It’s been HOT in London this week – summer is well and truly upon us! But we braved the tropical climes of the city to host the latest edition of our Margaret Mornings series – our curated panel discussions which aim to inform, inspire and create purposeful debate around timely topics within society and culture. 

Nina Simone famously said ‘An artist’s duty is to reflect the times’ and it was this quote that got us thinking about the role of the entertainment industry, and the artists within it, to reflect these turbulent times we are in, and strive to make a positive difference, but also to provide the escapism and connection that the world so desperately needs now too

Helping us explore how to strike this delicate balance were our brilliant panelists:

Sara Frain – Director of Marketing and Distribution at Picturehouse Cinemas

Ben Price- Head of Partnerships at Team Love (FORWARDS, Love Saves the Day and Glastonbury’s Silver Hayes) and Houghton Festival

Georgia Beeston – Co-founder, Bosla Art

Charlie Dark MBE – Founder, Run Dem Crew

Lili Ibrahim, Lead Artist, ustwo games

So what did we learn? It’s always difficult to summarise such an inspirational discussion, but we’ve highlighted some of our key takeaways below:

Authenticity Builds Trust and Deeper Engagement

Across all sectors, authenticity – whether in storytelling, branding, or community-building is essential to making real impact and retaining audience loyalty. Take time to incubate your idea, to build your mission, and surround yourself with people who can help you stay true to it once things take off. And don’t be afraid to disrupt the status quo – in fact that is where the magic happens.  In the wise words of Charlie Dark MBE ‘when people tell you that your idea is crazy and it won’t work, that’s when you push the accelerator!’

‘Edutainment’ Is a Vital Tool for Change

Blending education with entertainment – from games and films to music and events – helps deliver important messages without losing the joy of the experience. By prioritising creating something good, fun, and entertaining at its core, creators and artists then have the opportunity to communicate social impact messages that are important to them, whether that is in a more subtle or overt way. The aim should be to create a ‘ripple of change’ that builds into a wave of action.

Access and Inclusion Must Be Designed In

From subsidised festival tickets to grassroots running groups that prioritise intergenerational membership and culturally sensitive workshops that reflect a variety of lived experiences, ensuring people from all backgrounds can participate is essential to meaningful impact. You can’t be what you can’t see – so to inspire widespread action we need to make sure we are a true reflection of society at every level. 

Sustainability and Social Good Should Be Interwoven, Not Add-ons

From environmental film series (like Picturehouse’s Green Screen Presents) to Team Love’s social impact initiative  BIG team CIC and festival operations using renewable energy and ethical partnerships, environmental and social responsibility should be baked into the business model, not added as an afterthought.

Hope Is Radical – and Necessary

The idea of “Hope-Punk” challenges the prevalence of dystopian narratives. Creating stories and experiences rooted in optimism and connection can be just as disruptive and powerful – e.g. Silver Hayes at Glastonbury’s manifesto ‘Optimism is still a political act’. Escapism, communal experience and joy can be a catalyst for change; here at Margaret we truly believe in the power of culture to make a positive difference, so let’s all be a bit more ‘hope-punk’!

Thank you so much to our inspirational panellists and to Picturehouse for giving space for the event – with beautiful cinemas in neighbourhoods across the UK and a brilliant programme of films and events, add to your list of cultural must-dos this summer. 

If you couldn’t make it to Margaret Mornings this time around and would like to attend the next, do sign up to our newsletter to receive your invite. If there is a theme you’d like us to explore in our next event, please do get in touch and let us know hello@margaretlondon.com