Yorkshire comedian, writer and broadcaster Lucy Beaumont will tackle ‘What Sets The North Apart’ in a MAD//UpNorth keynote on February 26 at Manchester’s Factory International venue.
Lucy’s MAD//UpNorth talk will attempt to capture today’s Northern culture and put the spotlight on how this strong sense of identity can drive creativity and innovation.
Beaumont has built a hugely successful TV, radio, writing and stand-up career with credits for hit shows including Meet the Richardsons, Taskmaster and Would I Lie To You? Much of Beaumont’s work, including her sold out UK tour ‘The Trouble and Strife’, features anecdotes about her home city of Hull and the north-south divide.
New for 2025 and featuring a ‘What Sets Us Apart’ theme, MAD//UpNorth is a major new event for 4,000 top brands, agencies and media owners from the organisers of the UK’s largest marketing/advertising festival, MAD//Fest London.
MAD//UpNorth has been launched to connect the industry outside of London and fill the gap for a flagship festival that puts the industry spotlight on the work of the north’s most innovative brands and agencies.
Speakers include John Roberts, CEO and founder of AO World, Sacha Lord, co-founder of Warehouse Project, CMO of Hovis, Mark Brown and musician, Peter Hook.
Lucy said: “Making light of the way we do things up north and pointing out what’s funny, unusual and different has served me pretty well professionally, possibly sparing me the future threatened by my career teacher at school But I think there’s also a serious point to be made.
“Northerners are a creative bunch with a strong sense of identity, regularly punching above their weight in many areas, including music, culture, and potentially even marketing. I can’t wait to share my thoughts on What Sets Us Apart and how we can leverage our northerness at MAD//UpNorth.”
Dan Brain, co-founder of MAD//Fest: “Naturally we’re excited to bring Lucy’s unique brand of observational humour to MAD//UpNorth.
“Marketers have long attempted to capture the cultural zeitgeist in their work, which is something Lucy has done incredibly well throughout her stellar screen and stage career. Not only can MAD//UpNorth attendees get under the skin of what makes the north’s most iconic brands tick; they can also gain fresh thinking from people like Lucy on what really sets the north apart and its creative credentials.”
