Who are The People?

We are! In all our projects, we like to get as involved as anyone else in the discussions. In terms of production skills, The People Speak is a large network of people with a dizzying variety of expertise and experience, connected into teams for specific projects. Here is a list of our currently active operatives:

• Mikey Weinkove

  Co founder of The People Speak (with Saul), Mikey is an artist and chat show host. He is the inventor of Talkaoke and has toured the World hosting it in a huge variety of contexts, from high-profile cultural institutions such as the Tate Modern, London and the Edinborough Festival to cosy, regular residencies in cafes and bars, to underground gatherings such as dorkbotlondon or Gay Shame. He has been touring with Talkaoke since 1997 and is an expert swivelly chairperson for any debate. He knows how to get conversation going in a compelling but non confrontational manner.

• Saul Albert

  Co-founder (with Mikey) of The People Speak, Saul has 10 years of experience in collaborative / participatory arts and technology. He now writes, codes, learns and teaches at the University of Openess, is involved to varying degrees of centrality in the following networks and cultural groups: NODE.London, Free Map, Public Geodata (http://publicgeodata.org), Open Knowledge Foundation, WSFII, Openmute, Twenteenth Century, The People Speak, Consume, Picopeer group, dorkbotlondon , Limehouse Town Hall, and the Boxing Club. If you want a reference, google him or read his first ever reference.

• Wojciech Kosma

  Wojciech is a terrifyingly talanted young composer and software artist who is basically some kind of audio-visual software art magician . In fact, the skills he employs when coming up with ingenious solutions and ideas for People Speak projects don't even test the virtuoso abilities he calls down when hacking games consoles, PSPs and innocent electronic components into terrifying video-spewing sonic art instruments.

• Asia Bas

  Asia is a project manager and arts administrator who brings her awesome cultural organisation skills and international event management experience to The People Speak, as well as her multifarious talents as an event photographer and videographer. As if that wasn't more than enough strings to anyone's bow, she has also recently qualified as a prop designer.

• Jesse Darlin'

  When Jesse first jumped into the Talkaoke Table, we knew that we had finally found an Oprah to Mikey's Jerry. Jesse is an incredible performer, and can transform any situation into a creative melee, in her own unique hosting style. She is also leading new projects with The People Speak, creating new participatory formats and inspiring new dimensions of chat.

• Sophia Broido

  Sophia is The People Speak's newest recruit, and comes from the world of improvisational theatre. She brings her project management and dramaturgy skills to The People Speak, and has been working on growing Talkaoke in all kinds of new contexts and directions.

• Zsolt Balogh

  Zsolt is the visualiser-in-cheif at The People Speak, his special effects and architectural visualisation skills turn people's ideas into spectacular imaginative vistas. When he's not working his magic on-screen, he's doing all kinds of damage with fake blood and explosions on set.

• Andy Gibson

  Since founding School of Everything and his social technology consultancy Sociability, Andy has been bringing his social entrepreneurship and expertise in the business end of creativity to The People Speak's events. As well as hosting a mean Talkaoke, he's helped develop some fantastic new formats for getting people to collaborate and create together.

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• Rick Sleiman

  Rick is the engine that keeps The People Speak on the road. Doing everything from graphic production to seamless video editing, to sharply observant Talkaoke archiving and cataloguing. If The People Speak were the A-Team, Rick would be Mr T.

• Piotr [Hektor] Kowalski

  Hektor is in love with our Z1 video camera, and uses it and his awesome photographic skills to great effect providing beautiful documentation of our events and projects. When he isn't producing some amazing visuals for a party with his partner in crime Monica, or creating beautiful video media he manages to find time to spread his love of experimental and classic cinema.

• Joerg Baach

  Joerg is an Internet craftsman from Germany with 10 years of experience in development out in the field as well as working as a trainer. He likes to travel the world, helping people to realise interesting ideas, from community currencies to e-cash. He is the spiritual leader of The People Speak, and an accomplished tap-dancer.

Do you have a project you're working on that The People Speak team could help with? We're always interested in hearing about it, expanding and growing the network... please do get in touch.