Do Be Do

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something. [Neil Gaiman]

Frank Sinatra reminds us to “Do Be Do”

As we enter a particularly uncertain new year, it’s a good moment to commit ourselves to moving forward, making progress, trying new things in the process, learning and living our days to the full – in short, growing… Wishing you all a fruitful and satisfying 2026.

Valuing the Wild(e)

Today I stumbled across this quotation in the environment – on board Word on the Water, the London book barge moored between King’s Cross and Islington. One of London’s treasures with its open fire and brilliant playlist providing a cool, laid-back soundtrack to this wintery, watery corner of the city.

I recently saw a rather overwrought production of Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ in St Martin’s Lane, featuring Stephen Fry, who played Wilde in the eponymous 1997 movie. It slightly dented my love of Oscar but this quote reverses that to some degree. Appreciating Beauty in the world is one of life’s great pleasures. I do believe Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so a work of graffiti along the canal is as good a source as the refined architecture in the back streets of Islington or a delightful tall, thin beer glass.

Finding beautiful meanings in such sights and objects is particularly the realm of artists and the artistically minded. Much though I appreciate such cultivated tastes and sensibilities I also value the wild and the raw. Both Art and Nature are vital Simple Pleasures and fortunately in this country we have free access to both in abundance.

Making a Difference

Clearing up my office yesterday I found this paper buried – the order of service from Roger Graef’s memorial service at BBC Broadcasting House in May 2022. Veteran documentary-maker Roger was my mentor for the last few years of his life. He was an excellent guide and advisor in all areas (other than work/life balance). When I made a speech on accepting an honorary fellowship at Norwich University of the Arts in 2023 it centred on Roger and what I’d learnt from him.

All I ever wanted to do all the way through was to make a difference.

Roger was an expert not only in documentary-making but also in policing & criminal justice and the urban environment & development. The difference that stands out for me at this moment is how after Roger made an episode on how the police handle rape cases in his legendary police series it was subsequently adopted as a training resource as it captured exactly how not to do it. In that role it had huge impact in a judicial blindspot.

Whether the differences we make are small or large is not the point. To leave the world in a better state than when we entered it is a noble ambition and if each and every one of us did that, we’d all be in a far better place. On the eve of 2026, that’s not a bad thought to refocus on.

Ripening

It is sad to grow old but nice to ripen.

Growing old is a toughie. Many people do a good job with the first and second thirds of their life but the third third is by and large less well lived by most. That’s why I have this tattoo on my forearm. 

It doesn’t mean “seize the day”. The correct translation is “pluck the day” – Roman poet Horace was using a horticultural metaphor. That C is a fruit. It aligns with Bardot’s “ripen”. It’s hard to lose those youthful looks but there is much satisfaction and pleasure to be had from gaining a modicum of wisdom and understanding.

Love More

It’s not that often you see quotations in the environment so for today’s post I’m going to take advantage of having spotted this sign near Old Street at the end of a long circular walk through Shoreditch, Spitalfields and around Petticoat Lane (where I used to work in the school holidays as a teenager). This is the school where the Kemp brothers of Spandau Ballet went, as well as a range of other famous folk from DJ Trevor Nelson to Ronnie Scott, from scientist Jacob Bronowski (of ‘Ascent of Man’ fame) to architect Richard Seifert (of Centre Point fame).  

Almost all of these have crossed my path in the last few days: Gary Kemp was in the documentary ‘David Bowie: The Final Act’ I saw in the cinema yesterday, Centre Point I walked by a couple of days ago telling my Other Half that my dad is buried in the row in front of Seifert, singer Sarah Jane Morris got me a couple of tickets last week for her show at Ronnie’s next month (we’re developing a doc together). I love this kind of nexus as it is the web of connections that lies at the heart of Creativity.

Martin Luther King Jnr.’s son features in the feature documentary I worked on last year ‘Shoot the People’. That documentary and its protagonist Misan Harriman throw up big questions of love and hate, and how hate is spread. 

Hate is corrosive, poisons the system and rots the soul. The notion of choosing love is an uplifting one.

A digital-first format and a coincidence

As I wrote three days ago I haven’t written here much this year, I’ve been writing on LinkedIn and other places. Here is one of the other places, a piece I wrote in May for Storythings‘ Formats Unpacked, about the third I’ve written for Matt and Hugh’s excellent series.

Formats Unpacked: Meet Cutes LDN

How a format captures a kaleidoscope of love, connection and human interaction

May 13, 2025

This week, doing the unpacking is the returning Adam Gee. Adam is Head of Content at TV indie Doc Hearts (London) and Head of Documentary Campus Masterschool (Berlin). A long-time Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 and the first Com Ed of Originals at Little Dot Studios.

Over to Adam…

 

What’s it called? 

Meet Cutes LDN (ultra-short-form video format). Here’s the Meet Cutes NYC account. Give them both a follow. They are also on TikTok.

What’s the format?

Where the term ‘Meet Cutes’ originates from, I’m not 100% sure, but I believe it’s a contemporary way of describing a long-standing characteristic of romantic fiction and romcom movies – the initial meeting between the two key characters. This format applies it to real life by documenting how couples met in ultra-short videos. They are essentially vox pops, couples stopped on the street and asked three questions (the interviewer remains out of shot and never becomes an identifiable or developed character in the format – different interviewers are used, male and female):

• “Are you two a couple?” – which has become a recognised catchphrase

• “Would you mind telling us the story of how you first met?”

• “X years in, what’s your favourite thing about her/him?” or

  variations like “What’s the secret of X years together?” – the

  interviewer always establishes the length of the relationship

• “What are your names?” marks the end of the video

I love the format because I really believe in ‘the spark’ you can experience on first meeting your other half. I’m an old-school romantic (I experienced it on Trafalgar Street, Brighton, one sunny summer evening).

In essence, the first question is the inciting incident and provides immediate jeopardy as we wait to see their reaction to a relatively intimate question from a stranger. Some are a bit suspicious, some dive straight in, and some even recognise the format. The second prompts an uplifting collection of real-life stories of couples meeting and falling in love. The third is what is called in Features TV ‘the takeaway’ – the knowledge/understanding viewers can derive from the content. And they really are useful insights.

The lovers/partners often point to similar characteristics as the secret to the success of their relationship – their kindness, their humour, not wanting to change one another, their patience/tolerance, grounding nature, inspiration to live life fully, etc.

Meet Cutes was started in 2023 on the not-so-mean streets of New York by three friends – Jeremy Bernstein, Aaron Feinberg & Victor Lee. In just two years the love has spread across the world – after all, what is more universal? The signs of a multiplatform brand are already there, with a book of stories and photos to be launched soon by Hachette.

The original meeting places are as varied as you’d expect – on buses, in shops, at parties, at work, in friends’ homes, in places of worship, in lecture halls, and, of course, on the street. And the contributors are as varied as you’d hope – across ages, genders, nationalities, ethnicities and backgrounds. Some couples have been together for decades, others just months. It’s a rich mix of real-life love, an antidote to the cynicism, fakery, spin and BS overshadowing our culture and media right now.

What’s the magic that makes it special?

The charm of Meet Cutes is its simplicity and (dare I use the A word?) authenticity. Pretty much all the contributors answer the questions straight, seem to enjoy the remembering and reflection, and do their best to give honest, considered and not pat answers.

Its simplicity, as well as being a great asset, is also a vulnerability – the format is extremely easy to copy, a very low barrier to entry. Yet I’ve seen shameless knock-offs from elsewhere in the USA and what’s interesting is that they really lack the charm. It’s difficult to say exactly why other than that the perpetrators must be conscious of their total lack of originality, which in turn undermines their authenticity.

The simplicity is reflected in the production approach – I don’t know what they shoot on but an iPhone with a modest mic and gimbal is more than up to the job. This format is the gold standard for a sustainable series that you can start to make with your own resources and build up over time to attract Other People’s Money in the form of sponsorship, multiplatform brand extension/merchandising, spin-off programmes, etc.

I see this format as a contemporary form of Documentary (which is my heartland) and just as effective at documenting our times as any of the more traditional doc formats. This is especially true when taken as a whole (rather than individual films), it’s a kaleidoscope of love, connection and human interaction today.

Favourite episode

The general quality is very high so it’s hard to go wrong. Pretty much every episode has something of value or charm in it. I like, for example, Tony & Julie who met in a psychiatric unit. She quickly points out they were both working there! It’s also a good example of a second chance story – they were both married when they first met, but had a second bite at the cherry when they both became single again a decade later. You get a real sense of how they complement one another, making their life together far better than their lives would have been individually. Tony says that what he loves about her is that “She’s got a get up and go attitude and she makes me do things I wouldn’t have done otherwise.” That’s cute …and inspirational.

Similar formats

I haven’t come across any apart from poor attempted knock-offs. But every major city is ripe for Meet Cute videos, especially English, Mandarin, Hindi and Spanish-speaking cities.

As well as writing about digital and content stuff, media and tech, creativity and innovation, I write here about happiness and the simple pleasures, including my love of coincidences and synchronicity.

Here is Coincidence No. 288…

I woke up late this morning after listening half awake-half dozing to Radio 4’s Today programme with Guest Editor (the third so far this holiday season), Cate Blanchett. I don’t often listen to Today any more but the Guest Editors is a seasonal favourite treat. After writing this post I’m going to update the Wikipedia article on them as I noticed yesterday it is two years out of date. After messaging my Other Half at the other end of the Northern Line, I checked what kind of Wordle and Connections challenge my brother had set me today (he clearly had a rough morning on that front) and then I somehow meandered to Instagram where a lovely new ep of MeetCutesLdn caught my eye. I forwarded it to my OH as I thought it might appeal. This is what came back: “omg! I watched another couple of this series this morning! … And I don’t even follow them and didn’t know about them!”

Now, although our social media accounts are not and never have been linked, it is possible that the algorithms made the link but I doubt that and my gut feeling says it’s a coincidence with happy undercurrents. 

Update: the Wikipedia follow-up – I actually originated the Wikipedia article on User-Generated Content in the ultimate UGC site’s early days

Sexy librarian

“I’m a born librarian with a sex drive”

Hand-drawn sign outside the Art House, Crouch End, London

I’m just back from a cinema screening of ‘David Bowie: the Last Act’, a new documentary by Jonathan Stiasny (execed by my friend and old colleague at Channel 4 Jan Younghusband)  due to broadcast on C4 on 3rd January (at 10pm). 

I like this quotation because I believe the intellect and the body make good synergistic companions and work best in balance. Bowie was a voracious reader and a master of the imaginative word. He also had a beautifully powerful voice, even on his final LP ‘Black Star’, which is where this documentary is always heading. It charts his wilderness period and how he found his way out of it through his 2nd Glastonbury appearance as the 2000 headliner. It also shows how he turned the decline of his body into his last masterpiece through amazing words and musical judgement. 

It’s a good thing to be smart and self-examining and grappling with ideas and mysteries, but it’s even better to combine those with bodily consciousness, sexual desire and an appreciation of your own physicality.

The Connection conundrum

Everybody wants connection and everybody needs separateness.

Esther Perel

 

I saw this sentence yesterday in a Facebook ad for some kind of masterclass subscription. (Esther Perel is a prominent American psychotherapist and relationships expert, born in Belgium, the child of holocaust survivors.) These words spoke to me because they align with my experience. I believe this is a difficult truth. The connection part is more natural for me, while the separateness takes more effort and resolve. 

As beings we humans are uncomfortably binary. We naturally tend to think in blacks and whites, not greys. It’s perfectly possible for opposites to co-exist. When we are conscious of that we think with more nuance and treat complex things with the complexity of thinking they merit. 

First of a new era

I haven’t written much on here this year – and I miss it. I’ve largely been writing on LinkedIn about work stuff, where it is much easier to get attention. I understand from my ex-Channel 4 colleague Jen Topping of Business of Television that Google has rendered blogs practically invisible – I can’t tell if that deprioritization is true. Whatever the case, I am in the mood to write again, whether it’s for the void or not…

I was in Waterstones in Sutton High Street, Sarf Lunden the other day, just mooching around with my Other Half, enjoying the lemon-coloured walls in some rare December sunlight, the exotic tea and the option to flick through the books whilst sipping it, when I came across a book of Stoic philosophy comprising a quote a day plus commentary. ‘The Daily Stoic’ is probably useful at this particular juncture in human history and television evolution but I didn’t agree with a lot of the thoughts of Seneca, Epicurus and Marcus Aurelius that had been selected by Ryan Holiday (author of ‘Ego is the Enemy’ which seemed a bit amateur when I started reading it but perhaps he is a more serious writer than I give him credit for). However, what the quotations lacked by way of inspiration, the format made up for. It gave me the idea to try to write a post here a day from now till next Christmas Eve with a not-the-usual-suspects quotation and a short commentary. So here’s the 1st. I spotted it on Facebook on that mooching day… 

a Nick Cave quotation

I was struck by the realisation of just how powerful live music is – that a group of individuals can come together and concoct a sound unique to them, and that people can connect with that distinctive vision as if it were their own experience. I could feel its moral quality – how this singular force has the capacity to repair the world with its goodness.

Live music is something very close to my heart. Here singer-songwriter- musician Nick Cave is recounting going to see one of his first stadium concerts, Radiohead at the O2, London. (As it happens, seeing Nick Cave at the O2 was one of my live music highlights in 2024.) Among a crowd of 20,000 he “was stunned by the depth of love in the room”. His reference to its “moral quality” really resonated for me, as did his phrase “repair the world” which reminded me of the Hebraic phrase “repair the world”/Tikkun Olam which involves acts of social justice, improving society, and restoring divine light in the world. It derives from rabbinic texts and prayers, rather than the Bible itself. The concept emphasises humanity’s role in creating a better, more just world through acts of kindness and service. 

With Midnight Mass just five hours away and this very challenging year limping across the finish line, this seems like the perfect time to focus on kindness and service, and goodness.

May 2026 be a year of goodness for us and our world…

Kicking the Tyres

As the year draws to a close & a new one approaches full of possibilities & dynamic change, now is the time to tee up a ‘Kicking the Tyres’ session for nascent, stuck & uncertain projects.

Here’s some feedback from the last session I delivered, from a brand content creator:
“Adam understood our new concept instantly. Within minutes we were testing assumptions & pressure-checking the creative foundations. Adam is a giant in his field – decades at the cutting edge of commissioning, digital innovation & audience strategy. He sees the creative, the commercial & the structural layers all at once.
If you’ve got a project that needs clarity, challenge or momentum, I cannot recommend Kicking the Tyres highly enough.”

This session was focused on a cutting-edge vertical fiction/mobile microdrama offering for internal & external comms.

You may be a producer, executive, director, creative director or founder (as in this case) in TV, film, digital, publishing or campaigning. You are leading a project: one you devised, inherited or are tasked to deliver. But it is just not landing, moving or selling the way it should.

If you need a boost of energy, clarity & a sharp sense of whether & how it can really work, I can help.

After this session you will:
•         Know what’s working, what’s not & why
•         See the gaps/risks/hidden opportunities
•         Have a focused action plan you can implement immediately
•         Feel confident about whether to push forward, pivot or park it.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗲𝘁:
•         An intensive 1-day session focused on your project/goals
•         Strategic clarity aligned with your creative intentions/business needs
•         A bespoke step-by-step action plan leading to real progress

There are still a couple of January slots & plenty in Feb

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗺𝗲?
I bring decades of experience as a producer/commissioning editor/creative director, with 6 BAFTAs, an Emmy, RTS Innovation Award & 90 international awards. I have pioneered digital/multiplatform content and know how to build audiences, engagement & community.

KICKING THE TYRES

“Adam has that rare blend of creativity, business insight and a deep subject knowledge. What he doesn’t know about multiplatform and digital content isn’t worth knowing.” Global CEO

“It was brilliant, really provocative and opened up great areas. You communicate in a really amazing mixture of gentleness, wonder and forthrightness – it’s really cool” MD

“Adam was patient, sensitive and yet very honest with us, taking us through a thorough development strategy. His experience and clarity are just what we needed. It was an inspirational session.” MD

GUARANTEE:
Do the work & don’t get results – I’ll refund you. No drama. No fine print.

If you’ve been struggling or putting it off, this is your moment to get your project really moving.

DM me or mail adam@arkangel.co.uk to discuss a slot and get your 2026 off to a more positive kind of start…