I left Carlisle in my early twenties because talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t.

That belief has taken me across six continents, leading teams through crisis and transformation at some of the world’s largest organisations. From Switzerland to Korea, one lesson kept repeating: whether in global firms or small towns, people often miss the talent and opportunities right in front of them.

It’s why I founded the Purpose Made Podcast.

A podcast and platform exploring how challenge, change, and growth shape who we are. I sit down with athletes, entrepreneurs, creatives, and leaders to uncover stories that inspire resilience and offer lessons worth sharing.

Because people don’t follow strategies, they follow stories.

Stories that connect, challenge, and create purpose.

Beyond the podcast, I work with governments, charities, Fortune 500s and entertainment bodies to help leaders navigate change via my consultancy Purpose Made. My roots in gaming and transmedia storytelling (from my EA days) continue to fuel this belief: narrative drives behaviour as much as strategy does.

Outside of work, three brilliant kids keep me honest about what really matters and why we do the things we do. 

Kids have a way of doing that, right?

Connect to explore more, I’d love to hear your story too.

#Leadership #Storytelling #Innovation #PurposeMade #Podcast

Peter George Bell

Marko Djurdjevic made 82 Marvel covers in a single year, held a seven-year exclusivity deal with Riot, and survived two heart surgeries mid-production. Now he's betting everything on the one story he's been carrying since he was 22.

#Before5onFriday ﻿#IndependentIP #Transmedia #GameDev #Orken

Purpose Made Founder & Think Tank Co-Founder Leadership & Crisis Management Expert | Gaming & Transmedia

After 30 years making billion-dollar franchises for other companies, Marko Djurdjevic is risking everything on one story of his own. Marko Djurdjevic 

Open article: You Make Them Billions….And You Get A Wet T-Shirt. by Peter George Bell • 6 min read

You Make Them Billions….And You Get A Wet T-Shirt.

At 47, after three decades servicing the biggest franchises on the planet, Marko Djurdjevic decided to finally build the one that was his.

82 Marvel covers in a single year. A seven-year exclusivity deal with Riot on
League of Legends. Concept art feeding the early MCU. His studio Sixmorevodka is one of the most respected in the industry.

But he's been carrying a story since he was 22. Tried to build it four times and
talked himself out of it every time. It sat in his desk for years until Russell Binder
saw it and told him it was the best thing he'd ever made.

Even then he hesitated.

Then one thought landed: "My time is running out."

1,400 pages written. 350+ original illustrations. A video game prototype by Demagog Studio. Six books going to print. 75 major pitches behind him. Two heart surgeries in the middle of production.

The Orken Kickstarter launches today with a free demo on Steam.

We discuss how he went from a kid with no books to one of Marvel's most prolific artists. Working with Marvel and Riot on some of the world's most established franchises. What he learned from giving away his previous IP for free. How his wife thinks he's lost his mind and his son suddenly became his biggest fan. And why at 47 he decided the window doesn't stay open forever.

Clients only ever get "one out of you," he said. "And never the full
package. The full package can only exist if you're doing it yourself."

So, he's doing it himself.

Listen or watch on the Purpose Made Podcast. Comment MARKO and I’ll DM you the links.

﻿#IndependentIP #Transmedia #GameDev #Orken

Drawing for the World's Biggest Franchises | The Full Story.

Marko Djurdjevic is one of the most respected illustrators in the industry.

But where did it all start?

From drawing with just paper and pencil as a kid… to producing 10 covers a month for Marvel Comics.

What looks like an “overnight” viral moment was actually years of obsessive

In this episode, we go deep into: 

• The years before the viral breakthrough
• The reality of drawing covers for Marvel
• Working on the world’s biggest franchises
• Why he never stops reinventing himself
• And the launch of his latest project, Orken on Kickstarter

The full episode is now live on my YouTube channel. 

Comment "MARKO" and I'll send you the direct link.

23 years in the making.

The best projects aren’t rushed.
They grow through doubt, experience, and time.

And sometimes… all it takes is one conversation to reignite the flame that started it all.

I love discovering the behind-the-scenes stories in this podcast.

Comment MARKO and I’ll send you the full conversation.

Kim McGuinness

This week is MASSIVE for the North East!

A £350m investment package to deliver on culture, bus stations, the Quayside, Sunderland Riverside, Durham jobs, the lot. The most we have ever committed. That’s money taken from Westminster and invested in the North East. 

Decisions about the North East, made by the North East, in the North East. This is what devolution looks like. Watch this space this week for more information about where that money will go.

No alternative text description for this image

Today we’re revealing plans for a £104 million investment in culture in the North East - the biggest investment the region has seen in decades. It includes:

🎬 Funding for one of the biggest studios in the North in Sunderland.
🏟️ A new arena in on Gateshead Quays.
🪩 Millions to support small venues
📝 Investment in creative skills
🎤 Amazing new events

This will supercharge the creative sector and create the opportunities that people deserve, regardless of their background.

Happy international women’s day.

I feel lucky and grateful to be surrounded by brilliant, inspiring women doing great things everywhere each day. In homes and in communities, in boardrooms, in the media in politics. They embody the values the North East is known for. Graft and resilience and pride. We should celebrate that, not just today, but every day.

But while we celebrate success and the progress we’ve made, we need to be honest too, because now more than ever there is much to do to improve the lives of women. Now more than ever it feels more like an uphill battle- as misogyny seems to have become more acceptable, not less and the rights we worked so hard for feel threatened by political forces.

And so, I see today as a day to recommit. I’m recommitting to continuing to do whatever it is in my power to change things in the North East. To make it safer for women, to support businesses to create jobs that help women get on, to help those women with the transport and the skills and childcare they need do it. 

But also to campaign and speak out. Campaign for wider change and to make sure we don’t lose the rights we have worked so hard for. Campaign against the anti equality rhetoric that seems too often too pervasive right now. To campaign to end the poverty disproportionately experienced by women.

Because what we’ll sadly see today is a lot of virtue signaling about international women’s day. And what we really need is year round action- from women and from men. 

Thank you to those inspiring women I have the total privilege of spending time with day in day out. You’re all amazing. Let’s keep on keeping on. Little girls growing up in the North East deserve every bit of our collective efforts.

46 new EV buses to hit the roads of the North East.🚌🔋
 
14 brand‑new electric buses on Arriva UK Bus services 43, 44 and 45 in the coming weeks, plus another 14 to serve the 48, 64, X46 in County Durham to follow.
 
And....£3.6m secured to bring 18 EV buses to Go North East routes in Wallsend, North Shields & Whitley Bay for the first time.
 
I want every bus in the region to be zero emission within 10 years, and today marks another step towards that mission. ✅

. Our green careers roadshows give our young people a chance to see the huge variety of jobs that are waiting for them in green energy and more importantly, how to get them.

I love that young people truly see the scale of the opportunities right here in the North East. 🍃

Don’t take my word for it, hear it from them.

Thanks to all the businesses taking part in this showcase. It’s an exciting time for our region. Let’s grab it with both hands.

We’ve got the ambition 
We’ve got the talent
We’ve got the skills
Now we have the investment.

Thanks Sara Davies MBE for all your support. ❤️

I want transport to be better for local people and we're investing to make this a reality. 

We're improving transport right across the North East and later this month we'll be signing off:

🚊 £7.9m to refurbish Regent Centre Station - making it safer for women and girls with better waiting facilities

🛣️ £22.65m extra funding for our region's roads

🚌 the next step in taking our buses back into public control!

It’s a big week today as we invest record amounts into the region to create opportunity.

In Durham we’re announcing £27 million to get moving on a new technology and innovation district.

With the support of Durham University, Durham County Council and developer Muse we can finally sweep away the old County Hall and create a vibrant new space in the city, with 400,000 square feet of new high quality work spaces.

This will give local businesses the high tech space the need to thrive. Regeneration like this is transformational and this is only the start.

I’ve spoken to actors, directors, writers, musicians and producers, and they all agree, the best things about the North East are the proud people, strong working class identity, the creativity and the talented workforce.

But as things are, we are short on opportunities train and work in the region. This means we either lose amazing talented people to London or elsewhere or people choose a different path to what they love. We’re changing that. You should be able to succeed right here. That’s good for creatives and it’s great for our region.

This £4m investment is about backing our talent. It means offering hundreds of local people training, work experience, networking opportunities and mentoring over the programme’s three years.

So we can make sure that at the centre of our music, screen and writing industries is a workforce that reflects what makes this region so powerful – hard working, ambitious people who lift up those around them.

I’m proud we to be working with Generator, New Writing North, The NewBridge Project and ITV Signpost on this game changing project.

Across the North East, thousands of rural households rely on heating oil or LPG, yet these fuels have no price protection, leaving families exposed to sudden spikes in cost.

With prices rising sharply in recent days, I’m calling on Government to take urgent action to protect off‑grid households. Around 30% of Northumberland homes and 20% of County Durham homes are not connected to mains gas, meaning many residents are now facing unaffordable bills. 

No one should be left choosing between heating and other essentials. We need proper protections in place - and we need them now. I have written to Ministers urging:

• Stronger regulation of heating oil and LPG
• Consideration of an energy price cap to match protections for mains gas and electricity
• Fair, transparent pricing from suppliers
• Devolution of retrofit funding so our region can upgrade cold, damp homes faster.

Free support is available for all residents through the @North East Warm Homes advice service, offering impartial advice on energy costs and home efficiency. Call 08081759345 or visit https://lnkd.in/eqEEYZc5

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