Influence with Damian Bradfield

In this episode, Dame Stephanie Shirley CH (the CH is for Companion of Honour) — a German-British software pioneer, businesswoman, and philanthropist — chats with Damian about making an entirely new kind of business for an untapped category of worker (women with household and caretaking responsibilities) before there was a model for either. And, as remote work proliferates now, she shares what she learned from designing a remote wo...

In this episode, the award-winning illustrator and founder of DrawTogether Wendy MacNaughton discusses the power of art. She talks about how her graphic journalism seeks to create policy and social change, how her work teaching kids to make art builds their confidence and creativity, and how drawing and sharing stories brings us closer together. Or, as Wendy says, “Pencils up! Everything is better when we draw together.”

Get you...

In this episode, Damian talks to the renowned English architect Thomas Heatherwick about collaboration, creativity, making spaces that last. Thomas’ approach to architecture is emotional, human, and visceral. His projects unfurl, sprout, and float, delighting and connecting the people they serve. From his limited edition Christmas cards to his dandelion-like UK Pavilion to Google’s brand new Bay View Campus in Mountain View, Thomas...

In this episode, the Years and Years actor Russell Tovey shares how he leaned into his love for art. He talks about how his passion grew into a well-loved and well-listened to podcast (Talk Art) and then a contemporary art book of the same name. Damian and Russell also discuss the elitism in the art world and what Russell is doing to make art accessible for everyone. Also: Russell introduces his upcoming documentary about British a...

In this episode, Damian talks to the UK-based fashion designer Harris Reed about how his bold gender-fluid designs are expanding the possibilities for who can wear what. His clothes have been on the cover of Vogue, been featured at the Met Ball, and worn by Beyonce, Harry Styles, Adele, and Lizzo, to name a few. He talks about how being his authentic self not only guides his business but is changing the model for how one can succee...

In this episode, Damian talks with actor, writer, and producer Riz Ahmed about his two films nominated for Oscars this year—Flee, an animated documentary, and The Long Goodbye, a live-action short produced by WeTransfer. (That means we're up for an Oscar, too. Ahem!) He shares how having doors repeatedly closed on him opened up his whole acting career, how story can function like a body-swap technology, and how truth in a character...

On this episode, Damian talks with the acclaimed director and founder of Concordia Studio, Davis Guggenheim. Davis shares the story of how he turned Al Gore’s dry slide deck about global warming into an Academy Award-winning film that transformed the public’s understanding of climate change with his documentary An Inconvenient Truth (2006). He also explains the ingredients of a good documentary, breaks down how they’re realized in ...

Isha Datar is on a mission to change the way we eat. On this episode, she shares what she's learned from more than a decade at the forefront of "cellular agriculture," a term she coined. She talks about how lab-grown meat could not only reshape and reimagine the future of food, but also how it could dramatically scale back farming's environmental impact.

Influence is a production of WeTransfer, produced in association with Reaso...

In this episode, Damian talks wine with Dan Keeling, the co-founder and editor of the bright, funny, and boisterous Noble Rot Magazine, and the co-founder of the Noble Rot restaurants in London. Dan talks about leaving his plum position in the music industry—one he earned after discovering acts like Coldplay and Lily Allen (maybe you've heard of them)—to make a magazine about wine. In this conversation, Dan talks about how sharing ...

In this episode, Damian talks with the artist, writer, and coder Xiaowei Wang about their surprising findings about modern technology from their travels in rural China. Expanding on their book, Blockchain Chicken Farm, Wang shares models for decolonizing tech, challenges our ideas about rural vs urban innovation, and calls for a more expansive vision for global advancement (instead of a tech silver bullet).

Influence is a produc...

When Rose Hudson-Wilkin was first called to church ministry as a child, the Church of England did not allow women to be priests. But being told what she could and couldn’t do didn’t deter her then, and it doesn’t deter her now. On this episode, Bishop Rose speaks to Damian about her journey from growing up in Jamaica to becoming a bishop in the Church of England—the first Black woman allowed the position. She talks about using her ...

In this episode, Damian talks to responsible tech evangelist (and WeTransfer Board Chair) Martha Lane Fox. As a Crossbench Peer in the United Kingdom House of Lords, a board member of Twitter and Chanel, and an early startup success, Martha has a unique voice in some of the most influential rooms on the planet. In this conversation, she talks about bringing a European perspective to Twitter, how video conferencing has made it ...

To perceive colour for the first time, Neil Harbisson implanted an antenna into his skull. To experience the movement of earthquakes within her body, Moon Ribas implanted sensors into her feet. Damian meets the two cyborg artists and co-founders of the Cyborg Foundation to find out how technology has altered their perceptions of reality, blurred the lines between human and machine, and tested the boundaries of society.

Influence...

Damian meets Nichelle Tramble Spellman, the creator and showrunner of the Apple TV+  series Truth be Told. Nichelle discusses representation in Hollywood, being true to her characters, and how she’s supporting the next generation of filmmaking talent—and stories not often seen on the screen—with her production company The 51. Her work writing and producing for television influences not only what stories are told, but also how ...

Loneliness affects everything from our physical health to our voting choices, according to research from this episode’s guest, Noreena Hertz. Her book, The Lonely Century, chronicles a loneliness crisis across the developed world. On this episode, Damian and Noreena discuss how technology, neoliberalism, open offices, and cities contribute to loneliness, and what people, workplaces, and governments can do to bring people together.

Aaron Koblin's dazzling data art projects have animated Johnny Cash's music and brought an Arcade Fire music video to viewers' childhood homes. On today's episode, Damian talks to the artist, designer, and co-founder of the VR company Within about what it means to be a tech optimist today, how VR might lead to more compassion, and how to save ourselves from the tech beasts we've created.

Influence is a production of WeTrans...

Nadya Tolokonnikova brought Russian punk feminism into existence with the creation of Pussy Riot, a music group and conceptual art piece in one. The Putin government put her in jail for two years after one of her performances. Despite the risks, she's spent the past decade working at the intersection of art and activism.

In our latest episode, Tolokonnikova speaks with Damian about what's happened since the early days of Pussy R...