Soho Media Club has unveiled the BE YOU Festival 2025 line-up, featuring a keynote from Roughcut CEO Ash Atalla, a producer behind The Office, Things You Should Have Done and People Just Do Nothing.
Billed as “the unapologetic, high-energy one-day event where the business of content meets the power of diversity”, BE YOU Festival will host a number of other high-profile speakers alongside Atalla on 6 October.
These include:
- Camilla Lewis, CEO, Curve Media: Opening the day with insights into how TV is evolving in the era of digital-first audiences
- Derren Lawford, CEO, DARE Pictures, and Soleta Rogan, managing director, Rogan Productions and Rogan Scotland: Lifting the lid on the new funding playbook for getting projects made in 2025
- Melanie Leach, CEO, South Shore, Theo Johnson, BBC1Xtra presenter, Poppy Begum, investigative journalist, and Nigel Tadyanehondo, owner and senior colourist at Over&Out Studio: Sharing personal journeys into the industry in BE YOU Stories: How I Got Here
- Trent Williams-Jones, executive producer, After Party Studios: Exploring how digital creators are rewriting the rules of TV and reshaping the future of content
Taking place in the heart of Soho, London, the festival unites over 200 established leaders, fresh voices and rising talent from across the industry for a day of keynotes, panels, workshops and networking.
Discussing the festival, Atalla said: “TV has always been about who gets to tell the story, and for too long, that hasn’t looked like the real world.
“The industry is changing fast: commissioners are nervous, creators are taking control, and audiences are demanding more.
“At BE YOU, I want to talk honestly about the state of TV right now–the good, the bad and the very funny.”
Tom Witkowski, co-founder of Soho Media Club, added: “BE YOU Festival is where honesty cuts through the noise. We tackle the business realities of funding and distribution, alongside the cultural realities of representation, belonging and social mobility.
“This year’s line-up is about survival, innovation and imagining the industry we want to build. And we’re especially excited to welcome Ash Atalla for a keynote that promises to be raw, fearless and inspiring.”
The day ends with a fireside chat on the future of screen, followed by BE YOU Connect, an evening of drinks and unfiltered networking.
Find out more information on the Soho Media Club website.
