The F Word

A PODCAST MINI-SERIES ALL ABOUT FAILURE

Failure. Some of us try to avoid it at all costs. Others embrace it and "Fail Fast" in order to learn and evolve. But what does it really mean for creatives and their creativity?

So much is written about failure. In fact, since the hype of unicorns, Silicon Valley and start-ups, the F word has become a well-hyped mantra by business guru’s across the globe. Can we really afford to fail though? ‘We’ an industry of perfectionists that need validation and praise at every turn? That are so reliant on work for clients, that ‘failure really isn’t an option’?

It’s the question posed in our podcast mini-series, The F Word. The brainchild of Never Not Creative co-creator Ve Dewey and her partner in crime for this series, David Bearde, the former Executive Creative Director of Dragon Rouge.

Ve and David, have pulled in some of the world’s greatest creative minds to unpack the concept of failure. What does failure mean for individuals? What does it mean for large organisations? How can if build or deteriorate workplace culture? Across the 3 episodes of the mini-series, they’re joined by Max Ottignon, co-founder and ECD at Ragged Edge, Alina Mendoza Lopez from Dragon Rouge, Eva Appelbaum from ARC Group and Founder of global brand and design firm, Butchershop, Trevor Hubbard.

Is failure something we can embrace? Or is it something we should avoid at all costs? Listen below to find out and then make up your own mind.

EPISODE 1: unpacking failure

ve dewey

Co-Creator, Never Not Creative And Global Co-Lead Of The RSA’s Decolonising Design Coalition

David Bearde

Ex ECD, Dragon Rouge

We kick off our first episode with David Beare, Executive Creative Director of Dragon Rouge London, and Ve Dewey Never Not Creative’s Co-creator lay the foundation of failure for the next two episodes. During their conversation, David Beare discusses what drew him to research and devolve into the topic of failure, what Dragon Rouge is doing in regards to failure, and discussed failure in the context of the design and advertising industry.

EPISODE 2: individual failure

Max Ottignon

Co-Founder And ECD, Ragged Edge

Alina Mendoza Lopez

Design Intern, Dragon Rouge

In our second episode, David and Ve sit down with Alina Mendoza Lopez, currently an intern at Dragon Rouge London, and Max Ottignon, co-founder of the London based agency Ragged Edge to discuss failure at the individual level. Within the episode Max and Alina discuss their experience of failure: Alina discussed her relationship with failure in university whilst Max elucidates early career experiences with failure as well as his current experiences running Ragged Edge.

EPISODE 3: LEADERSHIP & FAILURE

Eva Appelbaum‍

ARC Group

Trevor Hubbard

Founder, butchershop

In our third and final episode of the mini-series David and Ve sit down for an inspirational conversation around failure at an organisational level with the award-winning transformational change leader Eva Applebaum and Global CEO of Butchershop® Global, Trevor Hubbard. Within the episode, we go in-depth discussing failure, what the opposite of failure is (clarity), key leadership attributes, as well as what failure for women in a work environment means.

THANKS TO our hosts

DAVID BEARE, ECD Dragon Rouge LDN
‍With over 20 years of experience, David is a powerhouse of ideas with a talent for translating ’first sparks’ into compelling ‘scripts’ for communication.
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Describing himself as a Hybrid Creative Director and Creative Strategist he has a proven record of success in branded content, 360 brand activations, branded experiences, content strategy, e-commerce, social media, growth strategy and new business development.
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He’s lived and worked in Montreal, Copenhagen, and has worked in house for Russian Standard vodka, traveling all over the world with the brand. David is a self-starter who loves to mentor talent, lead teams and launch brands.
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He has always had a passion for storytelling and bringing brands to life across multiple touch-points, in turn delivering award-winning creative solutions for clients such as Diageo, Levis, Nike, Russian Standard Vodka, The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, Universal Music, and Vodafone.

VE DEWEY, Co-Creator, Never Not Creative
A designer by trade and a connector in practice, Ve cares deeply about uncovering the synergies that allow communities and organisations to successfully evolve.

For over a decade, she has worked beyond the bleeding edge with major brands like Mattel, Adobe, WPP, and the BBC - showing them growth opportunities that others have not.

She possesses a design-intrapreneur mindset which allows her to easily navigate between verticals and industries. This is evident with her experience of curating and executing the inaugural creative HR role at Mattel, supporting 600+ creatives during the company’s cultural and digital transformation, and of marketing at Adobe, where she solely established a new creative marketing program in Europe.

Though she straddles corporate and creative, overall, Ve cares most about finding connections to solve problems that allow communities and organisations to successfully evolve. Currently, Ve is an MBA candidate at Central Saint Martins, Global Co-lead of the RSA’s Decolonising Design coalition, and Co-creator of Never Not Creative.