportunities.

Nicholas Royle is a writer, publisher and editor. He’s written seven novels, two novellas and three volumes of short fiction​. He’s a senior lecturer in creative writing at the Manchester Writing School and head judge of the Manchester Fiction Prize. If that wasn’t enough, he also runs Nightjar Press and works as an editor for Salt Publishing. In this episode find out how he keeps track of his ideas, why he’s fascinated by doppelgangers, and the exact seat where he feels he does his best work.
 

Creative Forces is a brand new podcast. Each episode is a conversation with a creative individual, hosted by Guy Kilty. Launching March 2018.