Creative Minds Podcast

Bradley "The Sting" Rea is a professional middleweight boxer with an undefeated record of 10-0. Hailing from Manchester, Bradley had over 90 amateur fights under his belt before turning pro, he trains out of Ricky Hatton's gym and is trained by respected coach Blain Younis.

I spoke to Brad about the importance of mindset, the gruelling and demanding daily routines that go into his dietary and training commitments, the sacrifices he's made so far even by the age of 23, the realities of the ups and downs that people don't see away from social media, his future ambitions, and staying focused during a pandemic when opportunities to fight were almost non existent at times.

Brad's impressive string of consecutive back-to-back victories has caught the eye of influential promoters including Eddie Hearn and his Matchroom team, and Brad recently earned the opportunity to fight on undercards on Sky Sports.

I wanted to switch it up for this episode, and it was great to speak to such a motivated and humble young man. Brad is a fighter that will no doubt become a champion in his division when the title shots arise in future.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradrea_/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BradleyTheStingRea

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USM7BK6p6XE

Janai is a singer ~ songwriter hailing from London, and in this next episode we discuss the inner work and self reflection that we were forced to do in the last year since Covid slowed the music industry down, collaborating with Sonny Fodera, and Jan-ai reminisces on being in creative circles with the likes of Gorgon City & Dusky during her time at college.

She’s toured the UK with Sonny Fodera for his sold out Solotoko tours, and has collaborated with him in the studio on multiple occasions.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanaiMusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janaimusic/

Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race - Reni Eddo Lodge

Alessandro, better known as Flashmob, is a DJ & Producer who is responsible for one of the greatest house records in recent years - ‘Need In Me’.

Surpassing 30 million views over numerous platforms, the timeless classic was awarded the accolade of Essential New Tune by Pete Tong, & was the biggest selling track on Defected Records during 2012.

Alessandro joined me live & direct from his beautiful pad in Milan (apologies if the audio isn't perfect), and there's no holds barred in this life story so far podcast. We talk about the realities behind the world of social media, his humble upbringing & his Irish and Italian roots, the importance of hard work, making mistakes, not fearing failure when it comes to progression, playing the long game & staying true to yourself, a positive mindset, the ups and downs of being a touring DJ and we then take it right up to the present day where he discusses the period of reflection and ability to reset since Covid hit.

The timeless classic ‘Need In Me’ of course gets an honorary mention, as well as the great work being implemented by the respective Defected & Toolroom teams not just on his releases, but for also using their platforms to improve equality with gender and race issues.

We finish off by discussing his favourite gigs to date as an international touring artist, his standout timeless house records that feature in his sets (or he loses himself to at home in Milan), & there's important advice for any aspiring artists who may be looking to climb the ladder in the industry.

New release 'Closer' on Toolroom: https://www.beatport.com/release/closer/3322046 & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecnVAVaa2xI

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flashmobdj/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flashmobdj

Tom Frankel is a DJ, producer, one half of the duo Frankel & Harper, and is also A&R for his respected and rapidly rising record label Council Work. Tom is someone who I've always bonded well with on a personal level due to his outlook on the music industry and the political landscape as well.

As a born and bred West Londoner growing up in a culturally diverse environment - he’s never pigeonholed himself musically or conformed to the belief of sub genres, supporting everyone from Robin Schulz to Skream over the years.

This episode is in partnership with Nathan Kay's independent business Origin Creations. They specialise in artwork, motion art, videos, animation & branding.

Let's continue to support independent businesses.

Origin Creations Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creations.origin/?hl=en

Origin Creations Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Origin-Creationss-101719754891959

Council Work Record Label: https://www.discogs.com/label/1641292-Council-Work

Council Work Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/councilwork/

Frankel & Harper Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frankelandharper/

Tom Frankel is a DJ, producer, one half of the duo Frankel & Harper, and is also A&R for his respected and rapidly rising record label Council Work. Tom is someone who I've always bonded well with on a personal level due to his outlook on the music industry and the political landscape as well.

As a born and bred West Londoner growing up in a culturally diverse environment - he’s never pigeonholed himself musically or conformed to the belief of sub genres, supporting everyone from Robin Schulz to Skream over the years.

This episode is in partnership with Nathan Kay's independent business Origin Creations. They specialise in artwork, motion art, videos, animation & branding.

Let's continue to support independent businesses.

Origin Creations Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creations.origin/?hl=en

Origin Creations Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Origin-Creationss-101719754891959

Council Work Record Label: https://www.discogs.com/label/1641292-Council-Work

Council Work Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/councilwork/

Frankel & Harper Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frankelandharper/

Sacha Lord is the co-founder and Managing Director of The Warehouse Project, Parklife, has held the position of Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester working alongside the Mayor Andy Burnham since 2018 & is a board member for the Night Time Industries Association. 

Apologies in advance, as there is feedback in parts throughout this episode due to us experiencing signal/connection interferences. This was recorded live on Instagram during the third lockdown following the Covid-19 pandemic. 

In part one of this episode, I sat down with Sacha to discuss the difficulties hospitality and nightlife have been faced with during 3 consecutive lockdowns, what he hopes to see in the Chancellor’s budget, his early years and the decision to venture into the music industry by chance after deciding further education wasn’t for him. We finish part one off by discussing his role in politics and business as Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, his favourite performance he’s seen at The Warehouse Project & who he’d choose to book if he could resurrect one legendary act and bring them back to life for one night on the main stage. 

This episode is in partnership with local independent business Fit N Fresh. They deliver freshly cooked, macro and calorie controlled meals in and around the Luton area, and their protein bars are shipped nationwide for you to reach your health goals. The protein bars are a firm favourite for many (including myself), so message them through Instagram or Facebook to order. 

We should be supporting independent businesses in normal times, but even more so now with how uncertain the economic climate is. 

Fit N Fresh website: https://www.fitnfresh.co.uk 

Fit N Fresh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitnfreshuk/ 

Fit N Fresh Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitnfreshfoodprep 

Sacha Lord LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sacha-lord/?originalSubdomain=uk

First of all, thank you for joining me on this journey podcast journey. The idea was brought to life at the start of lockdown in 2020 after the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK, and I wanted to take this opportunity to interview everyone from artists in the music industry to promoters, venue owners, festival directors, singers, songwriters, record label owners, tour managers, visual artists & more. Away from the music industry I speak to interesting figures ranging from actors to scientists & psychologists.

I'm a big advocate of using even the smallest platform and the relationships I've built over the last 5 years to help others and give back, and I appreciate you taking the time to listen.

Rue Jay is an entrepreneur, businessman, DJ & party starter - a guy who rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most respected, successful & well connected figures to come out of Birmingham. He has achieved success worldwide as his RockNRolla brand went on a maiden voyage to everywhere from Ibiza to even the more obscure countries including South Korea. 

This is a full life story so far podcast, as we detail Rue's journey from his humble beginnings growing up in a working class environment in Birmingham's Nechells area, to being taken under the wing of Eddie Boulton with brands including Steering Wheel & Spin, before he then went on his own path with legendary brands RockNRolla and OurHouse. 

The second half of the podcast moves on to his entrepreneurial ventures into hospitality, tattoos, property and interior design with The Funky Bear and The New Masons restaurants & bars, Vivid Ink shops in Sutton, Derby and Stafford, villas in Spain & the R&R projects that involve him working alongside the likes of England international and Premier League star Jack Grealish. 

There's an abundance of wise words and knowledge in here on the importance of manifestation, visualisation, overall mindset when operating at this level, work ethic, networking, remaining humble, taking calculated risks, the reality of occasionally being ruthless in competitive dog-eat-dog arenas, standing out from the crowd with branding and marketing, adapting and evolving since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK and the added determination to grow the empire since he has settled down with his lovely partner Lou and his daughter Romy. 

This episode is in partnership with local independent jewellers Goldtaste. The two brothers Lex & Lou are based in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter district, but they ship their products worldwide. Goldtaste is one of the most unique jewellery brands on the market as they take classic jewellery recipes, then they mash them up and remix them to the taste of the 21st century. Rings - Gold Chains - Sovereigns - Pendants - Grillz. Worn by Skepta, Kurupt FM & viral Instagram satirist Munya Chawawa. The brothers have built this business from scratch and are continuing to grow their empire - so make sure you show some love to independent businesses. 

Goldtaste website: https://goldtaste.co.uk 

Goldtaste Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldtasteuk/ 

Goldtaste Grillz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldtastegrillz/ 

Vivid Ink Sutton, Stafford & Derby: https://www.instagram.com/vividinksutton/ https://www.instagram.com/vividinkstaffs/ https://www.instagram.com/vividink.derby/ 

The Funky Bear: https://thefunkybear.co.uk 

R&R Interior Design: https://www.instagram.com/rr_interior_design/

Habs Akram is a pioneering visual artist, and was Carl Cox's personal visual artist at the world renowned Space Ibiza for 8 years. Habs also travelled around the world with Carl as he conjured up magic with his visuals at the likes of Ultra Miami, and before that he worked on other projects including Glastonbury’s iconic Pyramid Stage.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Habs2ci

Website for App: https://djvj.app/habs-welcome/

My name is Callum Hughes, and thank you to anyone who is joining me on my podcast journey. Here you can find out what inspired me to start my own podcast, and what content you can expect from both myself & my special guests.