Jed Hallam on Culture, Belonging & the 5 People Who Shaped Him | Music, Class & Making Yourself Useful

S04 EP05 - Jed Hallam

Jed Hallam on Culture, Belonging & the 5 People Who Shaped Him | Music, Class & Making Yourself Useful

 

In this episode of People Are Everything, Julia Duthie sits down with Jed — cultural strategist, founder of Culture Lab, DJ, writer and community builder — to explore the five most influential people in his life and how they shaped his values, work and worldview.

From a grandmother whose compassion defined his moral compass, to mentors who stripped ego from leadership, to writers who reframed music, class and community, Jed reflects on belonging, craft, culture, and usefulness.

This is a wide-ranging, deeply human conversation about music as survival, working-class identity, mentorship, creativity, and why culture still matters in an AI-driven world.

 

🎧 Topics include:

• Why culture saved his life
• Class, identity & “common people” in creative industries
• Music as community, not product
• Mentorship, humility & making yourself useful
• Why belonging is universal

🧠 The Five Most Influential People Jed Chose

1. Maggie Mackenzie (his “Nanan”) His grandmother and moral anchor — teaching compassion, routine, resilience and what a truly rich life looks like.
2. Marco Rimini Mentor and former global CEO at Mindshare — whose simple advice (“make yourself useful”) reshaped Jed’s leadership and ego.
3. Tim Lawrence Author of Love Saves the Day — reframed Jed’s understanding of music, community, disco, and cultural history.
4. Emma Warren Writer and cultural documentarian — pushed Jed to build, preserve and document community through radio and shared culture.
5. Resh Sidhu Leader and mentor at Snapchat — instilled rigor, craft, and the belief that great work demands care, consistency and courage.

🎧 Watch or Listen on your favourite podcast platform:

• Youtube: https://loom.ly/nb-WD3Q
• Apple: https://loom.ly/EgwKsWk
• Spotify: https://loom.ly/GHo0lEo

📲 Follow us on socials: https://loom.ly/gJuJlLQ

If you can’t wait, all three previous seasons are ready and waiting — the perfect way to wind down ☕️

 

📺 Watch Season 1,2 and 3 here ..

• 👉 Season-1 - https://loom.ly/AhznB6k
• 👉 Season-2 - https://loom.ly/XGH2jt0
• 👉 Season-3 - https://loom.ly/t1h2EQ8