Jon Salmon - Digital Producer and Mental Health Ambassador

This episode was recorded at the Getahead Festival in August 2021. Getahead is a mental health festival that brings people, organisations, brands and charities together from within the health and wellbeing space. In collaboration, they raise awareness of the importance of positive mental health and wellbeing.

I caught up with Jon in the Green room at Getahead to talk about all things mental health, his life, his recovery and what he is doing now to support those struggling with their mental health. We talk about his work at his Agency as a Digital Producer and what characteristics you need to work at an agency like his.

Expect to hear trains going over head, people walking in and all sorts of organic sounds. I love this free flowing chat and I hope you enjoy it too!

Sally J Freeman

Love Live Music UK Instagram - @LoveLiveMusicUK

Jon's Bio: Jon Salmon is an award-winning video executive producer, a digital pioneer and co-founder of branded entertainment agency Byte Entertainment.

Jon lost his father to suicide as a teenager. After starting his first job Jon was sectioned and admitted to hospital with stress and depression. Luckily, Jon was able to get the right help and returned to work a year later.

However, Jon decided not to tell anyone about his illness for nearly 20 years due to the stigma and affect it would have on his career and friendships.

It was sadly after the suicide of a close friend due to postnatal depression in 2016 that Jon decided he had to speak out.

Jon couldn’t have picked a more public platform to speak out when he spoke alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

Jon has since gone on to co-produce What’s Going On In Your Head exploring the secret inner workings of the mind through performance art and discussion, become a trustee for Let’s Talk About Loss a charity for young people who have been bereaved and the founding member and director of the Speakers Collective challenging stigma and facilitating important conversations.

Jon lives in London, a proud Dad and speaks openly about mental health in the hope it will help others and save lives.

If you need help today:

1. The Hub of Hope - https://hubofhope.co.uk - there is always someone to talk to.

2. Shout 85258 If you feel more comfortable texting try Shout 85258 is a free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope

https://giveusashout.org/about-us/about-shout/

3. Samaritans - https://www.samaritans.org - Whatever you're going through, a Samaritan will face it with you. We're here 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Jon's Mental Health Projects:

http://speakerscollective.org (Director)

https://whatsgoingoninyourhead.org/ (Co-founder)

https://letstalkaboutloss.org/ (Trustee)

https://www.talkitoutmusic.com/ (Time To Change project)

Jon's Social Media - reach out to him here:

https://twitter.com/jonsalmon

https://www.instagram.com/j0nsalmon

https://www.jon-salmon.com/

Jon's Company:

Byte Entertainment

https://www.byteentertainment.com/

A huge thank you to Engineer and Producer Abi Reddey for mastering this while in Thailand - thanks for your unerring support.

Remi Harris MBE – London - Business Advisor and Author

Welcome to season 2 of the Secrets of Success Podcast, this week we are looking at finance with Remi Harris. We will hear about how to finance your career and make money from your music.

Remi is a Trainer and Business Advisor to the Creative Industries specialising in finance. Her book “Easy money” is the definitive UK guide to funding music projects.

Remi was the General Manager of AIM – the Association of Independent Music. While she was there, she created a mentoring programme and raised £750,000 to help set up AIM, the business. She studied for an MBA and created a mentoring programme, she delivered hundreds of training events and conferences and ran the day-to-day operations - a very busy and successful time for Remi.

Remi has also been the Director of Operations at lobbying organisation UK Music. This organisation works across the music industry, is involved in governance and strategy at board level, and lobbies government on behalf of the music industry. She also created the first music industry equality and diversity plan.

On this episode, Remi shares her success stories, how she received an MBE from Prince William at Buckingham Palace (while heavily pregnant) and her journey setting up her consultancy and the non-profit organisation young guns - https://www.ygn.co. YGN is a professional network produced by and for young people in the music industry. It’s made up of entrepreneurs, executives and ambitious young people working in music with a ‘positive hustle’ mindset.

Remi talks about why we find it so difficult to ask for money, access funding, managing debt and thinking of the future. She asks the question "How will we have enough money to live? How we can plan for the future and thinking about pensions!

We talk about the emotional aspects of money, the role of community, sourcing money, crowd funding and how your friends and family are the main source of finance when supporting the majority of small businesses. We talk about tax, “Money Mindset”, VAT, taking control, making your finances digital and other life changing financial issues.

"When artists become successful they become business leaders, YOU are the boss and you have to learn how to be the BOSS! Your staff support you and YOU have to learn to manage and drive this team – this can be challenging and is why we need to talk about money" reflects Remi.

This is a hugely important conversation and Remi brings education, strategy, wisdom and insight into this space. Thank you Remi for your time and hospitality.

You can find Remi on her website: https://remiharrisconsulting.com

Linked in

Instagram

Twitter

Buy Remi's Book - Easy Money

Join Young Guns Network: https://www.ygn.co

Many thanks to Abi Reddey for Production of this Podcast and managing lots of outside noises from lawn mowers, pigeons and howling winds!

Please feel free to reach out to me Sally J Freeman on Instagram or email me Sally@lovelivemusic.co.uk.