Taking over The Social Hub in Glasgow, we brought creatives, marketers, brand builders, content creators and curious minds together to hear from people doing things differently – and get a little inspiration for whatever comes next.
We heard incredible stories from Actor, Storyteller and Shark Attack Survivor, Caleb Swanepoel; Founder of HOKO and presenter of BBC’s Scotland’s Home of the Year, Danny Campbell; and our very own Founder and CEO, Andrew Dobbie. And plenty more to the night with welcome drinks from Bacardi and Brewgooder, bangers & mash, and entertainment from Mark Sharp & The Bicycle Thieves who gave us a special live acoustic performance.
And what a night it was.
A story bigger than survival
Our headline speaker, Caleb Swanepoel, shared his extraordinary story with the CreatorMashup crowd.
Caleb is an award-winning actor and filmmaker, athlete, storyteller and conservation advocate whose life changed forever in 2015 when he survived a great white shark attack, losing his right leg above the knee.
But this wasn’t simply a story about what happened that day. Caleb shared everything that came afterwards: resilience, healing, perspective and embracing life and its opportunities to the fullest.
So, thank you to Caleb for travelling all the way to Glasgow from South Africa for CreatorMashup, and truly connecting with Scotland’s creative community (there weren’t many dry eyes in the audience).
Caleb is also an executive director for the charity Shark Conservation and Research (SCAR). An important organisation dedicated to safeguarding local shark populations through innovation, research, and education. This is essential to maintaining the delicate balance of marine ecosystems, ensuring a healthy, thriving ocean for future generations. If you’d like to find out more or donate to this charity, you can do here.
What happened when a cone went viral
Next up were HOKO Design Founder and BBC Scotland’s Home of the Year presenter, Danny Campbell, alongside our Founder and CEO, Andrew Dobbie, with the story behind one of the wildest creative adventures of the summer: the Boston Cone.
What started with a simple observation around Scotland fans in Boston and Glasgow’s famous traffic-coned Duke of Wellington statue quickly became something much bigger.
Danny and Andrew took us behind the scenes of a whirlwind week in Boston that saw the cone travel first class and tour the city, generating more than 25 million views, alongside international media coverage on NBC News, The New York Times, CNN, Sky News, BBC and so many more.
They shared the ideas, behind-the-scenes stories, and wonderfully unexpected moments that helped turn a traffic cone into a viral celebration of Scotland and the friendship between the two cities of Glasgow and Boston.
But behind the humour was a genuine purpose. It was never just about a cone.
The “Boston Cone” became the centrepiece of a fundraising campaign supporting mental health charities in both Scotland and Massachusetts. The whole mission was about raising money and awareness for mental health – getting people to talk openly and fundraising for SAMH in Scotland and MAMH in Boston.
Sometimes the best ideas aren’t the ones you’ve spent months planning. They’re the ones you’re brave enough to run with and give purpose to.
Some of the team were spotted wearing our Boston Cone charity t-shirts at the event, and these are available to buy along with other merch, with all profits donated to SAMH.
They were lovingly designed by the amazing artist Conzo Throb, in partnership with MadeBrave, and feature the Duke of Wellington statue, the OG Boston cone, The Wee Yin and American and Scottish flags. Grab yours here.
And then we turned it up
This is CreatorMashup. We weren’t going to stop at speakers.
Mark Sharp & the Bicycle Thieves took to the stage for a special live acoustic performance, bringing the night to a suitably brilliant close.
The band already had quite the summer themselves. In between touring in support of Lewis Capaldi, they jumped on a flight to Boston with just 17 hours’ notice after a call from the cone (Andrew Dobbie) and performed at two packed events during the World Cup.
Safe to say, they know how to bring the energy.
Bangers, Bacardi and a brilliant creative community
CreatorMashup was really about bringing people together.
There were welcome drinks from our friends at Bacardi and Brewgooder, bangers & mash, plenty of conversations, new introductions and a room packed with people from across Scotland’s creative industries.
While brilliant speakers and entertainment help make a great night, it’s the community in the room that makes CreatorMashup what it is.
A massive thank you to Caleb Swanepoel, Danny Campbell, Andrew Dobbie and Mark Sharp & the Bicycle Thieves, our photographer, Chris McCluskie, everyone who helped make the night happen and, most importantly, every single person who came along.
You showed up, got involved and made it another CreatorMashup to remember.
See you at the next one?
