Charlie Gladstone openly discusses the 50/50 Project, the importance of creative freelancers and why mutual support is invaluable.

Interview by Jimmy Sandison

SGI: How often did you work with creative freelancers in normal circumstances, i.e pre-covid? 

Charlie Gladstone: We occupy a business world where freelancers are everything and it’s often hard to separate a freelancer from a full-time member of the team. We worked with loads before the pandemic and now, if anything, we work with more. I couldn’t put a figure on this but without these people, we couldn’t function. I am a huge believer in working with people for as many years as possible; the strength of bond and the efficiency that loyalty and longevity generate always outweigh the advantages of moving to pastures new every few months. Many of the people are my friends.

SGI: Can you give some examples of the type of work you employ creative freelancers to do on a typical basis? 

CG: Absolutely; designers, cooks, growers, foragers, blacksmiths,  photographers, writers, graphic designers, PR people, printers, filmmakers, editors, artists...

“We got as much from it as the makers and designers and artists did. Those benefits were way, way beyond those we anticipated. Money changed hands of course but morale was boosted and dreams realised.”

SGI: And what incited you to do the 50/50 project? 

CG: Something clicked in me. I seem to have a profound need to try to help people (goodness knows what this stems from, let’s discuss this another day) and as soon as the pandemic hit I realised that lots of freelance people we worked with, my friends, were going to suffer badly. At that point, the government was scrambling to help businesses survive and it was clear that creative freelancers weren’t high on their list of those thought to be deserving of support; so I thought, let’s commit to these people, let’s give them work now, even if we don’t really need that work at the moment it will be useful.

And, of course, it was massively useful and we did need it. And so although this project is often portrayed as being charitable, it wasn’t, we got as much from it as the makers and designers and artists did. Those benefits were way, way beyond those we anticipated. Money changed hands of course but morale was boosted and dreams realised.

SGI: Why 50? 

CG: Well initially I said to Tom ‘let’s employ 20 people’ and then I called him back and said ‘no, let’s make it 50’. I have to say that the real credit for this project belongs to Tom and I am not just saying that to be nice; I had the idea and I funded it, but he made it happen and that was brutally hard work because he had something like 800 applicants and those all had to be processed and replied to and that was before we even commissioned any wok. So, much as I like to take a pat on the back here, Tom should take the credit. Let’s use a football metaphor, shall we? I got the ball in my own half, made a half decent pass and he wound his way around half a dozen defenders and netted the most magnificent shot. BOOM.

SGI: Was the work you commissioned necessary for your businesses? Can you give examples? 

CG: I think it was necessary, even if it didn’t seem so at the time. The past year has been one of massive challenges and we have used it to reinvigorate our businesses through ideas, creativity, communication and morale. You can’t measure this stuff but, yes, it was necessary.

“We believe in ideas shared, community built in mutual support and generosity.”

SGI: Did the project manifest itself in a way you expected?

CG: No! Like all of the best things it evolved and turned out to be better than I dared imagine. 

SGI: You’re very open about who you work with, why share with the world all of your creative contacts?

CG: Because we believe in ideas shared, community built in mutual support and generosity. Truly, why wouldn’t you share this stuff? I suppose because you might be scared of the opposition if you think you aren’t that good at what you do. But we are good! (Am I allowed to say that?)

SGI: So, what is next?

You know, after the year we’ve just had, the only answer is ‘who knows?’. In many ways I am a control freak, I think many entrepreneurs are, but this year has helped me to learn to roll with the punches and that’s quite useful.

Purchase the 50/50 Book here.