Unorthodox Blend Conversations Rosie Lee Group

We met Mark through our work and participation with Run Dem Crew, and he stood out as one of the most welcoming, warm and humble people we’ve ever met. He is well respected and connected in London’s restaurant scene (check out Levan and Bar Levan if you haven’t already), but he is also well known as the founder of 2nd Drop records. Mark is a man of many talents, and isn’t afraid to take on the unknown and pivot to shake things up. It’s genuinely hard not to like Mark, we’re sure you’ll agree after listening to our conversation with him.—
Mark offered up an honest account of his career to date, spanning various different roles and marketplaces. We talked about the non-linearity of careers, the reciprocity of service and the beauty of genuine community. We’ve known Mark for some time and it was lovely to talk with him in this context, where we shared a lot of similar stories about business growth and whether it is always worth it.
Although we work in different industries, it is clear that his approach to restaurants has many similarities our apprach to the creative industry. Mark left us with lots to reflect on, and you’ll find the same.
—This recording was a part of UB Live 2024, a series of live-streamed conversations and IRL panel discussions to celebrate Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com

Born in Australia, Mina has a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts and Masters in Teaching - Secondary Visual Arts and is truly one of the OG Sneakerheads. She has worked for and with a list of brands and talent that most of us could only dream of. But it hasn’t been straightforward for Mina, being a woman in the historically male dominated cultures of skate and sneakers. Her enjoyment, passion and determination saw her through and now she is heading up partnerships at Alyx & Au Départ.
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We talked a lot about the nature of nostalgia and how that shows up for different generations, and how particular items can be a catalyst for reflection and personal meaning. Mina gave us an insight into the way product collaborations are conceived with some of the many people she has worked with, and how shared values are one of the most important ingredients in these projects.
We also talked about the variety of roles in the creative industry that are aspirational but relatively unknown to most people, and that following your passion will always lead to unexpected, but valuable life experiences.
—This recording was a part of UB Live 2024, a series of live-streamed conversations and IRL panel discussions to celebrate Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com

Dean Evans is a seasoned veteran of the gaming industry, boasting an impressive career spanning over 25 years. He has worked on some of the industry’s most iconic franchises including Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne, Splinter Cell, Far Cry: Blood Dragon and Assassin’s Creed. Dean is the person responsible for introducing us (Mark and Russell) to each other over 20 years ago and the rest is history. (And he is also an NPC in GTA San Andreas!).
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Dean didn’t disappoint - a lively conversation from the heart with some well-articulated truths about creativity, work life, culture and future technology. Dean’s passion and honesty come through in bucketloads throughout this conversation, with an unfiltered bravery to say out loud what a lot of us are feeling about certain topics.
Highlights include an open share about the state of the gaming industry and how it has evolved since he joined 20+ years ago, and a deep dive into the ethics and importance of Generative AI with a great, poignant story about the evolution of stop motion in Jurassic Park.
Although we haven’t been the best at staying in touch since we first met, when we started talking and, in some ways, it was like time hadn’t passed at all. If we could all be a bit more Dean then the world could be a better place - a little bit more untamed but 100% definitely better!
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This recording was a part of UB Live 2024, a series of live-streamed conversations and IRL panel discussions to celebrate Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com

Mick is well seasoned Chief Creative, ECD, Head of Product, Professor of Design along with some other things. He has 20+ years design experience in our industry both client side and agency side. We worked closely with Mick in his time as VP Marketing (NA) at Samsung and he very quickly became a friend of Rosie Lee. A kindred spirit who, like us, wants to set the world on fire without hurting anyone.
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Our conversation covered a lot of ground. We started with a discussion about age, experience and creative freedom and then onto the benefits of AI versus the concept of ‘The Struggle’ making things more worthwhile. Mick shared a very personal insight into how a bad experience at one of his first jobs shaped his career, and his belief in how a broad organisation-level process is important to the success and individuality of creative units.
It’s always a pleasure talking with Mick, we share a lot of values and ideas about our industry but appreciate each other’s vantage points. We always learning something, and have lots to think about afterwards.
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This recording was a part of UB Live 2024, a series of live-streamed conversations and IRL panel discussions to celebrate Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com

Richard Hoare is Russell’s DJ partner with Vintage Mobile Disco, a 10 year long project based on a love of 7” vinyl and eclectic music tastes. He’s the man behind Hoare Associates, a pioneering alternative legal services provider for the UK music industry that favours modern, agile ways of working in contrast to some other dusty corners of his industry. Oh, and he is also an award winning author. He can shift topics from music to discordianism, and from politics to ley lines without coming up for air.
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Our conversation touches on the role of music lawyers in the industry and the evolving business models for musicians. The conversation highlights the power of music to evoke emotions and memories, as well as the potential influence of artists on social and political issues. We explore topics of artistic expression, the impact of music on memories, the challenges of balancing artistic integrity and audience expectations and the role of alcohol in social interactions (amongst other things!).
We most definitely didn’t talk enough about negotiation - one of Richard’s areas of expertise and so we will definitely need to plan a part two.
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This recording was a part of UB Live 2024, a series of live-streamed conversations and IRL panel discussions to celebrate Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com

We’ve known Ben since we begun working closely with StockX. He is always willing to make time for us to just check in and talk and holds his ground in just about any topic, particularly if it relates to culture, art or creativity in general design. We always leave our conversations refreshed and inspired and feeling more at ease that there are other people like us in the world!
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Ben combines his understanding and enthusiasm for Culture, Community, and Collaboration to create award-winning, impactful, memorable moments and campaigns that push brands forward, drive growth and create conversation.
He has a varied experience, from running his own clothing brand to working at unicorn startups like StockX. Ben has had the pleasure of working with various collaborators including Revlon and Megan Thee Stallion, Daniel Arsham, Sarah Andelman, Lewis Hamilton, Nothing and 100T amongst others.
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Our conversation with ben focussed on the culture and psychology of collecting, organic creativity and the need for us all to just put ourt work out there to see what happens.
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We’ve announced all of our speakers now for UB Live 2024, which is taking place next week. UB Live 24 is a series of live-streamed conversations and IRL panel discussions for 3 days around Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday. Head on over to the Substack page or find us on LinkedIn to learn more and to attend the sessions.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit unorthodoxblend.substack.com