The Industry Comes Together to Show Support for Men In Our Industry!

The inaugural event in the men's series of The emPOWER Breakfast, emPOWERMENt, is set to launch at Sea Containers this week on the 2nd April, featuring an intimate conversation with our very own Athene Parker and Barny Wright from No.8. The conversation will not be sugar coated. Barny will be opening up about his personal journey of loss and also opportunity, which has powered him through to addiction recovery. This thoughtful gathering marks the beginning of a vital new platform focused on men's wellbeing and mental health, and the beginning of a conversation to look at why it is men, and boys, feel abandoned in our society when it comes to emotional expression, support and growth.

Alongside our Venue Sponsor Ogilvy, and Gold Sponsors NCA, we're delighted to have secured outstanding support from across the creative industry for this very special event. Helen Hadfield at Snapper Films has generously stepped forward, alongside Alex Katz, Dom Seymour and Francine Linsey from Bite Collective, to sponsor refreshments…ensuring attendees can enjoy the networking opportunities over a cuppa and breakfast.

We also have a major talent involved. In a wonderful gesture of creative solidarity, industry legend Mark Denton has donated both his time and an original artwork created as signage to celebrate our refreshment sponsors. This bespoke piece not only serves a very functional purpose of letting you know who to thank for your cuppa and pastries at the event, but will continue its positive impact through a very special auction….

To see some BTS of Mark in his creative process, head over to @empowerbreakfast on Instagram! 

The artwork will be auctioned during an Instagram Live interview with Athene and Producer Francesca Barnes. Francesca is the wife of award-winning editor Steve Ackroyd, who has been bravely battling a brain tumour diagnosis. 

Steve's extraordinary fight and Fran's tireless fundraising campaign have inspired many across the industry, both in front of and behind the camera, in the worlds of advertising and music to donate time, money and prizes for their fundraising efforts.  We're privileged to spotlight their upcoming raffle and help mobilise our community to support one of our own during this challenging time. You can take a look at prizes here and all of them are outstanding! https://stevesbigfatraffle.com/ - The Draw Date is Sunday 18th May 2025 so there is time to take a look and buy some tickets! There are 6 different prize buckets! 

The emPOWERMENt series represents both a chance to address important conversations around men's mental health and an opportunity to demonstrate how our industry can come together to support its members. Through the combined efforts of our sponsors, Mark Denton's artistic contribution, and raising awareness for Steve's journey, we're creating an event with purpose at its heart.

To find out more about Steve’s journey and go Fund Me please click here - https://www.gofundme.com/f/steve-ackroyds-brain-tumour-treatment