IN FOCUS
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A new voice for Staffordshire
Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce is getting behind the microphone with In Focus, a new podcast built around remarkable people, unexpected stories and a determination to reach new audiences. Chief Executive Stuart Elford explains why he wants to use it to show a different side of modern Staffordshire.
STUART ELFORD wants to change the conversation about Staffordshire.
STUART ELFORD
Since becoming Chief Executive of Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, he has spent much of his time getting to know the county, meeting its businesses and communities and discovering the people and organisations doing remarkable things across Stoke-on- Trent and Staffordshire.
What has struck him is the gap that can sometimes exist between that reality and the story the outside world sees.
Take ceramics. The bottle kiln remains an important symbol of Stoke-on-Trent’ s heritage. But Stuart points to a modern ceramics industry producing components for Formula One cars, medical technology and even the Mars rover.
“ These are highly advanced ceramics, and you think, why aren’ t we talking about that more?” he says.“ There’ s so much more to the ceramics industry- there’ s so much more to Staffordshire and we want to celebrate the full breadth of that creativity, excellence and innovation, as well as the heritage.”
And it is precisely the reason Staffordshire Chambers is launching In Focus, a new podcast, with Leek Building Society as its supporting partner, that will put the people and stories of the county behind the microphone.
The ambition is deliberately broad. There will be business leaders, but Stuart doesn’ t want another business podcast filled with conversations about turnover, growth strategies and corporate success. He wants entrepreneurs alongside sportspeople, community leaders and people who have overcome extraordinary circumstances.
Some will be familiar names. Others may be people most listeners have never encountered before.
“ Really, it’ s about stories, about people, about what’ s going on,” Stuart says.“ Yes, it’ s produced by Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, but it’ s not a business podcast in the typical sense.”
The podcast began recording in September ahead of its autumn launch. Co-produced by Staffordshire Chambers and Staffordshire production company Reels in Motion, episodes will be released as audio podcasts while also being filmed for online and social media content.
But for Stuart, however, the technology is really secondary to what happens when two people sit down and start talking.
“ I want the podcast to be thoughtprovoking, fun, interesting,” he says.“ I want to reach new audiences. I want to show that we’ re not pale, male and stale. I want to show that business can be a force for good. I want to show that there’ s some really interesting people around.”
And perhaps most importantly, he wants Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to have another place to tell their stories.
“ It’ s definitely not an advert, not flagwaving,” he says.“ This is more about just real people and look at the amazing things they’ re doing.”
Finding the stories
Stuart already knows something about what makes those conversations work.
Before arriving in Staffordshire, he spent several years leading Devon Chamber of Commerce, where he launched and hosted a podcast that went on to run for several series and, he says, has accumulated around 90,000 listens.
The biggest lesson was that job titles don’ t necessarily make great guests. Stories do.
“ What you don’ t want is somebody coming on talking about how they make
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