This is the way! Cosplay is when you dress as a popular character from film, TV, games. Cosplayers usually start by buying costumes, and then realise it’s cheaper and more fun to make your own and customise it. Emily is involved with Chelmsford Takeover with Essex Cosplayers and Chelmsford For You. The whole town centre gets taken over by characters and vehicles, with chances to learn about craft and meet creators, and get selfies with RoboCop (next event Saturday 12th April 2025). Featuring the famous cosplay conga, where you can see George Lucas (not the real one), Transformers, Star Wars characters and White Walkers all partying down Chelmsford High Street. Emily’s most famous character is Bo-Katan from The Mandalorian, badass strong female role model character played by Katie Sackhoff. Emily’s helmet is 3D printed and then hand painted and finished, with added interior foam padding (a washing up sponge). For Star Wars there are a lot of 3D models available to buy and print yourself, and Etsy has a lot of cosplay cutting guides. Emily’s latest creation is Dame Aylin from Baldur’s Gate 3, which has massive angel wings and armour - made from polythene underlay for flooring and EVA foam. YouTube is your friend for research for materials, templates and builds. Polyprops is a great website for EVA foam - cut it, heat gun it into shapes, stick it. Costumes take a lot of work, Emily’s latest was 3 months working all day every day. Emily updated Bo-Katan with furry ears to join a furry meetup - cosplay fun is encouraged! Cosplayers can occasionally get called in to work on the movie and TV franchises they love - as creators and as background actors (like the 501st for Star Wars). Nick goes on a long monologue about RoboCop - sorry. Emily only started cosplay in lockdown, she started face painting, then dressing up on Twitch streams (Ciri from Witcher III: The Wild Hunt), doing TikTok dances, and following motivation from positive feedback the cosplay escalated. Cosplay is very hard to make a career from - for most it’s a hobby or a side-hustle. Doing cosplay you stealth learn so many varied creative skills. Cosplay is a supportive community, reach out to people to ask them questions about their craft. Nerdiness is becoming much for accepted and trendy in society. How to compete at cosplay competitions. Cosplay secrets: They get dressed in the Comic Con carpark! How gory can you go in cosplay before it’s unacceptable?

Emily on Instagram
Emily on TikTok
All Emily's links
Essex Cosplayers
Chelmsford Takeover

Are You Creative? recorded by Adam at Lawker Media, Chelmsford, ESSEX
Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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Recorded in Chelmsford, Essex, UK

Competitive story writer, namer, brander, and editor/designer of Menticulture magazine. Overall creative legend, and nicest bloke in Essex. Originally from the glorious hill of Danbury. Ben trained as a graphic designer as a mature student. Now he runs his own naming and brand agency The Identity Bureau. Naming is finding what a company is going to call themselves. A name that’s memorable and describes the company. A good name should be easy to say, easy to spell, easy to remember. Company names have the most brand longevity, outlasting multiple logo refreshes etc, so it’s super important to get right. Namers work through about sixteen points to make sure they get to a good name that scores ticks on the list. Why changing the name Twitter to X was a bad move because they lost brand equity. Having a rigorous process, but also when to trust your gut instinct to judge creativity. Ben has created Menticulture magazine, which is a bit like a printed version of this podcast, all about creativity in Essex! Oi oi! It is printed on a risograph in bright pink and black on cartridge paper at Colchester Maker Space. The importance of proofreaders. What is an interrobang‽ Nick has a story about how his logo design ended up in a shocking discovery online. Ben partakes in short story writing challenges for microfiction, writing under time constraints with a genre, a word to use, and an action that needs to be included. What the competitors write in 24 hours is fascinating. Ben reads his 100-word (a drabble), 24 hour short story ‘Remember Bees Dad?’. Check out the NYC Midnight website for details of the next challenge.

Identity Bureau
Id Bureau on Insta
Menticulture Magazine
NYC Midnight

Are You Creative? recorded by Adam at Lawker Media, Chelmsford, ESSEX
Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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Thanks to NGDA for their support

Recorded in Chelmsford, Essex, UK

One of the hosts of the Eerie Essex podcast (with Ailsa Clarke), all about paranormal happenings and traditional stories of mysteries and the unexplained in Essex. Is the Loch Ness Monster a ghost dinosaur? Old Roughy the poltergeist in Great Waltham. Ghost cats in pubs. How do Bethan and Ailsa research their podcast? Start with the paranormal database, books, British newspaper archive. Weird Norfolk podcast from the Norfolk Folklore Society inspired them to start their Essex podcast. Black Shuck the East Anglian dog is a brilliant regional myth. Part cryptid, part entity, a black dog with blazing red eyes that arrives in storm and lightning, can be bad or good. Shuck was a protector for travellers, like a scary Lassie. Adelle tells a creepy story about a hotel, is she imagining things? What can Bethan tell us about it? 3am is a common time for ghosts and weird things happening! Stories bring us together, so does it matter if they are true or not? Explanations for sleep paralysis. Your brain puts your body into neutral mode and turns off motor functions at night. Nightmares are named after mythical horses with glowing eyes in your room at night. Plague pits, burials and plague doctor ghosts in Colchester. Never move a witch’s stone! Matthew Hopkins is a nob. Bethan tells us loads of old rude names for roads she found in her research. How to start a podcast and find out what kit you need? Ask other podcasters! Write bullet points, not a script. Waiting for things to be released into public records - exorcism! Bethan also has a podcast called The Spectre of the Sea, which is more storytelling. Doing a live podcast for the first time. Bethan also runs the East Anglian Folklore Centre at The Minories in Colchester - there is a reference library, things from an apothecary, lectures, a museum. There will be a folk goblin rave in Colchester Castle to raise funds for the centre. Has Bethan seen a ghost? OF COURSE! And a demonic presence. The Smiler!

Eerie Essex on Insta
East Anglian Folklore Centre
Bethan on Insta

Are You Creative? recorded by Adam from Lawker Media at Lawker Media Studio
Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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Thanks to NGDA for their support

Recorded in Chelmsford, Essex, UK

Observational poet with luxuriant hair from Witham. Leon started poetry in 2016, and became Leon The Poet in 2022. He was a songwriter first, and got inspired by spoken word like Kae Tempest. His first book was published in 2024 - ‘Sometimes I’m The Bull, Sometimes I’m The China Shop’ - with a brilliant cover by Essex artist Jackson Bollocks. The book looks more like a music album than a poetry book. Leon finds that poetry has a more focused audience than when he used to perform music. He wants to make poetry more accessible for a wider audience - not just for super smart and serious people. Leon spend time on the titles for his poems to give them a good hook. He reads a poem about how his dog wanted to be a poet until a parcel fell on his head. Leon was raised in a controlling religious background, and he struggled to find independence and artistic outlets for most of his life. During COVID when the group couldn’t get together, Leon started to question the lifestyle and teachings and researched cults. Individualism and creativity are actively discouraged in a cult, it is all about the group. Art is therapy for Leon, he confides in his art and writes about subjects he is figuring out. Humans need to express themselves and create, it is play for adults! Creating something that didn’t exist before is joy. You have to be honest with what you write, it is your opinion and how you feel. Leon has a beef with Russell Brand and him finding Christ - he has an expert level of understanding of the bible and can easily spot his hypocrisy. Leon bigs up the poetry scene in Colchester at Patch and The Commons. How do you get poetry gigs? Poems have to connect with people, so make them easy to understand. Leon reads the best poem Nick and Sangita have ever heard - it’s called #Trainwanker and worth listening to the whole episode just for this! We talk Tim Key and his show Late Night Poetry. Big up to other Essex poets Martin Newell and Beans On Toast. Poems can be about anything, and it’s creatively liberating. Essex Tourism Board - ‘Witham - It’s just a place mate!’ Looking for James Buckley in Chelmsford. Tips for starting at poetry - just start! You’ve got to be your own curator, and trust your instincts. Commit to the idea.

Leon The Poet Instagram
Buy Leon The Poet's book

Are You Creative? recorded by Adam from Lawker Media at Lawker Media Studio
Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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Thanks to NGDA for their support

Recorded in Chelmsford, Essex, UK

This one’s a bit sweary! Joe writes, directs and edits sketches and shorts that screen globally. He also has a background in commercials and branded content. He’s had viral successes with his films. How do big American productions end up being edited in Joe’s house in Romford? Because he’s awesome! Can you learn to be funny? Or are you born funny? Joe worked a lot of corporate video jobs before realising that he could specialise in comedy. Joe took a media course at Havering Sixth Form and learned film-making and editing and found his passion. Then worked at a production company called Confetti Studio during his time on a foundation degree. What is freelancing and why does it appeal to Joe? It’s hard, but lets Joe control the work he wants to do. Full-time work led to some drier work. How a bad experience on a film set spurred Joe into making exactly what he wanted to do, a comedy film for himself - Piss Up. He roped in a family friend actor, and found a zero-budget location. How do you work out budgets for short films and find people to make them? ShootingPeople.org is a good website to find people willing to help with shorts and sketches. How free work as volunteers and personal projects can lead to paid commercial work. Balancing creative satisfaction with making money. How to shoot comedy scenes. The best way to get into filmmaking is to just start and improve as you go. Essex has got loads of exciting film festivals happening for shorts and features and first time directors. Why are film festivals important? Filmmaking is heading East, and new studios are opening in Essex.

Joe McGowan website and films
Joe on Instagram

Are You Creative? recorded by Adam from Lawker Media at Lawker Media Studio
Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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Thanks to NGDA for their support

Recorded in Chelmsford, Essex, UK

Nick Collier AKA Ella Vaday is The Drag Beast from Dagenham East. Is Dagenham Essex or London? It’s Essex innit! Ella appeared on Season 3 of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK in 2021, and has since shot to drag stardom. Nick trained in musical theatre and dance when he was 16. And after graduating performed in Wicked, Book of Mormon, Cats, Fame among other West End smashes. Ella has now been performing in Pantomime, so how does Nick act as Ella acting as an Ugly Sister - it’s drag inception! Being in drag gives you so much more permission to be cheeky with a crowd, and they love it. Anything you think in your head, you can say when you’re in drag, the more unfiltered the better. How did COVID and a job at Morrisons supermarket help turbocharge Ella’s online presence? How do you apply for Drag Race? The nervous days building up to the first show. How do you find your style and personality when you start out in drag? Ella became a yummy mummy type character. Big hair, big hips, big boobs - larger than life. Drag artists are very in control of how they look, what they say, what they sing. It is important to carve out a niche and be different from other characters. Nick started tap dancing at 5 years old. There is stigma around dancing for young boys. The importance of learning young and getting discipline to listen and practice. Learning from rejection. Learning from life experiences. Tips for a memorable casting. Dirty dirty dirty - Ella was Nigella Lawson on Drag Race Snatch Game and the internet LOVED it - and it was a last minute change from Mystic Meg - phew, lucky switch. Nick used to sell perfume in a department store, and it set him Ella for amazing drag chat and crowd work. Drag is becoming more mainstream with more nights popping up in towns and cities. The business of DragCon and meeting fans. Setting up a booth on a budget! Tips for Baby Queens just starting out on the drag scene. Practice at home. Take your time. Learn how to do things. And Halloween is a great time to go out for the first time because everyone is dressed up. Look out for open mic nights, or just go to a club and feel the fantasy. Ella acted in a movie, Sumoverhood, alongside Lethal Bizzle. Nick thrives on short deadlines and pressure to be creative. AND we discover that Ella’s first ever public outing was Southend Pride… a true ESSEX girl!

Ella on Insta
Facebook
TikTok
DragRace Fanpage
Wikipedia
Nick on Insta

Are You Creative? recorded by Adam from Lawker Media at Lawker Media Studio
Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

Don't forget to like, subscribe, share and all the good stuff.

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Send comments, questions, or suggestions for fascinating creative people in Essex give us a shout on our Instagram

Thanks to NGDA for their support

Recorded in Chelmsford, Essex, UK

Film-maker, Marley lives on a three acre farm, designs permaculture, and specialises in community supported agriculture (CSA). Marley also co-runs a community cooperative cafe in Colchester. He’s been commissioned by Culture Essex to make a film for Extraordinary Essex with the working title ‘Don’t Fight The Land That Feeds You’ about the people of Essex and the land that nourishes them. Marley is interviewing people ranging from farmers with hectares of land to small growers with allotments. In CSA people can pay a share towards harvest by subscribing to seasonal veg boxes, or volunteer on the farm in exchange for produce. Nick’s had enough of chervil and celeriac in his OddBox! Importance of diversity in crops and seasonality in food. Community Growing Spaces in Essex for people with mental health issues, feeling the therapeutic benefits of working outside and eating the food they produce. When Marley grew up he concentrated on sports and football, not creativity. Creative subjects at school didn’t interest him. But then he started using his friend Drew’s camera and making edits, and making beats with his brother, and fell in love with creativity. Turning making films as a hobby into paid commissions. Getting young people out of towns and cities to expose them to rural Essex and growing food. Creating a community buzz on the farm with volunteers and group events. Shout out to Essex Salad WhatsApp group! Applying for funding. Permaculture is designing agriculture for the future. Colchester creativity is bubbling up right now. Marley’s wife Laura run Wyrd Flora, organising wild craft and nature walks. How long would Sangita survive in a post-apocalyptic scenario? Tips for young people getting into film-making - start with what you’ve got, then level up. Marley’s film will premiere at The Commons Cafe in Colchester in March 2025. Nick reveals that Chelmsford Museum have a stuffed bear to warn real bears away from their honey.

Culture Essex - Extraordinary Essex
Cuckoo Farm Studios
Wyrd Flora

Are You Creative? backup was recorded by Marley (thanks!) at City Sound Chelmsford
Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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Thanks to NGDA for their support

Recorded in Chelmsford, Essex, UK

Jon manages Hot Box in Chelmsford. An independent community venue for music, poetry, chess, comedy, drag, retro gaming and other things. At a small venue everyone has to muck in and do all the jobs. Venue is 110 capacity, but has seen huge acts like Fat Boy Slim, Frank Turner, High Fade, The Meffs, Beans on Toast, Native James. Norman Cook has come back to DJ many times, and once to help raise funds to save the venue. Venues and events make memories for the staff and crowd. How starting a new venue fired up a creative community in the city. Hot Box started as a ‘head shop’ selling smoking paraphernalia, then diversified into being a skateboard shop, then evolving into a multi-use shop and venue, then into a pure venue. Hot Box became a Community Interest Company (CIC). Providing space for communities, helping communities build, supporting young people. Filling Hot Box with 100,000 balls for a charity gig for Angus. How important it is to have places to support creative projects and let people experiment. Electronic Music Open Mic (EMOM) nights where electronic music artists can play their music through the professional sound system at Hot Box. How dominos has caught on in the venue. How superstars Squarepusher and Adam Buxton collaborated on a fundraising single about Shorts to raise money for the venue after COVID. Creating a community space that is also a sustainable business. Training young people on how to promote a gig, mix sound, set up and control lighting. Being transparent with the costs and numbers for promoters and ensuring people get paid fairly. Being on a mission to make Chelmsford cooler! Petition to make a statue of Dave Hot Box with a cup of tea and shorts. Organising the multi-venue Sounds Good festival event and working with multiple partners and volunteers from different sectors. Filling in funding applications. Booking bands for events. All about High Fade Band and why they always kill it at Hot Box! Jon played bass in a band and played at Brixton Academy when he was 15 - supporting Chelmsford’s finest Rat Boy. Country music is popping off in Essex. Being the president of the Ignite Creative Partnership in Chelmsford - Jon is a BIG DEAL! Fair pay for creatives initiative. The economics of playing live music. Music Venue Trust and Kate Nash and their amazing work.

Hot Box Live
Sounds Good Festival
Music Venue Trust

Are You Creative? recorded by Adam from Lawker Media at Lawker Media Studio
Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

Don't forget to like, subscribe, share and all the good stuff.

Follow our Instagram for latest news and behind the scenes photos

Send comments, questions, or suggestions for fascinating creative people in Essex give us a shout on our Instagram

Thanks to NGDA for their support

Recorded in Chelmsford, Essex, UK