Former Host/Havas ECD Ant Melder is launching his own podcast, Brown Riot, to celebrate diversity in the industry.
The show will feature interviews with creatives and business leaders from a range of ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, as adland grapples with diversity issues around the globe.
Melder, who has also worked at DDB and M&C Saatchi, says he was inspired to launch Brown Riot after being repeatedly mistaken for South African-Indian ECD Ash Naidu at Cannes last year.
“It was both awkward and funny, but it also made me wonder if there is perhaps only room for one brown ECD in people’s consciousness. Which is pretty worrying,” Melder says.
“Brown Riot is a celebration of the achievements of a bunch of absolute legends. I wanted to highlight the point that there are some really talented, inspiring senior leaders in the industry from diverse backgrounds, doing amazing things. But there should be more.”
Naidu, BWM Sydney ECD, joins Melder for the first episode, followed by M&C Saatchi ECD Avish Gordhan and ex-72&Sunny and One Green Bean CD Pia Chaudhuri. Other guests will include Indigenous director, producer and screenwriter Peter Kirk and agency founder/CEO/CD George Betsis.
The first three episodes are available today, with new episodes rolling out weekly.
Melder departed Host/Havas earlier this year in a shake-up at the agency, following its loss of the Defence Force account in January.
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