Samsung Launches Search To Find Undiscovered Talent – Including Photography
Samsung is joining forces with the UK’s hottest talent to give people with a passion for food, film, music and photography, the opportunity of a lifetime. ‘Launching People’ will see pop-up chef and Sunday Times cook Gizzi Erskine, award-winning actor and producer Idris Elba, singer-songwriter Paloma Faith and portrait and fashion photographer Rankin, search for undiscovered British and Irish talent. They will act as mentors as they help food lovers, budding film makers, musical game changers and picture takers launch their brilliant ideas.
The mentors, together with Samsung will be scouring the length and breadth of the UK and Ireland to find people with extraordinary potential and original ideas. The chosen candidates will work with one of the four inspirational mentors to collaborate on a unique project. Their journey, from meeting the mentors to the launch of their project, will be documented in a television series to air later this year.
So, if you’ve got a great idea and think you have what it takes to impress the talented panel of mentors, then pitch your project via www.launchingpeople.co.uk between now and Thursday 6th March 2014. Gizzi, Idris, Paloma and Rankin will each choose one person to work with one-on-one, helping to bring their ideas to life and launch their project.
Andy Griffiths, President, Samsung UK and Ireland, commented: “Everyone knows Samsung for launching products and every day we’re inspired by people who use those products to achieve amazing things. ‘Launching People’ is all about doing just that – launching people’s potential through technology, whatever their stage in life. We hope to give people with passion, ambition and a hungry mind, a launch pad for their bright ideas and change their lives in a positive way.
Each of thementors will be looking for outstanding potential in the person and idea they choose to support;
Gizzi Erskine: “I want to see someone that has a serious passion for the industry – I want to understand their passion and be able to see and feel it. I want to show that you don’t have to be conventional to be successful. I’m looking for someone who’s happy to break the rules – and maybe teach me a thing or two along the way. The simple ideas can be the best. But a simple idea with a bit of glitter on it is far more exciting.”
Idris Elba: “I’m looking for someone that wants to tell a story and inspire others. They might have an idea that they’re not quite sure how to take to the next level. If I represent anything, it’s someone who dreamed big and achieved those dreams. If anyone out there has a similar aspiration, then I want to hear from them.”
Paloma Faith: “I’m really looking for something that we’ve not seen in a British artist before. What’s important to me is that the person has something innovative to offer, something that defies genre. I’m looking for outsiders. I love and relate to outsiders. The thought of finding someone like that excites me.”
Rankin: “I want to find someone that’s undiscovered. I’m looking for someone that’s got a vision, a creative eye who wants to make a career out of photography. I want to know what they do that’s different, that’s interesting and for them to show me an idea that is unique and has an original view of the world.”
To apply, entrants need to make a two minute video pitch all about their idea and upload it to www.LaunchingPeople.co.uk. Submissions are open until Thursday 6th March and the final four will feature in a television series which will air on TV in spring this year. There will also be a ‘People’s Choice’ winner per category, voted for by the public on Facebook, who will receive personal tuition and Samsung products that will support them in pursuing their dreams. The ‘People’s Choice’ winners will be announced on Friday 7th March.
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
