The Truth About...

In this episode, we welcome Niki Garner, Director of ITV Creative, to uncover the story behind building one of the UK's most progressive and high-performing in-house agencies.

Two years ago, Niki joined ITV Creative with a clear ambition: to turn what she describes as "more of a production studio" into a true strategic and creative partner to the business.

Today, her team delivers the work behind most of the marketing and comms campaigns viewers see from ITV, from sponsorship idents to ITVX key art, and Campaign has credited her with its transformation. Along the way, she explains why collaboration doesn't mean being a yes-team, how squads of creative, strategy, production, media and marketing work shoulder to shoulder with no big presentation moments, and what it takes to run hundreds of campaigns a year, with up to 500 assets on the biggest, without losing the magic.

She also unpacks the thinking behind There's No Place Like ITV, finding one tone of voice for a brand that has to speak to the whole nation, and how the team balances 70 years of loyal viewers with newer audiences across linear and ITVX.

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In this episode, we welcome Josh White, Co-founder of Cano Water, to uncover the story behind building one of the UK’s most distinctive challenger water brands. 

Eleven years ago, Josh and his two closest friends were, in his own words, three “dysfunctional” twenty-somethings with no real sense of direction - until a trip to Thailand confronted them with the scale of the plastic problem, and a strange statistic changed everything: 70% of all aluminium ever produced is still in circulation today. A plastic bottle will never become another plastic bottle. A can, recycled, can become a new can within 60 days. From that single fact, Cano was born - canned water, built by three people obsessed with brands and culture rather than sustainability credentials

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Rami Zeidan has helped shape some of the most influential entertainment platforms in the Middle East, playing key roles in the founding teams behind Anghami, TikTok MENA and Billboard Arabia. But as AI continues to transform the creative industries, where does human connection fit into the future of audience engagement?

In this special live episode of The Truth About, recorded from the back of a London black cab at SXSW London, Emma Bartholomew sits down with Rami to explore the opportunities, challenges and misconceptions surrounding AI in music, entertainment and culture.

From building fandom beyond algorithms to why artists need to think bigger than streams and social media, Rami shares his perspective on what it takes to create lasting audience relationships in an increasingly automated world.

The conversation explores how AI is changing creativity, where technology can genuinely add value, why experiences remain irreplaceable, and how the next generation of artists will need to balance digital efficiency with real-world community building.

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Formula E has spent the last decade proving that motorsport can be fast, entertaining and sustainable. But building a global sport from scratch is about far more than what happens on the track.

In this episode of The Truth About, Emma Bartholomew sits down with Alex Aidan, VP of Marketing at Formula E, to unpack how one of sport’s biggest challenger brands is creating fandom in a crowded entertainment landscape.

From creator partnerships with MrBeast and the Sidemen to attracting audiences beyond traditional motorsport fans, Alex shares how Formula E is using culture, accessibility and community to fuel growth around the world.

The conversation explores what it really takes to build advocacy, why creators are replacing traditional media spend, how sustainability fits into the Formula E story, and why the future of sport marketing belongs to brands willing to take risks.

Plus, Alex reveals the surprising truth about what drew him to Formula E in the first place.

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