Mary Bekhait’s Post

We are excited to announce a new collaboration to co-manage the multi-talented supermodel, broadcaster, and entrepreneur, Leomie Anderson. This is a unique partnership with Leomie’s current representatives, Brand Creative Group. Leomie, a true powerhouse in the fashion world, was scouted at the age of 14 and has since walked for prestigious brands like Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Chloé, Tom Ford, and Ralph Lauren. She also made history as the first black British model to become a Victoria Secret Angel. 😇 Beyond modeling, Leomie shines as a broadcaster, recently fronting the hit show ‘Glow Up’ on BBC and Netflix. In 2016, she founded LAPP (Leomie Anderson, the Project, the Purpose), an ethical sportswear brand and platform dedicated to female empowerment and advocacy for women’s mental health, rights, and body image. Leomie is also a dynamic public speaker, with two Ted Talks to her name, and has spoken at Cambridge and Oxford Universities. 🎤 Leomie’s career is already exceptional, and with this compelling partnership we support her into new ventures and areas of entertainment. Lucy Loveridge Archna Sawjani Sawjani, Emmanuel (Manny) Ezugwu

Paris Hilton’s much anticipated album, Infinite Icon, is released today. It’s been a labour of love which our brilliant YMU music team have supported from A&R, creative and business in collaboration with 11:11 media. Sia has exec produced it and there are a number of A list contributors such as Megan thee Stallion and Meghan Trainor. Paris is the blueprint and truly and infinite icon! Alex Frankel Dani Chavez Chris Maher

Cleared for Takeoff introducing ‘Air Rylan’ ✈️ Team YMU has launched a unique social video format for Rylan that's resonating with audiences and driving exceptional engagement in just one episode! 🚇 Rylan has a huge love for transport—already the owner of a tube station replica in his back garden. Not to mention he is an aspiring Spice Girls Bus buyer! This new social interview series, set on his own plane, taps into the fascinating in-flight conversations we all experience, offering an intimate glimpse into the lives of special guests as they “unload their baggage.” Produced with Studio B and our in-house studios team, the team has created amazing results so far: • 4 million views of the teaser campaign • 6 million views on the first episode within hours • 260% growth in organic reach on Instagram and 310% on TikTok • Coverage in 23 press outlets With fantastic guesting about to board, check out Rylan’s Socials for more details. This is a great example of us supporting our clients in creating their own IP and leveraging and growing their social audience. Congrats team YMU Studios, Nader Dehdashti

In a world where women-led businesses are already underfunded, it’s hard to believe there weren’t 50 deserving candidates for the Innovate UK Women in Innovation competition. 1,500 women dedicated their time and energy to this process, only to see less than half of the promised £75k awards granted. This is disheartening, to say the least. From female founders I am connected with, or from our talent roster, I know the immense challenges that women face in securing the funding and support they need to bring their innovations to life. Grace Beverley recently secured her Series A for TALA, but she has openly discussed how tough this process was—check out her amazing video in the comments where she walks through her exact pitch deck. Here are some numbers that highlight this issue: - For every £1 of equity investment in the UK, just 2p goes to fully female-founded businesses (Gov . uk). - Less than 2% of VC funding each year goes to female businesses—2.8% globally (Gov . uk, Grace Beverley). - £250 billion of new value could be added to the UK economy if women started and scaled new businesses at the same rate as men (Alison Rose) For all the posts I’m seeing on this, as leaders and founders, we must advocate for a system that truly supports women. I look forward to following this story further.

The evidence is clear: gender equity at work isn't just good for women, it's good for business. It's also beneficial for society and culture at large. That's why I am pleased to announce that I will be speaking at this year's Women in Work Summit, as part of their ‘How and Why High-Profile Role Models Inspire a New Generation of Leaders’ panel alongside the inspiring Miriam Gonzalez Durantez Pavita Cooper and Tamara Lohan MBE taking place on September 26th at Kings Place, London. Building on the incredible success of last year's inaugural event, this year's program will delve even deeper into making a sustained impact—from the shop floor to the board - level. The Summit promises to provide attendees with actionable takeaways that will empower you to feel bolder and more confident about embedding policies, cultures, benefits, and practices that positively impact women—and all genders—at all critical life and health stages. Together, let's continue the conversation and drive progress for women in the workplace. Passes are on sale, so book now to join 450+ business and HR Leaders.

We are thrilled to welcome two significant additions to YMU Rhyanna Coleman former Spotify executive, has joined us as the new leader of our rapidly expanding podcast division! 🎙️ Rhyanna brings a wealth of experience from her time at Spotify, where she worked with top UK podcasters like Gary Lineker and launched podcasts for stars such as Rob Brydon, Olivia Neill, and Munroe Bergdorf. She will spearhead our growing podcast portfolio, including Fearne Cotton’s ‘Happy Place’, ‘High Performance’ with Jake Humphrey & Damien Hughes, Grace Beverley’s ‘Working Hard, Hardly Working’, James and Fuhad’s ‘ShxtsnGigs’, Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo’s ‘Newlyweds’ and ‘Great Company’, Sophia Tuxford and Cinzia Baylis Zullo’s ‘The Girl’s Bathroom’, Giovanna Fletcher’s ‘Happy Mum, Happy Baby’ and many more. She will also oversee exciting new projects, such as Davina McCall’s upcoming women’s health podcast (part of Steven Bartlett’s Flight Group) and fresh content from Graham Norton, David Walliams, and Matt Lucas. Coleman will join YMU’s digital, commercial, live and content teams who have successfully coalesced around talent podcasts, building them into wider multi-platform community brands - such as Fearne Cotton’s ‘Happy Place’. Drew Middleton former LADbible strategy head, has joined us to lead digital marketing and social strategy across our portfolio of top talent and creators 🤳 Drew has activated over 500 branded content partnerships, including high-value deals with brands such as UberEats, Warner Bros, Visa, Nando’s, Disney+, UK Gov, KFC, and many others. He has also orchestrated social and digital activations that have reached over 1.4 billion people globally. Drew will elevate the strategy, creative direction, and monetisation across our entire roster, continuing to enhance our clients' profiles and attract more of the biggest names. Stay tuned…

Good to have the YMU team up at Edinburgh TV Festival - some great insights below from one of our Talent Directors Nader Dehdashti

Taylor Swift was the talk of the summer, so I had to take her biggest fan, Margot! Taylor performed a record 8 times at Wembley Stadium for her Eras Tour, overtaking Michael Jackson and his Bad Tour in 1988. Taylor’s UK tour in numbers – Ready for it? - Contributed over £1 billion to the UK economy - Played to over 1.2 million people across the 8 dates - Her final Wembley show was the 131st date of a two-year tour! - Equalled YMU client Take That’s most nights at the venue on a single tour – Progress Tour in 2011. Live entertainment continues to grow, and the impact is bigger year after year. Taylor's brand across socials has grown exponentially too, with moments that are social first, such as the '22 Hat' in which Taylor would give the hat she wore in her video to a fan at each event. This was everywhere on TikTok! It's an incredibly exciting time to be in the industry, there are many ups and downs however, the numbers speak for themselves!

Hugely proud of YMU clients (and our teams who support them) on the extraordinary number of nominations they’ve received at the National Television Awards across a variety of genres. We are so fortunate to work with the very best in the business! Ant n Dec have multiple nominations including TV Presenter, Talent Show, Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award and Quiz Graham Norton - Bruce Forsyth Entertainment Award for Graham Norton Show Simon Cowell - Talent Show, Britain’s Got Talent Davina McCall - Talent Show, Masked Singer Stacey Soloman - TV Presenter and Factual Entertainment for BBC’s Sort Your Life Out Emma Willis - Talent Show, The Voice Tess Daley - Talent Show, Strictly Come Dancing Stephen Mulhern - Daytime, Deal or No Deal Ben Shephard - Daytime, This Morning Ruth Langsford - Daytime, Loose Women

Women over 50 have untapped potential to shape our future. The Forbes 50 Over 50 franchise highlights women doing their most innovative, impactful work in the second half of their lives. When we hear of the Forbes list, we typically think of the 30 Under 30. But what about the decades of wisdom from women in the second half of their lives? I’ve long admired female leaders, especially those over the age of 50. They have been pioneers and overcome so many challenges to pave the way for the next generation. This year, Forbes noted that female CEOs in S&P 500 companies out-earn their male counterparts. However, this shouldn’t be a cause for celebration just yet as we know that the numbers are still low for female leadership positions, with men dominating the highest ranks of CEO pay—the top twenty highest-paid CEOs are all men! There is still so much to do but this list of women are a reminder that we are on our way. Read the full list in the comments. Was there anyone on the list that surprised you?