370 episodes
Best Of Belfast: Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast Matthew Thompson
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- Society & Culture
Northern Ireland has a better story to tell — one that goes beyond bombs, bullets and a sunken ship.
You are part of this story.
With 300+ conversations featuring some of the incredible people who call this place home, our weekly show gives you the chance to get away from the clickbait and connect with the amazing things happening in Belfast.
Previous guests include NASA Scientists, Billion-Dollar CEOs, 91-year-old park-runners, Oscar-winning directors, Olympic Gold medalists, Bitcoin Auctioneers, Tim Burton's puppet-maker and a guy who built an aeroplane in his garage.
Well-known voices include Snow Patrol, Foy Vance, Julian Simmons, May McFettridge, Zoe Salmon, Andrew Trimble, The Dead Rabbit, Michael Deane, The Priests, Two Door Cinema Club, Oliver Jeffers, Pete Snodden, Colin Geddis, Mary Peters, Rebecca McKinney and May Blood — the millworker who became a peer in the House Of Lords.
Check it out!
https://bestofbelfast.org/
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“Just do” — Tom Griffiths
Tom Griffiths is a Sunday Times Top 100 Entrepreneur & Disruptor who is currently launching a revolution with https://www.nightlenses.com
In this episode, we talk about:
Getting Richard Branson naked
Digitally selling fish in buckets before they come to shore
Breaking the “crabs in a barrel” mentality
10-second courage
The power of taking action
And advice he’d give to an 18-year-old self
Check it out!
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/tom-griffiths-night-lenses -
Bethel’s Kitchen’s Willetta Gabriel on Bagels, Pickles & the Future of Dromore
Willetta Gabriel is the founder of Bethel’s Kitchen: an artisan bagel and pickle business in Dromore, County Down.
In this episode, we talk about:
Launching an extremely niche product in a rural town
Why every single bagel tastes different
(Depending on who rolled it)
How one social media post saved her whole business
And her experience living in Northern Ireland for the last 20+ years.
Check it out!
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/willetta-gabriel-bethels-kitchen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethelskitchen?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9PnmQraZ3Gg9zTFr7 -
Mark Marais on Nostalgia, Africa & Building a Business Around Your Passion
Mark Marais is an entrepreneur from Zimbabwe with deep roots in Belfast.
He’s the founder of the luxury travel business Africa Golf Safari and co-founder of the Sport Changes Life Foundation.
In this episode, we talk about:
Growing up on an idyllic African farm during the war
How sport helped with racial integration in his school
What Donald Draper can teach us about nostalgia
The difference between space and place
Starting his business even though it didn’t make any sense
Combining passion with entrepreneurship
His experience in and passion for Northern Ireland
And advice he’d give to his 19-year-old self.
Check it out!
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/mark-marais-africa-golf-safari
P.S. Mad Men nostalgia video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=suRDUFpsHus -
“American Uncle” Tony Novosel on Study USA & the Transformational Power of Travel
Tony Novosel MBE is a former motor mechanic, steelworker, and semi-retired academic from Pittsburgh who has dedicated his life to serving Northern Ireland.
In this episode, we talk about:
How the collapse of the steel industry was the best thing that ever happened to him
Why he first decided to visit Northern Ireland 50 years ago
(And why he's been 85+ times since!)
Acting as "the American uncle” for NI students on the Study USA programme, (which is is managed by British Council Northern Ireland on behalf of the Department for the Economy)
The transformation power travel has had on his own life and the lives of his students
Why we tend to oversimplify narratives
The grassroots movements that led to a hugely successful academic book about NI
Being awarded an MBE
And advice he'd give to any student interested in studying overseas!
Check it out. -
Graham Robinson on Virtual Production & The Future of Storytelling
Graham Robinson is an Artist and Director with over 15 years of experience working with household names like Netflix, Universal Music Group, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Dua Lipa and the BBC.
In this episode, we talk about:
How the creative journey is made up of incremental steps rather than huge Hollywood moments
Discovering his art form at a young age
The role of the artist in society
Balancing virtual worlds with the "real-world"
Being led by intuition/calling rather than logic/reason
What he learned from his time working in London and LA
How Belfast is positioned to carve its own path in the new era of story-telling
Why he thinks the big-budget feature film model is about to be disrupted
The deep heritage/history of Northern Ireland as a place of creativity and impact
And his vision for the future of the screen industry in NI
Check it out.
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/graham-robinson-virtual-artist-and-director -
Changing the world one beer at a time | Alan Mahon, Brewgooder
Alan Mahon is the Belfast-born Founder and CEO of Brewgooder, an impact beer brand, B Corp, and the fastest-growing independent UK beer brand of 2023.
In this episode, we talk about:
Meeting George Clooney & Leonardo Dicaprio
Leaving his "three mums” behind to move to Scotland
The tension between doing good and making money
How getting a parasite in Nepal led to him starting his business
The power of pub culture and its impact on relationships
Using business as a vehicle to change the world
Not compromising on quality just because you're "doing good”
Why he moved back to Northern Ireland after so many years
And advice he'd give to an 18-year-old version of himself
Check it out!
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/alan-mahon-brewgooder