Wrapping Up Creative Welly | A Study In Human Intimacy

The final episode of this three year journey in creating something beautiful (in podcast form).

Last week I posted episodes 49 and 50 of the unique podcast I conceived and produced, Creative Welly, where we have courageous conversations with bold humans, and today the final ‘bonus’ episode went live—watch above for the back story and insights into the whole adventure.

So why end?

Simply put, it achieved its goals plus as discussed in the episode above, I (probably) won’t be around much longer.

The first episode went live in June 2020 and after 50 episodes, 100 humans, over 80 hours worth of conversation shared, it’s time to wrap it all up in a neat bow and stand back as a gift to the community of participants, partners and watchers / listeners alike.

This was a selfish project in some ways (which I talk about above) although with a high intention of creating space for humanity to flourish (through conversation) and in doing so offer a way to deeply connect back into something ritualistic and primal.

You see, Creative Welly is a fireside.

A democratic gathering of humans through a bond of openness, curiosity and design.

Everything about it was crafted with this in mind: the circular table aiding the balance of the storytelling space for those who sat at it; the key-light which lit all participants equally and wonderfully; the black and white aesthetic to continue the attempt of harmony; moving the cameras far back into the shadows so they don’t get in the way; the visual split of everyone being on screen in the final edit which serves a further purpose to amplify intimacy in the viewers (as every nuance of non-verbal gestural cues was on display not like other podcasts or video content).

Metrics of success

As discussed, in many episodes and the one above, I never once looked at the stats relating to the project.

Having 100 of my network to say yes and share this experience with them, was reward enough.

However, other noticeable achievements was the invite to apply (under sponsorship) for a Webby Award (we didn’t win but amazing to be invited), got interviewed by the local radio station plus we were notified also that Creative Welly was in the top top 4% of content creators on Spotify as well.

Many are still surprised to find out the whole project was funded by:

1. Sponsorship
2. Membership
3. Donations
4. Affiliate links
5. Paid participation spots
6. Selling branded merchandise
7. Selling tickets to live shows
8. Our own time and money (independently produced and hosting paid for us).

…and the fact we made so many episodes is a total accomplishment (as again detailed in the above episode, the amount of work which goes into them is a lot).

Recognition

Apart from me there were three entities who made Creative Welly bloom:

ALL the videos were produced by Jono Tucker of Empire Films.

Not only that, this amazing person also aided massively the stupendous visual fidelity of the project.

Can honestly say that without this man Creative Welly wouldn’t have been the artistic success it was, thank you Jono!

Most of the episodes were hosted / shot at FlashDog Studios, thanks to proprietor David Hamilton.

David sadly passed away the day after we shot the final episodes and he will be missed by the photography and film studio community in Wellington.

The first 9 episodes were previously hosted at Xequals offices. Thanks to them and specifically Alex Matthews (who participated in Episode 14) for again believing in the project when it was just an idea.

Epilogue

So, checking against the brief, to both create something unique in the podcast genre which creates intimacy for the participants as well as the viewers and celebrate humans who are doing imaginative things in this fair city and beyond (hence the name):

…can smile when I say: we nailed it!

Last week we also held a gathering inviting all who have participated at the new Empire Films studio (like we did back in July 2021) as they were the first to know we were wrapping up the project:

And here’s the monster list of all the episodes in case you missed any:

1. Jessica Manins & Sarb Johal
2. Olie Body & Ged Finch
3. Raqi Syed & Gabe Davidson
4. Sandy Gildea & Jase Te Pu
5. Hiria Te Rangi & Guled Mire
6. Haritina Mogosanu & Gareth Parry
7. Pia Steiner & Thomas van Raamsdonk
8. Lindy Nelson & Clive Spink
9. Janelle Fenwick & Tom Probert
10. Bron Thomson & Paul Atkins
11. Elizabeth McNaughton & Rohan Wakefield
12. Melissa Clark-Reynolds & Cesar Piotto
13. Mayu Suzuki & Trent Yeo
14. Audrea Topps Harjo & Alex Matthews
15. Conrad Johnston & Pat Shephard
16. Natasha Zimmerman & Ben Preston
17. Victoria Spackman & Mark Bradford
18. Anne-Marie Brook & Cody Ellingham
19. Paula Eskett & Ari Sargent
20. Karen Fifield & John Holt
21. Shadoe Stone & Troy Hammond
22. Jane Guy & Brian Lucid
23. Samantha Gadd & Phyo Thu
24. Jo Cribb & James Partridge
25. Isabella Cawthorn & Richard Shirtcliffe
26. Glenis Hiria Philip-Barbara & Sam Trubridge
27. Negin Imani & Derek Bradley
28. Janine Sudbury & Mark Gee
29. Emilie Fetscher & James Bushell
30. Pamela Bell & Josh Forde
31. Victoria Crockford & James McCulloch
32. Michelle Kitney & Rob Cousins
33. Cynthia Hunefeld & Mark Westerby
34. Bernadette Casey & Tan Huynh
35. Freda Wells & Dan Neely
36. Laurinda Thomas & Guy Marriage
37. Kimberley Gilmour & Joseph Harawira
38. Antonia Milkop & Dion Howard
39. Kristen Lunman & Tim Pointer
40. Dr Hazel Bradshaw & Derek Sivers
41. Hollie Arnett & Joe Hopkirk
42. Vida Christeller & Digby Scott
43. Tania Anderson & Nick Fox
44. Jenny Cameron & Chris Jackson
45. Michelle Farrell & Dave Greenberg
46. Christine Langdon & Duncan Nimmo
47. Tui Te Hau & Mario Wynands
48. Hannah Wignall & Craig Mildenhall
49. Julia Capon & Jake Nash
50. Jessica Rattray & Paul Tobin
51. BONUS REVIEW EPISODE: Jono Tucker & DK

Keep having courageous conversations with bold humans!