Words by Tamara El-Halawani
Businesses with important social causes are more popular than ever before – and with Reggie Yates, Blue Skies has a great opportunity to carry out its mission.
There were few shows that my brother and I would agree to watch over breakfast growing up; we’d argue over CBBC’s Mona the Vampire, Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids and Basil Brush. Two shows that sidestepped this daily routine were Only in America and Sunday morning’s Smile. In my early teens, Saturday afternoons post-swimming lessons would feature Mum’s favourite 70’s Daim bar alongside the Radio One Request Show. By college, I’d watched every BBC Three documentary more than once; my perceptions of the world were changed by Teen Gangs, Extreme Russia and Extreme South Africa. The common denominator to all these? Reggie Yates.
After three decades of a career in the entertainment industry as an actor, national radio host and presenter on Saturday night prime TV, Reggie Yates moved to critically acclaimed documentary and film production and screenwriting. With a strong collection of high profile business deals, the still-rising multi-hyphenate has moved into investment. In June this year, he partnered with the Ghanaian brand Blue Skies in his first major business deal. The brand is launching its new flavours of dairy-free ice cream produced from coconuts. As an own-label supplier for the last twenty years, the move to work with Yates as their Creative Director will increase the company’s publicity, demonstrating its commitment to investing in the communities behind their product; both share Ghanaian roots and philosophy to ‘put people first’.
The brand screams millennial buzzwords ‘sustainability’, ‘ethical’ and ‘social enterprise’, with up to 75% of the product’s value staying in Ghana where the coconuts are grown. Farmers are paid fairly, with over 3000 employed locally. By using experts and farmers within these local communities, the brands’ Foundation can assess their needs. Alongside a democratically elected council of community representatives, the two groups collaborate to discuss which projects need to be prioritised: the Foundation invests in this area, and the council oversee and evaluate its production.
Historically, western intervention has led to a dependence on humanitarian aid. The system at the Blue Skies Foundation enables the Ghanaian community to take command of its future, the results of which are highly promising: the company has invested in 120 health and education projects so far, increasing school attendance, academic performance, community health and sanitation. Together, this has ensured greater productivity among farmers.
On partnering with the brand, Yates said, “My Ghanaian roots have always played a huge part in my life. Blue Skies ice cream is a company that is enabling communities to take control of their future while creating an amazing product. Being a part of it means I’m not just telling the story but helping create and shape it.” In addition, CEO Hugh Pile stated that “Reggie embodies [Blue Skies] values of passion, integrity and boldness to capture the individual personalities of the people who feature in his documentaries,”
The Blue Skies ‘Above and Beyond campaign’ will be supported by Yates’ ‘Pass the Mic’ Initiative. This seeks to pass on the expertise of established entertainment industry voices to young and marginalised creatives – those that ‘need to be heard’. The campaign, highlighted in two films shot by Yates, will feature a competition in which entrants share an ‘above and beyond story’. This recognises an individual who has inspired others, with the chance to receive a £1000 prize.
Yates is equipped with a powerful trio of traits: self-confidence, transparency and authenticity. It is the reason several people my age are drawn into watching his documentaries ten times over. He doesn’t claim to be an expert on what he is presenting and doesn’t talk down to us by being on the other side of the camera. Instead, he acts as our peer. His far from typical career, which has seen a shift from producing content that is transient and light-hearted to that which is compelling and with purpose, leaves a lasting impression. He has started healthy conversations and asked difficult questions. By organically uncovering the story he is investigating in his documentaries as though in tandem with the viewer, we respect and trust him.
On the This City with Clara Amfo podcast, Yates describes a sequence of events in his documentary Searching for Grenfell’s Lost Lives. In the early stages of filming, he and his crew went to one of the nearby murals. On it, a progression of those who were lost to friends and family members finding out who had perished in the fire. He asks for the Director to carry on filming so that his firsthand experiences are captured on camera. As a white van goes by, it stops. The driver asks Yates to speak to his friend in the van. He had refused to be interviewed before: ‘This geezer is a survivor and he’s not done any news. He said no to every journalist but I want him to talk to you’. The friend explains why: ‘Look, Reg, I’ve not spoken to anyone about this but I grew up with you. I trust you, so do me right, yeah. Put this out properly. Tell everyone what really happened.
This trust translates to his brand partnerships; we believe that Yates will invest in brands that his values align to in the same way we watch and trust his documentaries. In turn, Blue Skies benefit from increased publicity to consumers who will too share in their ethos. Together, it proves Yates’ ability to continuously push into new fields and excel.