FOOD

About:

Nick and Iain are the Founders of FOOD. A creative and ventures studio.

It’s the latest chapter in a 20 year creative saga…

In 2001 Nick and Iain founded Poke with 4 friends. Poke went on to become one of the most respected digital agencies of the day. Poke won numerous Webby Awards for helping brands make innovative work that paved the way for others to follow.

Iain left to become the Global Interactive ECD of Wieden+Kennedy in Portland, and then went on to work as Executive Creative Director at Google Creative Lab in New York and more recently was ECD of Wieden+Kennedy in London. He’s worked on big advertising things like Old Spice (The Man Your Man Could Smell Like) and Nike (Nothing Beats a Londoner). As well as having his name on 2 patents on geeky things.

Nick joined Publicis Worldwide when Poke was acquired by the French Network and became CEO of Publicis London, before being promoted to CEO of Publicis Worldwide in 2018. In 2010, Nick launched The Lovie Awards to celebrate the wonderful and inspiring things connected by the web's many tentacles.

They re-connected to set up FOOD with a third partner, Richard Turley, because they saw a growing need to help people jump into exciting new creative waters.

Why we are partnering together

RockCorps and FOOD are partnering to co-create our offering in the Virtual World - RockCorps Unlimited. Volunteering in the real world, and being rewarded with a mind-blowing musical experience in another. 

Now you can volunteer anywhere in the world – and get validated for a gig using cutting edge tools. 

RockCorps first worked with Nick and Iain at Poke and we are excited to continue the partnership for this next iteration.

Q&A

Nick & Iain, why did you choose to become Co-Founders?

Iain: When we helped RockCorps launch in the UK in partnership with Orange I have to admit I was a tiny bit sceptical at first. I thought maybe this would work elsewhere, but doubted that London teenagers would really get stuck in. How wrong I was.

Nick: The experience with RockCorps and getting to know the team is definitely a career highlight. I’d love to say we found out about it first, but it was Orange who were brave enough to invest in the early RockCorps project and as their agency, we were invited along for the ride. Everyone who worked on the project always took something important away from the experience so the opportunity to work again with the team as part of our new venture was a no-brainer.

What excites you about taking RockCorps into the Metaverse?

Iain: I would love to show people that gamers and kids who spend ‘too much time on screens’ are just as motivated and civically minded as the generations before. But now the technology gives them a way to make more impact than ever. I see RockCorps Unlimited as the perfect platform to do that. I think it’s an amazing opportunity for a brand to show that their technology / the metaverse / their platform / their community are a force for good in the world.

Nick: We’re tech optimists and look for ways to show the value and positive benefits gained from engaging with technology. It’s not all wasted time staring at screens.

Do you anticipate any particular challenges?

Iain: the biggest challenge with trying to establish a new behaviour (volunteering in the Virtual World) is to make sure that it’s easy, fun, and rewarding. And that everyone can take part.

Nick: The second biggest challenge is what ‘world’ will this come to life in - Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox, soemthing else - watch this space.

What music were you listening to at 16?

Iain: Well this is going to give away how ancient I am, but luckily you’ve picked a year where I was listening to music that wasn’t too cringey. The two cassettes that I valued most in 1988 (both bought from a defunct music store called Our Price) were Buffalo Stance by Neneh Cherry, and Enter the Dragon by Bomb the Bass.

Nick: Following the two cassettes set-up - Pixies / Surfer Rosa on repeat until the tape snapped and Dinosaur Jr / Bug. Freak Scene from that album is THE skate video track.

What was the first concert you ever attended?

Iain: The Charlatans, Nottingham Rock City, 1990

Nick: 1984. Poole Arts Centre. Kajagoogoo with the youth club. I had an asthma attack.