James Kirkham
@spoonybear.bsky.social
Brand Strategist. Broadcaster. Cultural critic. Public Speaker. Founder of ICONIC, Holler. Formerly Chief Business Officer Defected Records & COPA90. Ex-Global Head of Social Mobile at Leo Burnett.
Trump, and the Conservatives own propaganda pamphlet the Telegraph, have somehow caused the removal of the head of the BBC - aka Farage loving Reform platformer in chief. If this now shifts BBC coverage back to near neutral, ie less Reform, it will be the most delicious irony.
November 9, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Trump, and the Conservatives own propaganda pamphlet the Telegraph, have somehow caused the removal of the head of the BBC - aka Farage loving Reform platformer in chief. If this now shifts BBC coverage back to near neutral, ie less Reform, it will be the most delicious irony.
“If I told my teenage son there were once £5 notes in packets of crisps, it would seem like something from mad mythological folklore.” influenceonline.co.uk/2025/11/07/j...
As John Lewis Christmas ad lands, how to create a multi-generational PR campaign
influenceonline.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 6:31 PM
“If I told my teenage son there were once £5 notes in packets of crisps, it would seem like something from mad mythological folklore.” influenceonline.co.uk/2025/11/07/j...
💾Sound of the underground
📰The anchor and the orbit
😴You never dream of your phone
www.linkedin.com/pulse/sound-...
📰The anchor and the orbit
😴You never dream of your phone
www.linkedin.com/pulse/sound-...
Sound of the underground
In 2002, my agency Holler was just a handful of us in a converted clothing factory in Dalston. Back then, the place was so sketchy we'd be too scared to go out for a pint.
www.linkedin.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:53 AM
💾Sound of the underground
📰The anchor and the orbit
😴You never dream of your phone
www.linkedin.com/pulse/sound-...
📰The anchor and the orbit
😴You never dream of your phone
www.linkedin.com/pulse/sound-...
Reposted by James Kirkham
The return of the artist www.linkedin.com/pulse/return...
The return of the artist
I had a brilliant chat with a CMO friend here in London last week. We were talking about how little truly great culture has happened in the twenty years between 2000 and now.
www.linkedin.com
October 31, 2025 at 6:56 AM
The return of the artist www.linkedin.com/pulse/return...
The return of the artist www.linkedin.com/pulse/return...
The return of the artist
I had a brilliant chat with a CMO friend here in London last week. We were talking about how little truly great culture has happened in the twenty years between 2000 and now.
www.linkedin.com
October 31, 2025 at 6:56 AM
The return of the artist www.linkedin.com/pulse/return...
Reposted by James Kirkham
We're tourists in our own taste. www.linkedin.com/pulse/beauty...
The beauty in limits
When culture was scarce, we were faithful but when it became infinite, we stopped caring. Every Friday night was about a proper decision when you walked the aisles of Blockbuster video shop with a mix...
www.linkedin.com
October 24, 2025 at 6:06 AM
We're tourists in our own taste. www.linkedin.com/pulse/beauty...
We're tourists in our own taste. www.linkedin.com/pulse/beauty...
The beauty in limits
When culture was scarce, we were faithful but when it became infinite, we stopped caring. Every Friday night was about a proper decision when you walked the aisles of Blockbuster video shop with a mix...
www.linkedin.com
October 24, 2025 at 6:06 AM
We're tourists in our own taste. www.linkedin.com/pulse/beauty...
Reposted by James Kirkham
my friends, I am in a 10-person capacity record bar in Tokyo requesting songs and drinking Japanese whisky. the owners are a married couple chain smoking behind the bar, slinging cocktails, and spinning records.
this is heaven??? goodbye forever I have died ✌️
this is heaven??? goodbye forever I have died ✌️
October 23, 2025 at 10:44 AM
my friends, I am in a 10-person capacity record bar in Tokyo requesting songs and drinking Japanese whisky. the owners are a married couple chain smoking behind the bar, slinging cocktails, and spinning records.
this is heaven??? goodbye forever I have died ✌️
this is heaven??? goodbye forever I have died ✌️
⚙️ The algorithm will see you now
📰 If news is dead, long live the micro-editor
⚽ Welcome to the Third half of sport
www.linkedin.com/pulse/algori...
📰 If news is dead, long live the micro-editor
⚽ Welcome to the Third half of sport
www.linkedin.com/pulse/algori...
The Algorithm will see you now
I can still remember days when walking into somewhere like Black Market records in Soho mews, and trust a stranger behind the counter more than any chart or critic. They’d slide a piece of vinyl acros...
www.linkedin.com
October 17, 2025 at 12:29 PM
⚙️ The algorithm will see you now
📰 If news is dead, long live the micro-editor
⚽ Welcome to the Third half of sport
www.linkedin.com/pulse/algori...
📰 If news is dead, long live the micro-editor
⚽ Welcome to the Third half of sport
www.linkedin.com/pulse/algori...
Reposted by James Kirkham
The 50th edition of my little newsletter. A conversation in a small corner of the internet built on curiosity, connection and occasional goosebumps. www.linkedin.com/pulse/fifty-...
Fifty Fridays
Somehow this little thing has made it to fifty editions. It started as a way to keep myself honest.
www.linkedin.com
October 10, 2025 at 5:31 AM
The 50th edition of my little newsletter. A conversation in a small corner of the internet built on curiosity, connection and occasional goosebumps. www.linkedin.com/pulse/fifty-...
The 50th edition of my little newsletter. A conversation in a small corner of the internet built on curiosity, connection and occasional goosebumps. www.linkedin.com/pulse/fifty-...
Fifty Fridays
Somehow this little thing has made it to fifty editions. It started as a way to keep myself honest.
www.linkedin.com
October 10, 2025 at 5:31 AM
The 50th edition of my little newsletter. A conversation in a small corner of the internet built on curiosity, connection and occasional goosebumps. www.linkedin.com/pulse/fifty-...
Reposted by James Kirkham
My thoughts in today's Financial Times on pivots, and adapting to thrive through the lens of music, fans, and more. www.ft.com/content/28c6...
Strategic reinvention: adapt to thrive, not just survive
In unpredictable markets, resilience depends on more than efficiency alone. Here’s why leaders are remodelling their businesses before cracks appear – not after
www.ft.com
October 7, 2025 at 11:43 AM
My thoughts in today's Financial Times on pivots, and adapting to thrive through the lens of music, fans, and more. www.ft.com/content/28c6...
My thoughts in today's Financial Times on pivots, and adapting to thrive through the lens of music, fans, and more. www.ft.com/content/28c6...
Strategic reinvention: adapt to thrive, not just survive
In unpredictable markets, resilience depends on more than efficiency alone. Here’s why leaders are remodelling their businesses before cracks appear – not after
www.ft.com
October 7, 2025 at 11:43 AM
My thoughts in today's Financial Times on pivots, and adapting to thrive through the lens of music, fans, and more. www.ft.com/content/28c6...
Reposted by James Kirkham
I wish they had used this beautiful quote he offered in the story as the headline instead:
“She was scared also. It was not her fault.”
“She was scared also. It was not her fault.”
‘She Could Have Killed Me’: Scientist Survives Shark Bite to His Head
www.nytimes.com
October 2, 2025 at 4:39 PM
I wish they had used this beautiful quote he offered in the story as the headline instead:
“She was scared also. It was not her fault.”
“She was scared also. It was not her fault.”
Reposted by James Kirkham
BREAKING: Our client Mario Guevara, an Emmy-winning journalist detained by ICE in retaliation for livestreaming law enforcement activity, will be deported tomorrow to El Salvador.
Mario and his family are being punished for his reporting. This cruelty is meant to stifle our free press.
Mario and his family are being punished for his reporting. This cruelty is meant to stifle our free press.
October 2, 2025 at 10:42 PM
BREAKING: Our client Mario Guevara, an Emmy-winning journalist detained by ICE in retaliation for livestreaming law enforcement activity, will be deported tomorrow to El Salvador.
Mario and his family are being punished for his reporting. This cruelty is meant to stifle our free press.
Mario and his family are being punished for his reporting. This cruelty is meant to stifle our free press.
Because that vibrant human energy is already dimming. The old version felt dazzling, messy, alive but you can see the cooling happening everywhere.
Issue 49 in your inbox for your morning ☕️
www.linkedin.com/pulse/long-n...
Issue 49 in your inbox for your morning ☕️
www.linkedin.com/pulse/long-n...
The long night of the internet
I particularly loved that Brian Cox episode where he talked about how it all ends for everything. He said the universe will end in silence.
www.linkedin.com
October 3, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Because that vibrant human energy is already dimming. The old version felt dazzling, messy, alive but you can see the cooling happening everywhere.
Issue 49 in your inbox for your morning ☕️
www.linkedin.com/pulse/long-n...
Issue 49 in your inbox for your morning ☕️
www.linkedin.com/pulse/long-n...
1st entry, 1st shortlist.
Thrilled to see our Chelsea campaign 'Our House' down to the final few for the Broadcast Sport Awards.
Thrilled to see our Chelsea campaign 'Our House' down to the final few for the Broadcast Sport Awards.
October 2, 2025 at 1:48 PM
1st entry, 1st shortlist.
Thrilled to see our Chelsea campaign 'Our House' down to the final few for the Broadcast Sport Awards.
Thrilled to see our Chelsea campaign 'Our House' down to the final few for the Broadcast Sport Awards.
Excited to be back at Websummit in Lisbon next month. Our session 'Human agency in the time of AI' is going to unpack all that it is to be human now, what's left for us, what should we study, how we need to live. November 12th, 1.55pm on Stage 15 ✊
websummit.com/sessions/lis...
websummit.com/sessions/lis...
Human agency in the time of AI | Web Summit
websummit.com
October 2, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Excited to be back at Websummit in Lisbon next month. Our session 'Human agency in the time of AI' is going to unpack all that it is to be human now, what's left for us, what should we study, how we need to live. November 12th, 1.55pm on Stage 15 ✊
websummit.com/sessions/lis...
websummit.com/sessions/lis...
Reposted by James Kirkham
My thoughts about the news of EA's $55billion deal. They're buying the cultural bloodstream. The most valuable assets in culture are no longer stadiums or broadcast channels, they are the interactive worlds where sport, fashion, music and fandom fuse together.
www.thedrum.com/opinion/2025...
www.thedrum.com/opinion/2025...
Saudi just bought EA. Can brands justify appearing in gaming’s best sandboxes now?
The Saudi Public Investment Fund has acquired EA, one of the world’s biggest gaming companies, with the help of President Trump’s son-in-law. James Kirkham explores the deal’s potential impact on game...
www.thedrum.com
September 30, 2025 at 2:38 PM
My thoughts about the news of EA's $55billion deal. They're buying the cultural bloodstream. The most valuable assets in culture are no longer stadiums or broadcast channels, they are the interactive worlds where sport, fashion, music and fandom fuse together.
www.thedrum.com/opinion/2025...
www.thedrum.com/opinion/2025...
This ‘aftermath economy’ is an overlooked frontier. It rewards those who build infrastructure for return: the archives, replays, physical tokens and little community rituals. www.thedrum.com/news/2025/09...
Sport marketing’s ‘full-circle’ moment: creator and licensing deals changing the game
Capping off a trio of pieces in our Agency Advice series, we ask marketers how the playbook’s changing in sports marketing – and where the untapped opportunities are still up for grabs.
www.thedrum.com
October 1, 2025 at 12:42 PM
This ‘aftermath economy’ is an overlooked frontier. It rewards those who build infrastructure for return: the archives, replays, physical tokens and little community rituals. www.thedrum.com/news/2025/09...
Reposted by James Kirkham
Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom Rally was sponsored by a convicted fraudster allegedly behind cryptocurrency ‘rug pulls’
The far-right rally was bankrolled by convicted fraudster alleged to be behind two cryptocurrency scams, Byline Times can reveal
bylinetimes.com/2025/10/01/t...
The far-right rally was bankrolled by convicted fraudster alleged to be behind two cryptocurrency scams, Byline Times can reveal
bylinetimes.com/2025/10/01/t...
Tommy Robinson's 'Unite the Kingdom' Rally Was Sponsored by a Convicted Fraudster Allegedly Behind Cryptocurrency ‘Rug Pulls’
The far-right rally was bankrolled by a convicted fraudster alleged to be behind two cryptocurrency scams, Byline Times can reveal
bylinetimes.com
October 1, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom Rally was sponsored by a convicted fraudster allegedly behind cryptocurrency ‘rug pulls’
The far-right rally was bankrolled by convicted fraudster alleged to be behind two cryptocurrency scams, Byline Times can reveal
bylinetimes.com/2025/10/01/t...
The far-right rally was bankrolled by convicted fraudster alleged to be behind two cryptocurrency scams, Byline Times can reveal
bylinetimes.com/2025/10/01/t...
My thoughts about the news of EA's $55billion deal. They're buying the cultural bloodstream. The most valuable assets in culture are no longer stadiums or broadcast channels, they are the interactive worlds where sport, fashion, music and fandom fuse together.
www.thedrum.com/opinion/2025...
www.thedrum.com/opinion/2025...
Saudi just bought EA. Can brands justify appearing in gaming’s best sandboxes now?
The Saudi Public Investment Fund has acquired EA, one of the world’s biggest gaming companies, with the help of President Trump’s son-in-law. James Kirkham explores the deal’s potential impact on game...
www.thedrum.com
September 30, 2025 at 2:38 PM
My thoughts about the news of EA's $55billion deal. They're buying the cultural bloodstream. The most valuable assets in culture are no longer stadiums or broadcast channels, they are the interactive worlds where sport, fashion, music and fandom fuse together.
www.thedrum.com/opinion/2025...
www.thedrum.com/opinion/2025...
Culture as R&D. My piece for The Subthread today www.thesubthread.com/culture-as-r...
Culture as R&D
The white coat no longer owns experimentation. Today, it’s far messier than that, writes brand strategist and cultural critic James Kirkham.
Today, the proving ground for new technology is not a ster...
www.thesubthread.com
September 17, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Culture as R&D. My piece for The Subthread today www.thesubthread.com/culture-as-r...