BBC Sesh - brand new social media service from BBC Wales
Chris Walsh-Heron
Producer, BBC Sesh
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Chris Walsh-Heron is producing a new Social Media service for BBC Wales, called BBC Sesh. Here he explains how the idea developed and who he hopes will get most out of the platform:
TV didn’t kill the radio star and the vlogging generation hasn’t killed off TV either, but the rise and rise of social media platforms has completely shaken up the media landscape.
No longer do you have to be a broadcasting giant to win huge audiences. With great ideas and a compelling personality, you can do it by yourself.
BBC Wales is collaborating with this exciting band of content creators for a brand new social media service called BBC Sesh which is firmly aimed at the country’s 18-34 year olds.
Inspired in part by the huge success of BBC Scotland’s The Social, the idea is that through collaboration, we’ll help develop emerging talent in Wales - like Llanelli YouTuber Bethany Davies & Wrexham performance poet, Evrah - offering them help, guidance and exposure to different, broader audiences.
And it’s not just content creators we’re working with, but the nation’s brightest, boldest stand-ups too, as BBC Wales looks to foster and grow new comedy talent. Look out for Josh Elton's cheeky songs and Ignacio Lopez's half-Welsh, half-Spanish take on us as a nation.
We want to give a platform to the issues that matter to young people – and all our content is aimed at provoking an emotional response, be that to laugh, think, or be inspired.
No topic will be off limit as we do this, and the language - put simply - will be frank, passionate and outspoken. BBC Sesh is a service that will take risks and push boundaries.
But it’s not about being controversial for the sake of it. It’s about reflecting the issues, concerns and humour of a generation, in a way that’s authentic to them. A generation that’s arguably more diverse, inquisitive and candid than any that’s gone before it.
We chose a name for the platform that feels Welsh, but also reflects the wide range of passions and interests of the young people we spoke to, and Sesh fitted that description - whether it’s a gaming sesh, a surfing sesh, or any other activity that brings people together.
BBC Sesh aims to ensure that young adults in Wales are better served and their lives better reflected – by giving them a powerful and authentic voice.
