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Forbes
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Brandy' Singer-Songwriter Elliot Lurie Talks Enduring Popularity Of Proto-Yacht Rock Hit More Than 50 Years Later: ‘Good, Tight Storytelling'
Fifty-three years ago today, a New Jersey-based band called Looking Glass debuted its first and self-titled studio album. The second track on the LP told the story of a heartbroken barmaid pining after a sailor who refused to give up his nomadically maritime lifestyle for her. That song, of course, was 'Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)", a primordial yacht rock hit that quickly shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1972. 'I guess a romantic tragedy is a good way to describe it,' Looking Glass founder, songwriter, and frontman, Elliot Lurie tells me over Zoom. 'From the sailor's point-of-view, it's about a guy who really does love a woman but can't get tied down … I think it's a really good, really short story. The challenge of telling an entire story with a beginning middle and end — and two characters you can relate to in a musical setting that lasts three minutes — I think that's pretty good, tight storytelling." While some artists come to revile their most popular compositions after a few decades of playing them non-stop in front of crowds, Lurie says his fondness for 'Brandy' has never waned in the last half century. In fact, he even named his publishing company 'Braided Chain Music' after the piece of Spanish jewelry the sailor gifted to Brandy. 'It's my one really big hit and if anybody comes out to see me, that's what they want to hear. I'm perfectly happy to play it for them,' he says. "I always enjoy doing it. I mean, people love it.' Lurie later adds: 'I always get emails and notes on social media saying, 'I was in the Navy in 1972 when it came out. Everybody played it all the time and we loved it.' I get a lot of that from people who are associated with the Navy or shipping or sailing.' Filmmaker James Gunn isn't a salty sea dog, but he loved the song so much, that he made it a crucial part of both the screenplay and soundtrack in his Marvel Studios sequel: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Lurie, who 'loved the way that all the '70s music was used' in the first movie, admits he disappointed that his retro chart-topper was not included in Peter Quill's (Chris Pratt) initial 'Awesome Mix Vol. 1' tape. 'I was a little bit upset that they hadn't used 'Brandy,'" he shares. 'I said, 'I had a great '70s song, why didn't they use it?' And then about a year later, I got an email from my publisher saying that they wanted to use it in the second movie. I was thrilled. Then I started to see the script pages they sent me and it was fantastic because not only was it used as the opening song in the movie, but they discuss the lyrics [later] In particular, the lyrics are ruminated on by Quill's long-lost father, Ego (Kurt Russell), a living planet and god-like being who empathizes with the sailor in the story, owing to the fact that he's visited countless worlds and fallen in love, but never stayed to put down roots. Well, proverbial roots, anyway. 'When my wife and I saw the clip of that before they released the movie, our mouths were hanging open,' Lurie remembers. 'We were like, 'What?!' There's a line in the movie where [Ego] calls it 'Perhaps Earth's greatest composition.' My wife and I heard that and went, 'Whoa!'' Lurie wrote the song shortly after graduating from Rutgers University with a degree in sociology, which 'left lot of time for rehearsing,' he quips. 'We played all the fraternity parties and all the local bars. Those were our main gigs.' Before going out into the real world to find jobs, however, he and his three bandmates — two of whom were also Rutgers graduates — rented 'a big old farmhouse' in Glen Garden, New Jersey, in which to write, practice, and record demos. 'We would occasionally drive up the Jersey Turnpike and try to get a record deal in New York City,' Lurie adds. Their big break ultimately came in the form of producer Clive Davis, who signed them up at Epic Records, a subset of Columbia Records. Lurie crafted 'Brandy' with an acoustic guitar in one of the farmhouse's upstairs bedrooms, relying on his usual method of experimenting with guitar chords 'until I get a couple of chords that go together that I'm kind of liking. And while I'm doing that, I'll sing nonsense lyrics over the music," he explains. The name of the titular character, meanwhile, was inspired by a high school girlfriend he'd had named Randye. 'I was just singing her name along with some other things. And when the song started to come together, I said, 'Well, I can't use Randye, because that could either be a male or female name, and if it's going to be a bartender, she should be Brandy.' So that's where the name came from and then the story continued to evolve from there.' He subsequently brought the song downstairs to hone it further with the rest of the rest of the group, though 'the final recording that you hear on the radio was a little different than the way we worked it up in the living room,' he reveals. 'We added the background vocals and the groove to it and all. But then in the production of the final record, we added a horn section, opened up a lot more background vocals, and mixed it six or seven times before we got the version we wanted. So it went through quite a few changes, but the song basically stayed the same." Davis knew the song would be a hit, but the band, not wanting to be mistaken as a pop-focused group, decided to release the bluesy, rock and roll-inspired "Don't It Make You Feel Good" as a single first. 'It didn't do a thing,' Lurie says of the highly underrated track. 'So then they released 'Brandy,' and that made a big difference.' The song began to pick up traction after being played on the radio in the Washington, D.C. and a handful of other American cities. After calling the band into a meeting the executives at Epic proclaimed, 'Your record is going to go to Number One. It's going to sell a million copies,' Lurie recalls. 'And we asked, 'How do you know that?' They said, 'Listen, we do this for a living, and we can tell you that if it's getting the kind of reaction it's getting in that city and a couple of others, it's going all the way.'' He modestly continues: 'I don't consider myself a great singer, but my tone is kind of distinctive, and it worked very well on the radio — especially back then on the AM radio, it cut real well. And also, the production on the record is interesting. When you listen to some other slick pop records from that era, the production on 'Brandy' is a little different [by comparison]. It sounds a little bit garage band-y, it sounds a little bit pop. It's kind different-sounding than some of the other records from the era. That may be part of the reason why it's hung in there.' 'Brandy" continued to gain momentum until it was ubiquitous on AM stations that summer. The public loved it while the guys of Looking Glass understandably felt a little burnt out. 'We had worked on it for so long, that we wound up changing the station when it came on, because we were sick of it at that time,' Lurie confesses. In the decades since its release, 'Brandy' has been deemed an early example of yacht rock, a form of soft rock that didn't become a prevalent genre until later in the decade. Lurie, on the other hand, thinks it falls more into the pop category, but has 'no problem" if others want to consider it a yacht rock antecedent, particularly because its story centers around nautical exploits. 'Sometimes I'm surprised that it's included [in that genre],' he says. 'I guess it has to do with the lyrics [but] it's a little early for yacht rock. It came out in 1972 and most yacht rock stuff is from the late '70s and early '80s. Also, most of the great yacht rock singers are high tenors like Daryl Hall and Michael McDonald. I'm a baritone. So it's little different than a lot of yacht rock songs, but I'm happy to be on the list.' Starting in the 1980s, Lurie left the recording side of the industry when he became head of the music department at 20th Century Fox (now branded as 20th Century Studios under Disney's ownership). For close to three decades, he worked on such high-profile projects as 9½ Weeks, Die Hard, Home Alone, and the Lizzie McGuire television series (for which he wrote the main theme). 'I hadn't really played or sung in 25 years. When I retired from that, I got back into performing, and I'm still doing it fairly regularly," he says. "It's very cool to have been able to have those two separate careers and then come back to the writing and performing.' The musician concludes our interview by mentioning the fact that his self-titled solo album (released in 1975, two years after Looking Glass's second and final record: Subway Serenade), is now available to stream via Spotify after years of being unavailable to the public. 'The solo album didn't sell anything, but it used some of the great session musicians in LA, many of whom were in that yacht rock documentary,' he finishes. 'So I'm going to plug the Elliot Lurie solo album from 1975 which, after 50 years, is finally available again — and includes some really, really great yacht rock session players from LA." Information on Lurie's live shows can be found on his official website
Vancouver Sun
20-05-2025
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
'Thoughts of food consume everything:' Why eating disorders are rising, and what to do about it
The 11:11 tattoo on Kristyne Agabob's left wrist is inspired by numerology and represents a new beginning. 'It's a number that assures you that you're on the right path,' she said. 'It's a constant reminder of how far I've come and the possibilities.' Agabob, 34, got the body art several years into her recovery, after she was hospitalized and diagnosed with a life-altering eating disorder. When she entered puberty at age 12, her body had grown larger. Her doctor recommended she attend a weight-loss program. The humiliating and destructive experience sent her on a 15-year journey of starving and binging in a futile effort to achieve society's expectations of the 'right' size. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'The thoughts of food and body consumed everything,' said Agabob. 'It made it really difficult to enjoy anything in life.' Her weight swung wildly. When she would drop dozens of pounds over a short period of time, everyone celebrated her slimness. No one asked if she was OK. Despite having a university degree and a successful career, she didn't recognize she was sick until, at age 28, suffering from malnourishment, she was admitted to Vancouver General Hospital. 'It wasn't until I was hospitalized that I even realized that I had an eating disorder,' said Agabob, who now works for Looking Glass , an eating disorders organization. 'It was like a light-bulb moment.' Experts are raising the alarm about eating disorders because the number of hospitalizations has risen, death rates are stark, and the condition disproportionately affects young people and members of the 2SLGTBQIA+ community. A national survey of 3,200 Canadians conducted in July 2024 for the charity Mental Health Research Canada, with funding from Health Canada, found nearly one-third of people in this country have thoughts or behaviours that put them at high risk for developing an eating disorder. These include dieting or restrictive eating. The survey found six per cent of Canadians have diagnosed eating disorders, a group of mental illnesses that affect the way people eat and how they feel about their bodies. The Canadian Mental Health Association says the three main types of eating disorders are: • Anorexia : When people think their bodies are much bigger than they actually are, and try to lose weight by eating little, refusing to eat or exercising too much. This can lead to problems with the heart, bones and fertility. Roughly one-in-10 people with anorexia die from health problems or suicide. • Bulimia : When people consume a lot of food in a short period of time, but then typically become scared of gaining weight so purge the food or intentionally vomit. It can be harder to tell if people have bulimia as their weight may not fluctuate as much as with anorexia. • Binge-eating or compulsive overeating : When people eat copious amounts of food during a single sitting, and are unable to stop even though they may feel guilty or depressed about it afterwards. Unlike bulimia, people with this condition don't purge the food. Anorexia and bulimia are most common among women, while binge eating affects all genders equally. These disorders typically start in the teen and young adult years, according to the CMHA. Someone with a diagnosed eating disorder typically struggles with physical and mental health, which can impact their work, schooling and relationships. But, experts say, eating disorders don't get the same public attention as other mental illnesses, or the same amount of funding for research and treatment. And that needs to urgently change to save lives, argues Lisa Brooks, executive director of Looking Glass , a Vancouver non-profit that provides treatment and support for people who struggle with their relationship with food. 'There's such a pervasive misunderstanding in the community, and by many health-care professionals, that eating disorders only impact young, skinny, Caucasian females,' said Brooks. 'There's so much going on in the world that is impacting people's mental health that eating disorders are certainly increasing.' This became even more stark when COVID-19 restrictions isolated people in their homes. The number of clients using the Looking Glass in-person peer support program tripled from 72 in 2019 to 207 in 2024, and online peer support doubled over that period from 150 to nearly 300. In response to the dire need for help during the pandemic, Looking Glass began offering counselling in 2021, starting with 15 clients. That jumped to 255 people by last year. Increasingly, social media, movies and TV have created 'unattainable' goals for girls to be slim, and for boys to be muscular. 'In our world, dieting, restricting, over-exercising is really praised,' said Margaret Noel, a registered clinical counsellor who specializes in eating disorders. 'And then things can fall under the cracks if we don't identify it very early on.' Noel, who has a private counselling practice in Vancouver and also works for Looking Glass, has had clients certified under the Mental Health Act and put on a feeding tube in the hospital to save their lives. Their fears include gaining weight, being found unattractive or being unloved. Her clients, whether they restrict food or binge-eat, all feel shame. Loved ones, she suggested, should treat them with compassion: rather than talk about food or weight, question why they're struggling. Noel, 30, is speaking from a personal place: While a varsity long-distance runner at university, she developed an eating disorder. 'The belief that the thinner you are, the faster you'll run, was common,' she said. Noel's every thought was consumed by what she was putting in her mouth until she could break the cycle. But it wasn't easy. 'The numbers are rising in terms of people that have eating disorders, and I would say there's a huge need for resources and clinicians that are trained in the field,' Noel said. Brooks agrees B.C. needs more community-based programs like Looking Glass, more treatment offered by health authorities, and more spaces in the specialized eating disorders programs at B.C. Children's and St. Paul's hospitals. 'Because eating disorders are life-threatening mental health conditions, you can't recover without access to care. And less than 50 per cent of people can access the care they need,' said Brooks. That is due to cost, waiting lists, eligibility rules and a scarcity of health-care workers trained in eating disorders. 'With early access to specialized treatment and support, recovery from an eating disorder is possible, and it is transformative,' added Brooks, who has a daughter who struggled with an eating disorder. Federal government research into autism gets more than 50 times the funding compared with the money given for eating disorders research, despite medical statistics showing eating-disorder diagnoses are higher than for autism, Brooks said. Looking Glass served more than 1,000 clients in 2024. One-quarter identified as 2SLGTBQIA+, and there were also disproportionate numbers of Indigenous people and those from racialized communities. Sixty per cent of clients were ages 14 to 29. The Canadian Paediatric Society estimates five per cent of Canadian children have eating disorders, 'potentially life-threatening illnesses that typically have their onset during adolescence,' it said in a position statement released last June. Diagnosis can often be delayed, in particular for people who don't fit the eating-disorder stereotype: males, racial or sexual minorities, prepubescent children and people of above average weight. The paediatric society statement included advice to help family doctors and other health providers make earlier diagnoses. That includes screening children for eating disorders as part of routine checkups and assessing those who have unexplained weight change. 'You can be very critically ill because you are purging or binging or restricting. But if your body still looks larger, doctors don't do the investigations that would tell them that your electrolytes, your cardiac functioning is being impacted,' Brooks said. In B.C., a 2023 survey by the McCreary Centre Society found 14 per cent of children and teens in this province had vomited on purpose after eating, nearly doubling the rate from a decade earlier. Nationally, the Canadian Mental Health Association says 40 per cent of nine-year-old girls have dieted to lose weight, regardless of how much they weigh. 'We're constantly told that thinner is better,' the CMHA website says. 'Some people go to extremes to lose weight.' Hospitalizations for eating disorders increased by two-thirds during COVID, with girls ages 12 to 17 accounting for the majority of those new admissions, according to a 2024 study by a group of Canadian medical academics, including several affiliated with the University of B.C. The number of females admitted to hospital for an eating disorder remained stagnant at roughly four in every 10,000 people in the years before the pandemic, but that jumped to seven per 10,000 between 2020 and 2022, and fell slightly by 2023. The rate for males rose slowly between 2017 and 2023, but never climbed above one per 10,000 people. Brooks believes even more people are suffering but going undiagnosed because of society's misunderstanding about the condition. 'So many people think that it's a choice, or it's a diet gone wrong, and if you just ate more or just ate less, that you'd be fine,' she said. But they're not fine. For people hospitalized with anorexia, their risk of dying is five times higher than the general population, a 2020 academic study on mortality rates in eating disorders found. The death risk is two times higher for people with bulimia. In fact, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental-health and addictions diagnoses, outside of toxic drug poisonings, according to the National Eating Disorder Information Centre, run by the University Health Network in Toronto. B.C. has health authority programs that can help, but they have strict eligibility criteria and long waiting lists, and can be difficult to access for people without a family doctor, Brooks said. So her organization is trying to fill those gaps. The 25-year-old agency has partnered with the Provincial Health Services Authority to run a residential treatment facility. PHSA provides clinical support, including nutritionists, counsellors, doctors and nurses, while Looking Glass oversees the building and runs supplemental programming, such as yoga classes, community outings and healthy living guidance. In a separate location, the non-profit offers outpatient peer support programs for people struggling with disordered eating (regardless of whether they have an official diagnosis), low-cost counselling, and public outreach through school presentations and other initiatives. While two-thirds of Looking Glass clients live in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health authority regions, the rest seek virtual help from Vancouver Island, the Interior and Northern B.C. Four out of every five clients said they had difficulty finding help for their eating disorders, citing cost, lack of specialists or programs, waiting lists, location or stigma. Looking Glass clients also lived with depression, relationship issues, trauma, abuse, self-harm, and mental-health and alcohol or drug abuse. That's because it's common, Brooks said, for people with disordered eating to have another mental illness. Looking Glass , which has seven full-time staff plus additional counsellors like Noel and practicum students, receives some government funding, but relies on private donations — and as the need for services has intensified, so too has the need for more donor support, Brooks said. Worried families and other members of society need to be better educated, Brooks said, about trigger words that can encourage someone to develop an unhealthy relationship with food and their bodies. 'They should be having neutral conversations about food in their homes, so there's no 'good' foods and 'bad' foods or 'cheat' days,' she said. And avoid any talk about skipping meals. The National Eating Disorder Information Centre has resources online for families, including a help line. Agabob echoes the need for more public knowledge, as society often assumes someone struggling with an eating disorder is emaciated. She didn't fit the stereotypical image of the too-skinny person, which is why it didn't occur even to herself that she was at risk. 'I just thought this is what people in larger bodies ate to manage themselves,' said Agabob, who started as a peer support volunteer with Looking Glass four years ago and is now the community engagement and fundraising coordinator. As a teenager, she got into a pattern of restricting what she ate, but her growing teenage body needed nutrients so the starving girl would then binge. Racked by guilt, she would then purge. 'It became a very tumultuous situation of eating one way in public and a different way in private,' she said. 'It wasn't sustainable, of course. So as I got older, it got worse.' Her weight consumed her every thought in university and, in hindsight, she's amazed she completed her degree. Her career as an education manager for a large corporation meant a lot of travel, and throughout that time her body increasingly didn't 'feel right.' 'Biologically, your body is going to start to deteriorate if you're not nourishing it,' she said. After her hospitalization and diagnosis, Agabob said it was hard to get help: She tried several therapists before finding one she could work with; searched for a nutritionist with knowledge about eating disorders; and didn't know Looking Glass existed. She has advice for people who may be struggling with food: Trust yourself if you think something is wrong, even if you don't have a stereotypical body type. And confide in someone, because eating disorders 'thrive in isolation.' It's also important, she said, for people to understand that treatment regimes will be different for many people, depending on the type of disorder they have and the additional mental-health challenges they're facing. 'More diversity and more inclusivity in eating disorder spaces is incredibly important for people to see themselves in this illness,' she said. While changing her behaviour wasn't easy and took time, Agabob stresses she was able to recover once she understood her diagnosis. 'One of my favourite things about recovery is you have all these opportunities that you didn't even really realize existed because your brain was so full of thoughts of food and calories and body. L ife actually seems so much more exciting, which is really great,' she said. Today, Agabob has a healthy relationship with food. She doesn't obsess about counting the calories on labels. She doesn't check restaurant menus in advance to determine the fat content of meals. 'I do intuitively eat. I don't follow any diets, obviously. I just do what feels good,' she said. '(Before) I couldn't let my body be the way it needed to be. So now I feel like I can do that, and I'm at a balanced place in my life.' lculbert@
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
See true-to-life 3D visuals without headsets or glasses
You can now gather around a screen and see digital objects come to life in true three dimensions; no headsets, no glasses, just your eyes and a shared experience with others. That's exactly what the new, 27-inch light-field display from Looking Glass offers. This innovative technology is transforming how we interact with 3D visuals, making immersive experiences more natural and accessible for businesses, educators and creators alike. The Looking Glass 27 uses light-field display technology, which projects multiple perspectives of an object simultaneously. This allows for "Super Multi View" experiences, where everyone around the screen can see a slightly different angle, just like in the real world. It's a step beyond traditional 3D displays, offering richer depth cues and a more natural viewing experience. The display can showcase single images, 3D videos or interactive applications, and it's flexible enough to handle everything from quick model previews to fully interactive group experiences. Shawn Frayne, Looking Glass' CEO and co-founder, describes this release as a "breakthrough moment for 3D." The new 27-inch display is the company's most advanced yet, combining major hardware and software advances to cut costs and dramatically reduce the computing power needed to run complex 3D content. The display sits at just an inch thick but packs a punch with 5K resolution (5,120 x 2,880 pixels) at 60 Hz, delivering up to 16 inches of virtual depth and 8-bit color. The result? Real-time 3D visuals that look and feel like they're actually present in the room. But what really sets this display apart is its ability to create a shared 3D experience. Unlike traditional VR or AR setups that require each participant to wear a headset, the Looking Glass 27 can project up to 100 unique perspectives across a 53-degree viewing cone. This means a team can gather around a single screen and see the same digital object from different angles, just as they would with a real-world prototype or artifact. Looking Glass has made it easier than ever for developers and enterprises to build, test and deploy 3D applications. Content creation starts on a computer running Unity, but the finished product can be deployed on an iPad, which also powers the display and serves as its interface. This approach reduces system costs by about 35% compared to previous models and makes deployment far more flexible. The display also supports Blender, Unreal Engine, WebXR and Looking Glass' own Studio and Bridge tools, making it compatible with a wide range of 3D workflows. The display is designed for versatility. It can sit on a desk or be mounted on a wall, and it's available in both portrait and landscape configurations (though you'll need to pick one when ordering). The software ecosystem allows for quick creation of 3D apps using Unity templates, and content can be managed just like any other iOS application, streamlining updates and deployment. While the $10,000 price tag (or $8,000 if you pre-order before April 30) puts the Looking Glass 27 out of reach for most consumers, its target audience is clear: businesses, research institutions, museums, education settings, medical training centers and even retail or entertainment venues. Imagine medical students exploring a virtual anatomy lesson together or design teams collaborating on a 3D prototype without the hassle of headsets. The display's ability to render depth, texture, translucency and lighting effects as they appear in real life makes it a powerful tool for any field that benefits from visualizing complex, spatial information. The Looking Glass 27-inch light-field display isn't just about seeing 3D; it's about sharing, collaborating and making digital ideas feel as tangible as the real world. While the price means it's not for everyone just yet, the technology is a clear sign that immersive, headset-free 3D is on the cusp of becoming a mainstream tool for innovators everywhere. If you've ever wanted to just look at a screen and see your digital creations spring to life, Looking Glass is making that dream a reality, no headsets required. What would you create or explore if you could share true 3D visuals with your team, no headsets or glasses needed? Let us know by writing us at For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Follow Kurt on his social channels: Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions: New from Kurt: Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
Associated Press
21-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
is*hosting Launches High-Performance 100Gbit/s Hosting in Iron Mountain Data Center, Amsterdam
is*hosting expands to Amsterdam, delivering high-performance dedicated servers with up to 100Gbit/s connectivity and 40Gbit/s private networking. 'With up to 100Gbit/s connectivity and 40Gbit/s private networking, our Amsterdam expansion brings unparalleled speed and scalability for businesses demanding top-tier hosting solutions.'— Misha Malikin, Brand & Partnerships Manager at is*hosting AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, April 21, 2025 / / -- High-Performance Infrastructure for Businesses and Cloud Solutions is*hosting has deployed its latest high-performance infrastructure in Amsterdam, offering dedicated server solutions with up to 100Gbit/s connectivity. Hosted in a top-tier Iron Mountain data center, this expansion ensures maximum reliability, security, and energy efficiency for businesses with demanding workloads. Speed, Scalability, and Resilience ✅ Up to 100Gbit/s network connectivity – designed for high-traffic applications, AI/ML workloads, streaming services, and cloud environments. ✅ 40Gbit/s private network between servers – all dedicated servers include high-speed private links by default, making private cloud and cluster deployments seamless and cost-effective. ✅ Flexible infrastructure – easily scale your setup with private and hybrid cloud solutions using direct server interconnectivity. Top-Tier Hardware & an Arista-Based Network Our infrastructure runs on enterprise-grade DELL servers, with networking fully powered by Arista, ensuring ultra-low latency, high availability, and seamless scalability. Strategic Expansion in the Netherlands Amsterdam strengthens is*hosting's presence in the Netherlands, a key European connectivity hub. Clients benefit from optimized network routes and low-latency access across Europe and beyond. Our Looking Glass tool provides network testing for the Netherlands, ensuring seamless performance evaluation for businesses considering deployment in this region. Available Now The new Amsterdam infrastructure is live and ready for deployment. About is*hosting is*hosting is a global hosting provider offering dedicated servers, VPS, DDoS protection, and cloud solutions in 37+ locations worldwide. We focus on high performance, flexible configurations, and 24/7 expert support to keep your business running smoothly. Misha Malikin is*hosting email us here Visit us on social media: Facebook X LinkedIn Instagram YouTube Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
The Guardian
22-02-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
UK creative industries set behaviour standards after Strictly and MasterChef rows
New guidelines will be issued this week for the UK's creative industries after a series of scandals including reports of inappropriate behaviour by Gregg Wallace and Gino d'Acampo, and bullying allegations on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. The Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) will set new standards with the aim of stamping out bullying, harassment and discrimination, and address 'power imbalances'. The guidelines call on organisations to create reporting mechanisms and ways to learn from previous scandals, as well as safe and inclusive working environments. Jen Smith, chief executive of the new body, said the standards could be adopted widely in commissioning agreements, contracts and awards criteria. 'Then no one can say, 'I didn't know' or 'It wasn't clear',' she said. The CIISA was created by Dame Heather Rabbatts, who saw the need for an independent body to hold all creative industries to account. Rabbatts had founded Time's Up UK in 2018 in the wake of the #Me Too movement. Smith was previously director of culture and inclusion at the British Film Institute and in the aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein scandal helped draw up a set of standards to combat harassment in the screen industries. 'People don't currently feel as safe as they should in the creative industries,' Smith said. 'We needed clarity around what it meant to be in a safe working environment.' She added: 'What came to light is that part of the infrastructure of the creative industries was missing. You've got a workforce that don't have HR departments. What people really needed was a safe, confidential place to raise concerns, seek advice, get help. For creative sectors, there was this gap. Where do you go? Who has … independent oversight and who can provide impartial advice?' In research carried out in May 2024 by Bectu, the union for workers in the creative industries, 84% of respondents said the sector needed an independent body to investigate, report and prevent harassment. The fact that the creative industries, especially film and television, mostly comprised freelancers and small companies had exacerbated issues of poor behaviour, Smith said. People feared that speaking out would cost them work, while freelancers who did want to speak up were often unclear about who to report concerns to. In the Film and TV Charity's Looking Glass report 2024, 41% of respondents to a survey said they'd experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination in the previous 12 months. More than half said they didn't report this to anyone – of those who did report, 21% said the situation got worse. CIISA will not have enforcement powers, so it will rely on the creative industries to commit to the standards. However, breaches can be reported to the organisation and it will offer legal advice, arbitration and mediation, as well as support for individuals to access criminal justice or employment tribunals where appropriate. Smith said the CIISA had support from the government and that she had met Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary. Last week, Nandy warned the TV industry that it must address standards of behaviour, following recent allegations against d'Acampo, the celebrity chef. Nandy told ITV News: 'If the industry can't get its own house in order, we are prepared to step in … The time for action is long overdue.' Sign up to Observed Analysis and opinion on the week's news and culture brought to you by the best Observer writers after newsletter promotion D'Acampo 'categorically denies' allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour. A statement from his legal team says: 'This is the first time, six years later, he has been informed of these alleged incidents, and he does not accept them.' Wallace's lawyers have said the suggestion that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature was entirely false. The CIISA will initially focus on the screen, stage and music sectors, but aims to cover others such as gaming, publishing and fashion in the future. A cross-sector approach is vital in spotting patterns of behaviour, Smith said. Allegations made about Wallace, the BBC MasterChef presenter, suggested that even where allegations were reported to one individual or company, it was unclear if information was shared, or who had responsibility to act. There needs to be 'one entity, where people can report confidentially and safely, and we can build up [a] picture of concerning behaviour and deal with it appropriately,' Smith said. 'You shouldn't be having historical issues that have gone on for so long.' The CIISA hopes the creative industries can learn from past failures. 'We're seeing repeated stories in the press,' Smith said. 'When things go wrong, how do we prevent that from happening again?'
