Best Of Belfast: Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast Matthew Thompson
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- Samhälle och kultur
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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“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 -
Marty Neill on Tiny Rooms, Video Games & “Figuring It Out”
Marty Neill is the founder of AirPOS. He’s also an ex-music journalist and avid retro gamer.
In this episode, we talk about:
Leaving school illegally at 15-years-old
Building and selling video games as a kid on his Spectrum + 2
How all the best things in his life have come from “tiny rooms”
Why you should never fall in love with your business
Ideas being the “real currency”
How COVID both destroyed and transformed his business
Why your business will never love you back
The huge opportunities that exist in Belfast
And the new Retro Arcade opening in Belfast later this year
Check it out.
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/marty-neill-airpos -
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir on Blackbirds, Boyhood & The Future of Media
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir is the publisher of the Andersonstown News in Belfast and the Irish Echo in New York.
In this episode, we talk about:
Why he has a blackbird on his business card
How he was able to buy a business with no money
The future of the newspaper industry
Growing up in Andytown during the sixties
Challenges facing the media sector
The symbiotic relationship between Ireland/America
Life lessons from a Buddhist Chaplain
And dealing with the chaos of modern life
Check it out.
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/mairtin-o-muilleoir-andersonstown-news -
Patrick Treacy on Pioneering Aesthetic Medicine, Treating Michael Jackson & Witnessing History
Patrick Treacy is a pioneer in Aesthetic Medicine. Throughout his incredible career, he’s won countless awards, trained thousands of doctors and trail-blazed new protocols used around the world today.
In this episode, we talk about:
Smuggling cars across the German border to pay for med school
Being arrested in Iraq under suspected espionage
How being from Ireland quite literally saved his life
His phone call with Nelson Mandela
Treating Michael Jackson and the subsequent friendship that ensued
How he wants to spend the next few decades
And advice he’d give to his 18-year-old self
Check it out!
https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/patrick-treacy-aesthetic-medicine