Plantilla de publicación 00

TEDxDaltVila: You have a diverse portfolio in podcast creation, working with various clients from wellness brands to music events. How does your experience in podcasting contribute to your role in presenting speakers at TEDxDaltVila, particularly in terms of storytelling and engaging the audience?

Jo: Firstly thank you for asking that question. I feel it definitely does help and makes a huge difference to knowing how to change tack or script something that lightly reflects or moves forward in a new direction to take the story forward or steer people toward a new idea, as I spend much of my work pondering how to shed light on the main focus of s story without taking something away and adding as much as I  can through an introduction or ruining the detail and crux of the storyline. So writing the script for TEDx Dalt Vila is such a huge joy and to work out a way to try and stitch all the stories together.  The first taste or moment when I read through the running order and see the trail of narrative that Mia Kirn and the team have expertly curated is always the exciting part and bit that I look forward to the most as a host  – apart from the day itself of course!

TEDxDaltVila: Having reported from live music events and awards ceremonies around the world, how has your global perspective influenced your approach to hosting TEDxDaltVila? 

Jo: Interesting Question! I think from covering the history of Hip hop in an old disused bank in New York with the likes of Nas, N.E.R.D, Dizzy Rascal and Grandmaster Flash to reporting live from Amy Winehouse’s final gig in St Lucia at the Jazz festival, the biggest lesson I learned?  Expect the unexpected and be ready!  

I covered the first show for Smirnoff and surprise guests like Kelis were just randomly popping up, left, right and center and trying to grab them and get interviews in quite challenging and hectic circumstances provided much hilarity but also pressure to cover the full range of artists and the entire spectacle that unfolded, which was intense and stressful but definitely an experience I will never forget in terms of what is possible when you are prepared. I would say for me, my mantra is Be Prepared or Prepare to Fail.

Being witness to Amy´s final stay in St Lucia for a whole week and seeing her on such fine form and looking so healthy and tanned and well as opposed to the way she turned up to perform that set in St lucia was so shocking and to be live on BBC 5 Live at the time, was really one of the hardest moments for me. To convey the sadness of that scenario, be empathetic, and somehow absorb the shock of the crowd but also the anger that Amy was not delivering the gig many had expected was an unique moment to be on the spot and be forced to craft the right words and in that moment. It was devastating to see her so unable to do what she does best, but the level of understanding of the fact that clearly she found performing stressful and perhaps realising her only way to cope on stage was to find dutch courage, was painful to witness but also understandable.

Being on stage is not as easy as it looks for so many and you can envision a moment and how it’s going to go a hundred times, but nothing prepares you for that feeling of taking center stage, it’s immense. 

Doing a TEDx talk is an extremely skillful craft and really rather difficult to deliver with the ease with which so many appear on stage.  People can stumble and falter a little at times and it’s my job to notice when those moments are potentially possible and be ready toward them off at the pass and rescue them or assist in any way that would feel organic if need be. 

It is rare, but in year one a few little moments kicked off, where if I hadn’t been side of stage actually observing, listening and ready to take direction and action as a result, then things may not have remained as smooth as they seemed to the audience. The team is incredible at that and obviously we have speakers from around the world as well as this year in Spanish, so I would say observation is key and knowing that I need to stay on my toes and alert to any sudden changes, which is what being a reporter or presenter in any part of the world is all about. 

TEDxDaltVila: Living in Ibiza adds a unique dimension to your professional life. How has being based on the island influenced your work, especially in terms of connecting with local talent and building a network for your creative audio projects and podcasts?

Jo:

I  started making podcasts in 2006 for BBC 6 Music for the music news team.     Moving here in 2013 to continue what I started in London, when no one knew or cared what a podcast was or had any interest in them was hard.  Trying to force the narrative of podcast making here didn´t really work and there was not one single speech based podcast in Ibiza when I arrived, just DJ mixes.  So I started The Reset Rebel 6 years ago and tried to “reset” that story line to showcase what I feel the island is about from different perspectives because I feel the global audience who visit every year needed to know more about the “other” side of the island.  I now have an amazing network of incredible people to call upon on certain subjects and last year created a chart topping podcast showcasing the incredible work being done to regenerate the land of the Balearics.  Amar La Tierra also highlights the ecological impact we have and the positive work being done to support and through those two projects, I have learned so much about the island and met so many colorful, driven, ambitious, bright and brilliant characters and grown to appreciate my home of ten years in a way I never dreamed possible when I found it in my early twenties on the party circuit. So hosting TEDx feels like a huge honour and extension of that to marry the two and showcase the incredible community the island has to offer that many perhaps feel have these kind of intellectual debates behind closed doors or even at dinner parties, which funnily enough you will hear more about in a talk on the 23 March! 

TEDxDaltVila: Additionally, how has hosting the TEDxDaltVila impacted your professional relationships within the local community?

TED is a great global platform but having TEDx Dalt Vila come to Ibiza has widened my circle of contacts and connections and perhaps in some ways my access to them and allowed me to make many new friends and acquaintances and find some incredible new stories and research them in a way that feels more intimate.