Viva Brighton Issue #66 August 2018

INTERVIEW
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MYbrighton: Bob Maddams
Travel writer and filmmaker
Are you local? No, I was born in North
London, but I’ve lived here for ten years. I
worked in Ethiopia for eight years and when
I returned to the UK I couldn’t go back to my
old life as an ad man in London. It was one of
those moments when you throw the cards up
in the air. I needed something new; somewhere
with a bit of media going on, and some access
to London, so I picked Brighton.
What took you to Ethiopia? I heard about a
film school which trained street kids to become
filmmakers and they needed people with
TV experience to train them. We specialised
in making what’s called ‘behaviour-change
drama’, working with local people instead of
professional actors. We travelled all over the
country and made films about HIV/AIDS,
FGM, girls’ education, women’s rights... it was
a fantastic experience. I went out there for
three months and stayed for seven years.
What do you do now? I have a company
called Gooroo which offers creative
communication training workshops. I train a
lot of small businesses and charities who do
their marketing inhouse. Google and Facebook
will tell you how to use the platform, but they
don’t tell you about the principles of creative
communication.
What do you like most about living in
Brighton? The mix, I think. Practically
everybody you bump into here has been
somewhere, done something, and has a story to
tell. It’s so full of characters and different types
of people that it makes for a very vibrant place.
I also like its sense of inclusion. If I hadn’t gone
to Ethiopia, I’d have wished that I’d moved
down here sooner. I honestly think I’m very
lucky to live here.
What don’t you like about it? Generally,
the weather, although not today: it’s 30
degrees outside. Sometimes the rain hits you
horizontally in the face. Of course, parking is
terrible, but I feel sorry for the Council. There
are just too many cars. And local affairs can get
used as a bit of a political football for national
issues, and that annoys me. But I think Caroline
Lucas is great. Sending the first Green MP
to Westminster sums up the individuality and
creativity of what makes the city special.
Where’s your favourite place in town?
Probably the Barley Mow pub sees too much
of me. I live in Kemptown and as an area
it’s fantastic. Like a mini Brighton within
Brighton, with its own sense of identity. People
know one another and - without being nosey or
overbearing - keep an eye out for one another.
Where do you like to eat? The Barley Mow
do an excellent pint and a pie, and there’s a fine
Indian restaurant up St James’s Street, called
Pavel, that punches way above its weight.
Where would you live if you didn’t live
here? I think I’d probably go back to Addis
Ababa, but Sussex is a great place to live. If
I didn’t live in Brighton I might scoot off to
Shoreham, or further west.
When did you last swim in the sea? Here?
That is still an unopened book. But I’m very
excited about the plans for Sea Lanes, the
open-air pool on the beach. If I had a few
sea-swimming lessons there, I think I might be
tempted. Interview by Lizzie Lower
gooroo.uk.com
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