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James Kirkham

@spoonybear.bsky.social
317 followers 258 following 360 posts

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.

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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
StoryCo launch day, we are all over Leicester Square thanks to the good people at Spotify🤯
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Birthdays meant one sacred ritual. A trip to Hastings. A pocket full of coins, I think 20p and 50p pieces were the entry to most machines then. There was always a faint sense of injustice in how little time your money bought you. www.linkedin.com/pulse/coin-o...
linkedin.com
Coin-Op
Computer and Video Games magazine in the eighties and nineties had covers which were loud and chaotic, full of impossible colours and improbable promises. Inside there was a particular language that m...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
This week I got to host a live discussion at the House of BMG event here in London.. small rooms of live performances, conversations and good people. Our panel had Freya Ridings, Samm Henshaw and more being candid and sometimes hilarious.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Birthdays meant one sacred ritual. A trip to Hastings. A pocket full of coins, I think 20p and 50p pieces were the entry to most machines then. There was always a faint sense of injustice in how little time your money bought you. www.linkedin.com/pulse/coin-o...
linkedin.com
Coin-Op
Computer and Video Games magazine in the eighties and nineties had covers which were loud and chaotic, full of impossible colours and improbable promises. Inside there was a particular language that m...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Enjoyed talking at the Campaign World Cup briefing, although still struck by the myopic mood of many. This tournament won’t be like others if you’re a brand. The same old thinking won’t do. Every feed rammed with geopolitics, and only the freshest thinking will cut it.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Go somewhere that doesn’t have good wifi. Order the thing that takes forty minutes. Read the whole book. All these will be a reminder of what the other version feels like, so we can still tell the difference. open.substack.com/pub/thoughts...
open.substack.com
Texture debt
Every time we choose the easy, seamless version I think we take on a small invisible debt.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Go somewhere that doesn’t have good wifi. Order the thing that takes forty minutes. Read the whole book. All these will be a reminder of what the other version feels like, so we can still tell the difference. open.substack.com/pub/thoughts...
open.substack.com
Texture debt
Every time we choose the easy, seamless version I think we take on a small invisible debt.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
INKEDIN & ICONIC LIVE opening lineup is here. People who've shaped sport, music, media and culture and will be together at the Rio, an art-deco picture palace built for collective attention. Wednesday 22nd April. Doors 6pm. The event is completely SOLD OUT. All proceeds to local food banks.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
The crackle is evidence of use, of love, of a Friday night in 1984 that mattered more than preservation. open.substack.com/pub/thoughts...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
"Pages timed out, downloads stalled, connections dropped mid-transfer and a sense that the thing you wanted was worth the waiting and the waiting was part of wanting it." 🕹️ The Controller Generation ⏳ The Lag laboratory 🤖 Yes to everything www.linkedin.com/pulse/contro...
linkedin.com
The Controller Generation
The Cheetah 125 Plus didn't look like much but when you were ten years old and plugged into a ZX Spectrum it felt like the control column of an F15 jet. The stick had this satisfying resistance like t...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
“..brands know the real leverage sits upstream right in the creation of the shows, or stories, amongst the characters and formats that people actually gather around.” My thoughts in Digiday today about brands’ in house ents studios digiday.com/marketing/th...
digiday.com
The in-house entertainment studio is having its social media team moment
The last time CMOs faced a moment like this, the ones that hired seriously early built advantages that took competitors years to close.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Regional cities like Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield carry the weight of Britain's cultural identity. We celebrate the music that came out of those places but don't fund the infrastructure that makes it possible for the next generation of that music to exist. www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
lbc.co.uk
Britain’s nightlife is a £66bn growth engine, so why won’t politicians treat it like one? | LBC
The night-time economy isn't cultural garnish or some nice to have, It's a jobs machine, a city-builder, and a test of whether this government actually means what it says it does about growth.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Regional cities like Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield carry the weight of Britain's cultural identity. We celebrate the music that came out of those places but don't fund the infrastructure that makes it possible for the next generation of that music to exist. www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
lbc.co.uk
Britain’s nightlife is a £66bn growth engine, so why won’t politicians treat it like one? | LBC
The night-time economy isn't cultural garnish or some nice to have, It's a jobs machine, a city-builder, and a test of whether this government actually means what it says it does about growth.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
The crackle is evidence of use, of love, of a Friday night in 1984 that mattered more than preservation. open.substack.com/pub/thoughts...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Back on your radio today 3pm-5pm. Like drive time rave. www.loose.fm
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
The digital junk drawer is the truest portrait of a person because it shows what they couldn't quite throw away. www.linkedin.com/pulse/bric-a...
linkedin.com
Bric-a-Brac Data
My nan had her mantlepiece, and on it was a ceramic dog, a brass bell from a car boot sale I think to do with alcohol in some way, a photo of someone nobody alive could identify even then, a decorativ...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
"The people who hold that power say nothing about it publicly, because the back room only works while nobody knows it's there." open.substack.com/pub/thoughts...
open.substack.com
The Mavens of Safe Havens
In The Tipping Point, Gladwell defined the maven as the person who accumulates knowledge in order to share, not show off like in the latter era of Insta.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
"The people who hold that power say nothing about it publicly, because the back room only works while nobody knows it's there." open.substack.com/pub/thoughts...
open.substack.com
The Mavens of Safe Havens
In The Tipping Point, Gladwell defined the maven as the person who accumulates knowledge in order to share, not show off like in the latter era of Insta.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
The digital junk drawer is the truest portrait of a person because it shows what they couldn't quite throw away. www.linkedin.com/pulse/bric-a...
linkedin.com
Bric-a-Brac Data
My nan had her mantlepiece, and on it was a ceramic dog, a brass bell from a car boot sale I think to do with alcohol in some way, a photo of someone nobody alive could identify even then, a decorativ...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
The most intimate thing on your phone isn't the photo you posted, it's the screenshot you never sent. 🪆 Bric-a-Brac Data 🫱 Counter Service 🫀 Information Shivers www.linkedin.com/pulse/bric-a...
linkedin.com
Bric-a-Brac Data
My nan had her mantlepiece, and on it was a ceramic dog, a brass bell from a car boot sale I think to do with alcohol in some way, a photo of someone nobody alive could identify even then, a decorativ...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
The most intimate thing on your phone isn't the photo you posted, it's the screenshot you never sent. 🪆 Bric-a-Brac Data 🫱 Counter Service 🫀 Information Shivers www.linkedin.com/pulse/bric-a...
linkedin.com
Bric-a-Brac Data
My nan had her mantlepiece, and on it was a ceramic dog, a brass bell from a car boot sale I think to do with alcohol in some way, a photo of someone nobody alive could identify even then, a decorativ...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Can’t wait to host this st The Cross, HOUSE OF BMG, with artists Samm Henshaw and Freya Ridings - amongst others. Invite details below, if you’re interested do what you can to get yourself on the list. partiful.com/e/onX3jj8K5E...
partiful.com
RSVP to The Fine Line: Art, Ads & Authenticity | Partiful
HOUSE OF BMG Presents The Fine Line: Art, Ads & Authenticity A conversation on culture, collaboration and creative integrity In conversation with BMG artists SAMM HENSHAW | FREYA RIDINGS & represent...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Brands should resist the temptation to choose sides or chase lost youth. Enduring brands don’t freeze their identity at peak cool, they evolve alongside their audiences www.thesubthread.com/featured/rev...
thesubthread.com
Revenge Of Millennial Cringe: How Brands Can Grow Up With Their Fans
As Millennials’ “cringe” era loops back into cool, brands face a harder question: not how to stay young forever, but how to stay culturally legit while their fans grow up – and a new generation wants ...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
"The twentysomething who discover Metalheadz because a Goldie sample surfaced in a FredAgain set, then fall into the Reinforced Recs back catalogue via YouTube rabbit hole is now buying jungle white labels from Discogs at three in the morning.." www.brandsnculture.com/2026/02/26/r...
brandsnculture.com
Random Access Memory / Random Access Culture - Brands and Culture
By James Kirkham The term predates Daft Punk by several decades. Random Access Memory was coined to describe a kind […]
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
The group chat is the kitchen. And every important conversation has always ended up in the kitchen (although perhaps not the kitchen chats during the afters at 4am they were something completely different). www.linkedin.com/pulse/messag...
linkedin.com
Messaging sunrise
Someone sent me a voice note this week that was more thoughtful than anything I'd read on social media in months. Just a mate talking through an idea for about ninety seconds obviously unpolished and ...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
You soundtracked mundane moments of your little life like it was a personal cinema. open.substack.com/pub/thoughts...
open.substack.com
The Walkman Alliance
The first time I put on a Walkman and pressed play while walking around my house as a kid on Christmas morning, I became a different person.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
You soundtracked mundane moments of your little life like it was a personal cinema. open.substack.com/pub/thoughts...
open.substack.com
The Walkman Alliance
The first time I put on a Walkman and pressed play while walking around my house as a kid on Christmas morning, I became a different person.
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Reposted by James Kirkham
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
The richest man owns X. The second and third richest men control Google. The fourth richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The fifth richest man owns The Washington Post. And now the sixth richest could soon take over both Paramount and Warner Bros. See the problem here?
nytimes.com
Netflix Backs Out of Bid for Warner Bros., Paving Way for an Ellison Takeover
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
The group chat is the kitchen. And every important conversation has always ended up in the kitchen (although perhaps not the kitchen chats during the afters at 4am they were something completely different). www.linkedin.com/pulse/messag...
linkedin.com
Messaging sunrise
Someone sent me a voice note this week that was more thoughtful than anything I'd read on social media in months. Just a mate talking through an idea for about ninety seconds obviously unpolished and ...
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Reposted by James Kirkham
James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
🌅 Messaging Sunrise 🤖 Prompt Shops 🔐 Remembering Web Raiding www.linkedin.com/pulse/messag...
linkedin.com
Messaging sunrise
Someone sent me a voice note this week that was more thoughtful than anything I'd read on social media in months. Just a mate talking through an idea for about ninety seconds obviously unpolished and ...
001
James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
🌅 Messaging Sunrise 🤖 Prompt Shops 🔐 Remembering Web Raiding www.linkedin.com/pulse/messag...
linkedin.com
Messaging sunrise
Someone sent me a voice note this week that was more thoughtful than anything I'd read on social media in months. Just a mate talking through an idea for about ninety seconds obviously unpolished and ...
001
James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
"The twentysomething who discover Metalheadz because a Goldie sample surfaced in a FredAgain set, then fall into the Reinforced Recs back catalogue via YouTube rabbit hole is now buying jungle white labels from Discogs at three in the morning.." www.brandsnculture.com/2026/02/26/r...
brandsnculture.com
Random Access Memory / Random Access Culture - Brands and Culture
By James Kirkham The term predates Daft Punk by several decades. Random Access Memory was coined to describe a kind […]
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Laura Trott thinks we should stop backing arts eduction just as machines give us endless answers. Human taste, judgement, history, creativity need cherishing more than ever. My thoughts on this misguided myth in Creative Review today. www.creativereview.co.uk/the-dangerou...
creativereview.co.uk
The dangerous myth of the dead-end arts degree
Last weekend saw another attack on arts education, with creative arts degrees described as “dead-end”. Here, James Kirkham spells out why they are anything but
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
🚬 Cigarettes and QR codes 💄 Lipgloss Intelligence 📚 Longform Drift www.linkedin.com/pulse/cigare...
linkedin.com
Cigarettes and QR codes
The cigarette card was the original content play really where you bought the habit and the content came free. My late 80s version was Garbage Pail Kids with the tiny pink sticks of gum and I used to b...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
A fourteen-year-old’s thumb now moves through a dance trend, an ICE raid, a skincare tutorial, a eulogy, a meme about a dog, and a fundraiser for a man who lost his house in the time it took you to read this sentence. open.substack.com/pub/thoughts...
open.substack.com
The Weather feed kids
We grew up with seasons of content, culture, news so you knew what was coming. These kids grow up with a four-season day and no one has taught them to dress for any of it.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
My interview on yesterdays Radio4 Media show www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
bbc.co.uk
BBC Radio 4 - The Media Show, MTV’s legacy, the new Lucy Letby documentary on Netflix and the traditional ad agency in crisis.
MTV’s pop‑culture revolution, true crime boom, winners and losers in the ad industry.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
🚬 Cigarettes and QR codes 💄 Lipgloss Intelligence 📚 Longform Drift www.linkedin.com/pulse/cigare...
linkedin.com
Cigarettes and QR codes
The cigarette card was the original content play really where you bought the habit and the content came free. My late 80s version was Garbage Pail Kids with the tiny pink sticks of gum and I used to b...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
A brilliant and necessary opening to this. Farage with 17 breaches of ministerial code, tax avoidance, love and links to Bannon, Epstein, plotting downfall of a PM. Everybody needs to talk about the cover up on a massive scale. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com
How Nigel Farage Gets Away With It (Question Time)
Podcast Episode · The Rest Is Politics · 19/02/2026 · 51m
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
My interview on yesterdays Radio4 Media show www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
bbc.co.uk
BBC Radio 4 - The Media Show, MTV’s legacy, the new Lucy Letby documentary on Netflix and the traditional ad agency in crisis.
MTV’s pop‑culture revolution, true crime boom, winners and losers in the ad industry.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
A fourteen-year-old’s thumb now moves through a dance trend, an ICE raid, a skincare tutorial, a eulogy, a meme about a dog, and a fundraiser for a man who lost his house in the time it took you to read this sentence. open.substack.com/pub/thoughts...
open.substack.com
The Weather feed kids
We grew up with seasons of content, culture, news so you knew what was coming. These kids grow up with a four-season day and no one has taught them to dress for any of it.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
There's a generation growing up on feeds that shift like weather. Sunny one scroll, catastrophic the next. A dance trend, then a police chase, then a skincare routine, then a funeral. No forecast or preparation just constant exposure. open.substack.com/pub/thoughts...
open.substack.com
The Weather feed kids
We grew up with seasons of content, culture, news so you knew what was coming. These kids grow up with a four-season day and no one has taught them to dress for any of it.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
“The old agency model is gasping for air.” My thoughts in The Guardian tonight www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
theguardian.com
UK ad agencies undergo their biggest exodus of staff as AI threatens industry
Number of employees declined by more than 14% to 24,963 last year, with fall greatest among younger workers
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
📼 Tape Deck Algorithms 🤖 What's the difference between me and you 🌊 Time wasters in Hythe www.linkedin.com/pulse/tape-d...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
📼 Tape Deck Algorithms 🤖 What's the difference between me and you 🌊 Time wasters in Hythe www.linkedin.com/pulse/tape-d...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Rio cinema is a beautiful art deco building in Dalston. Where my first agency started. And the perfect salon for INKED IN & ICONIC LIVE www.tickettailor.com/events/iconi...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Rio cinema is a beautiful art deco building in Dalston. Where my first agency started. And the perfect salon for INKED IN & ICONIC LIVE www.tickettailor.com/events/iconi...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
This April I’m taking my newsletter out, live into a room with an audience. Artists, athletes, and brilliant execs from across music, sports, news, and more. Grab tickets for Rio cinema, Dalson - fiver a pop with all proceeds for local food banks. www.tickettailor.com/events/iconi...
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Some platforms should operate like records instead of feeds and the technology will find a lovely new space if it can feel similarly curated, bounded, and requiring intentional action to continue. open.substack.com/pub/thoughts...
open.substack.com
Vinyl Feeds
Side a had seven songs and then it stops.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Some platforms should operate like records instead of feeds and the technology will find a lovely new space if it can feel similarly curated, bounded, and requiring intentional action to continue. open.substack.com/pub/thoughts...
open.substack.com
Vinyl Feeds
Side a had seven songs and then it stops.
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James Kirkham @spoonybear.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
This April I’m taking my newsletter out, live into a room with an audience. Artists, athletes, and brilliant execs from across music, sports, news, and more. Grab tickets for Rio cinema, Dalson - fiver a pop with all proceeds for local food banks. www.tickettailor.com/events/iconi...
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