LIVING IN HOPE
Speaking up Vick Hope is making waves in the media world. From a new podcast celebrating black voices and the power of music, to her judging role in the Women’s Prize For Fiction 2021, she’s a natural when it comes to speaking up for a generation. A 31-yearold Nigerian-Geordie with a Cambridge degree and the ability to light up any room she walks into, Luxe editor Elysia Fryer is delighted to check in for a virtual cuppa...
Vick Hope is ‘the girl next door’ with the power to speak up for a generation. She’s bright, bubbly and a bundle of fun, but she is also passionate about human rights and how we can all do our bit to make the world a better place. She is a familiar face in the entertainment world, clocking up appearances live from the BAFTAs, Strictly Come Dancing, I’m A Celebrity… The Daily Drop and many, many more. Amongst various other projects, her day job is presenting, but she’s not one to hide behind the microphone. She is everywhere - and we’re loving seeing her flourish. Her portfolio doesn’t stop in entertainment. She is a tireless human rights activist and campaigner, an ambassador for Amnesty International and she also volunteers at a refugee charity local to her in Hackney, London. She’s a trailblazer when it comes to all things innovative, relevant and meaningful. She’s a natural when it comes to educating and inspiring. Described by Sunday Times Style as the ‘voice of a generation’, she’s certainly one to look up to. Drive and determination are some of the words that instantly spring to mind when chatting to Vick. Having worked in the industry since she was 19-years-old, she knows a thing or two about finding a voice and using it as a tool to make a change. A passionate, multi-skilled and multilingual individual, the power is in her hands. She’s a generational leader in the media world, and as we see her popping up on a number of different platforms up and down the country, we were delighted to get some time to check in with the talent who quite proudly hails from Newcastle. As her career reaches new heights with recent projects including a judging role in the Women’s Prize For Fiction 2021, an inspiring new podcast and the release of her second children’s books with Roman Kemp, we go back to where it all began... “I grew up in Newcastle and went to Dame Allan’s School,” says Vick.
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“When I was starting to think about further education, I had my sights set on a languages degree at Cambridge. My school didn’t actually do Spanish, so I had to do extra night classes at Gosforth High. “I was adamant I wanted to study languages. I’d read The Kindness of Strangers by Kate Adie, a foreign correspondent from the BBC, and I had imagined that I would do that job - in a hard hat and a bullet proof vest, reporting from a warzone. So I decided that I needed to do languages so it would open up the world to me. “I went on to study languages at Cambridge and did my year abroad in Argentina. I got an internship at a newspaper called The Argentina Independent, covering everything from Latin American current affairs and politics, to news, arts and culture. I did lots of other odd jobs - I worked for a human rights film festival as an events organiser, I did some translating, I worked in cocktail bars, I worked for a taco company - handing out nachos followed by a mariachi band I even worked as an online dating assistant. All sorts of jobs.” Vick’s next venture came after meeting the team from MTV US while working out in Argentina. “They were filming a pilot and needed a presenter, so I screen tested, and that was my first little taste of presenting,” explains Vick. “It never went any further than that, but I really enjoyed it. I love communicating and telling stories, so it just clicked. “When I came back to finish my degree, they put me in contact with MTV UK and I did some work experience with them. It was literally helping out around the office during the holidays. As soon as I graduated they offered me a paid internship and taught me everything from shooting and editing, to script writing and interviewing. It was such a brilliant training ground. “I then moved over to ITN to work on the breakfast news. I was doing the full reporting 360, right from scripting and picking the footage, to editing and then presenting. I did that every night from
midnight to 8am - it was nuts, but it was great. From there, other television work followed, with the likes of 4Music, ITV2 and Channel 5. I was just doing lots of freelance work, building up my contacts. “Every job is as important as the next one, so there was no real destination in mind. The only thing in my whole career that I had on my dream ‘to do’ list was Life Hacks on Radio 1. “When I was growing up, I religiously listened to the Sunday Surgery show on Radio 1. They talked about mental health, they talked about sex and they talked about relationships. I felt like they were my friends, there was a real sense of community. They talked about things that I felt, but I didn’t know that other people felt it as well. It was a really special place for me, and I knew that they helped me, so if I could help others in that same way, then that would be a really brilliant job. “I’ve always loved radio and broadcasting as a whole, but this year I’ve realised just how important it is as an outlet. It’s a companion, a community, a comfort at a time when people need it most. I like to imagine that I’m talking to one person they could be in their car, sitting in the living room, cooking dinner - whatever it is that they’re going through, hopefully we can be there for them. Life Hacks is a show that has the power to do just that. I know that there’s other young people listening in the same way that I was in my bedroom all those years ago.” Between her regular work for the BBC and many other presenting gigs, Vick uses her time to enlighten and educate, whether that’s through charity work, working with children, writing or using her voice as a platform. One of her most recent projects, and something she is particularly proud of, is her new BBC Sounds podcast, Songs To Live By. “The podcast is a celebration of black voices, of black culture, of black history, but through the music that we love,” Vick explains. “So, it is reggae, hip hop, R&B, soul, gospel, afrobeat - the tracks that really
mean something to people. My guests include sports people, artists, actors, activists, poets - the list is endless. We’ve had the likes of Benjamin Zephaniah and Doc Brown and Mica Paris. “We have two guests of two different generations on each episode. The idea is that we talk about our history and where we’ve come from, but also learn from that and discover where we’re going. They pick two coming-of-age tracks - it could be the track that you remember dancing to with your parents on a Saturday night, it could be the track that you snuck out to go to hip hop clubs and listen to, it could be a song that sparked your activism. “It’s basically a listening party. We find out the stories behind them, why that track means so much to them, what was going on in their lives at the time and how it made them feel. It’s like Desert Island Discs, but celebrating black voices. We talk about some pretty heavy issues like civil rights and Windrush and racism, but equally, it’s about joy and how magical music can be.” Vick and I are catching up on 21 April 2021, the day following the George Floyd verdict - an incredibly significant moment in history. “Songs To Live By feels more important than ever right now,” she says. “The Tuesday after the death of George Floyd, I remember Clara Amfo speaking up on Radio 1 and it was probably one of the most powerful pieces of radio I’ve ever heard. She was so distraught and distressed, but also showed extreme passion. She said: ‘Look, you cannot enjoy the rhythm and ignore the blues.’ And that’s what this podcast is all about. It’s about acknowledging how far we’ve come, but also understanding that we’re not there yet. There are obstacles that we’ve had to overcome, but let’s look to the future with optimism. Music has the power to tell that story, and that’s what we aim to do, in an uplifting, joyful way.” Vick’s work as a human rights activist takes her way back to her school days. It’s something that is instilled in the way she lives and works. She is here to make a change, and that’s exactly what she has >>
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