Latest news with #SHOUT
Entrepreneur
4 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
The Student Entrepreneurs
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. In a glass-walled office just off London's tech corridor, two entrepreneurs sit with the calm intensity of people used to making things happen. Joseph Black and Oliver Jacobs, co-founders of SHOUT, an influencer marketing agency, aren't typical agency founders. Their work doesn't revolve around polished pitches or influencer stunts. Instead, their success lies in something simpler - giving young people meaningful access to work, opportunity, and scale. From dorm rooms to digital domination SHOUT want their first rodeo. First off, the idea for UniTaskr, the student work app they co-founded in 2016, resulted in a multimillion-pound platform that enables students to monetise their skills through flexible freelance work. It was born from a very real tension observed during their university years. "Students struggling to support themselves financially, and in some cases even having to drop out of university," Black says. "We wanted to build something that could act as a bridge between education and employment, giving students real, flexible opportunities to earn and gain experience while they studied." What began as a gig economy platform soon uncovered something else - the quiet power of the student voice online. That realisation gave rise to SHOUT, a marketing engine fuelled not by celebrity endorsements but by the authenticity of nano and micro creators. "On the surface, the two companies might seem quite different," Black continues. "One's a freelancer platform, the other an influencer engine, but at their core, they're deeply aligned. Both champion the underdog - whether it's a student breaking into the working world or a small creator making a big impact for a global brand." The Gen Z disconnect If there's one demographic Joseph and Jacobs understand better than most, it's Gen Z. But for many brands, says Oliver, the reality of engaging this generation is still misunderstood. "Honestly, not yet, at least not at scale," he admits. "There's still a disconnect between how Gen Z actually interacts with brands and how companies think they do." He outlines a new model of engagement - one rooted in authenticity, not advertising polish. "This generation grew up with the ability to skip, block, or scroll past anything that doesn't speak to them directly. They value authenticity, creativity, and community. The brands that are winning with Gen Z are the ones that listen, co-create, and let go of control a little." Going Stateside SHOUT's recent expansion to the United States marks a pivotal moment in the company's growth. For Black, it was always inevitable. "The US has always acted as a leader in the creator economy, so for us, it was less a question of if and more when," he says. "We came in with a clear point of difference, our ability to activate thousands of nano and micro creators quickly, and actually tie that activity back to business results." That difference has already yielded results. Among the new clients signed is Inspire Brands - the parent company of Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin' Donuts, and Baskin Robbins. But the expansion wasn't without its adjustments. "Being physically present has helped massively," Black reflects. "In the UK, you can often build remotely, but in the US, relationships move things forward. Face-to-face matters." Oliver adds that the shift has also catalysed operational transformation. "We've had to mature fast," he says. "Scaling delivery, refining internal systems, and ensuring every touchpoint - from contracting to creator comms - fits U.S. expectations." From platform tweaks to campaign segmentation, the move has sharpened SHOUT's global execution. Landing giants Their client list is formidable - Amazon, Red Bull, Adobe, TikTok. But for Black, the road to big names wasn't paved with flashy campaigns, but quiet consistency. "It's all about relationships and results," he says. "We pitched like we belonged in the room, even when we were the smallest agency at the table." Their TikTok win stands out as a symbolic milestone. "We started as a TikTok-first agency... so to later be asked to support their own campaigns on TikTok felt like a full-circle moment. It validated the years we'd spent understanding the space inside-out." What comes next? Both founders speak about growth with a measured optimism. UniTaskr, Black notes, remains focused on impact. "We've just brought on a new Head of Growth and Strategy - Jenny Welsh - who's already bringing fresh energy to the business," Oliver adds. For SHOUT, KPIs are centered on scaling verified creators, refining ROI tracking, and linking influencer content to commercial results more tightly than ever before. "Ultimately, we want both businesses to not just grow, but grow intelligently and sustainably," Jacobs explains. Despite their rapid rise, Black and Jacobs remain grounded in the mission that sparked it all. "We genuinely believe the creator economy is still in its infancy," Blacksays. "The way brands connect with audiences is evolving fast and Gen Z is leading that shift." "At the core of it all," Jacobs adds, "we're still driven by the same mission we started with. Giving young people access, opportunity, and a platform to build from." And in a world that often moves at the speed of a scroll, it's that steady, student-first ethos that might just be the reason they've cut through.
Daily Record
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Buddies raise almost £3,500 to support starving and ill in Gaza
Organised by Paisley4Palestine, in partnership with The Bungalow and a host of musicians, the gig raised £3,340 for Medical Aid for Palestine Buddies have helped raise almost £3,500 to support starving and ill Palestinians in Gaza. Paisley people came together with musicians from across Scotland to stand in solidarity with innocent civilians as part of Gig for Gaza. Organised by Paisley4Palestine, in partnership with The Bungalow and a host of musicians, the gig raised £3,340 for Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP). The charity delivers life-saving aid, food and medical supplies to Gazans who now face starvation as well as the daily bombing from Israeli Defence Forces. The gig, featuring an array of musical talent, was held just days before Israel lifted its blockade on Gaza, which had not received any food, fuel or medical supplies for 11 weeks. About 130 lorries carrying humanitarian aid have crossed into the Gaza Strip in the past three days. However the UN says it would need to see 600 trucks – carrying food, medicines, baby food and medical equipment – per day in order to begin tackling Gaza's humanitarian crisis. John Kelly, a founding member of Paisley 4 Palestine told the Paisley Daily Express: 'All of the artists and The Bungalow gave their time free to this event and Paisley4Palestine are eternally grateful to them all. 'Buddies contributed over £3,000 to MAP, aid which is badly needed as the Israelis continue their relentless assault on the civilian population of Gaza, at the same time as they pursue a colonial settler project in the West Bank. 'Both assaults are in flagrant breach of international law and we once again call upon our political representatives to do all they can to boycott and disinvest from Israel, as the only way to stop the ongoing murderous assaults on innocent people, with the main victims being women and children. 'Paisley4Palestine urge all Buddies to contact their local Westminster MPs calling on them to make their voices heard in defence of the innocents under attack and facing starvation.' The gig took place last week and saw punk/rap band Aidan and the Outkkasts kick off the show with a blistering performance. Iona Fyfe mixed her own songs of protest with classics in a really heartfelt session which had the crowd in raptures. SHOUT! had the Bungalow jumping as did Alexx Munro's set, before Howlin' Radio took to the stage with some very well received classic rock. Special guest 'Replacement Kneecap' –otherwise known as Paisley's own Tannahill Makar Sean – delivered spoken words on the situation across the world but particularly on the role of Zionism in the attacks on Gaza and on the West Bank. Clydebank singer/songwriter Eddie Reid's voice was impressive as he gave the crowd some lovely, thoughtful and inspirational numbers while Barrhead's Kitti – repeat winner of the best jazz vocalist award at the Scottish Jazz Awards – finished her set with Viva Palestina before making way for radical rockers The Tenementals. They finished the night off with radical sounds and tales of resistance reflecting the tone of the night. Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 53,655 Palestinians and wounded 121,950, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israel launched its offensive after Hamas killed around 1,200 Israelis and took 250 people hostage in an attack on October 7, 2023.
CBS News
20-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Black lawyers speak at an assembly for the South Fayette Township School District
Some students in the South Fayette Township School District got to hear from a group of Black legal experts Thursday. It's part of one school club, Social Handprints Overcoming Unjust Treatment or "SHOUT". The students there chose to attend the assembly. "We sent out an email to our students saying that if anyone is interested in law, they can sign up to come see this event," Malak Saeed, a South Fayette SHOUT Organizer, said. Saeed helped lead the panel of Black lawyers Thursday. "We kind of wanted some more representation in the law field," she said. American Bar Association statistics from last year show that the share of White lawyers declined 10 percent from 2014 to 2024 (88 percent to 78 percent, respectively). Asian (2 percent to 7 percent) and Hispanic (4 percent to 6 percent) representation went up slightly during that time. But with Black people (5 percent in both 2014 and 2024), it stagnated. Blaine Jones, the founding attorney of Blaine Jones Law and one of Thursday's panelists, saw an opportunity to answer statistics like that with a message of defiance. "You don't say to yourself well I can't make it because there's only one female attorney," he said. "Forget that, you be that female attorney." Dr. Chuck Herring helped organize Thursday's venue. He knows the importance of the law. "If we didn't have the law on our side, we wouldn't have Brown vs. the Board of Education so I wouldn't even be in this space right now," Herring said. Herring says this space isn't just for people of color to learn too, there's a message for everyone. "And also our other populations need to see reflections of them to see like, man everybody can do everything when they have an opportunity to do it,'" he said.
