Camila Batmanghelidjh. Not someone I wanted to interview, if I’m honest.
I resisted it for quite a long time.
The editor of the paper where I worked (The Financial Times) had sent word he wanted me to see her, and write about the remarkable work she was doing with disadvantaged young people.
I should add that this was a long time ago, and she wasn’t particularly well known.
I procrastinated for weeks – possibly months – until eventually I heard from the editor I reported to directly that he’d been asked by the big chief: “How’s Flintoff getting on with that interview about Kids Company?”
So I made a phone call, went to see Camila – and it’s fair to say it changed my outlook on life.
That’s why I not only read Camila’s obituary in The Times last week but also drew this picture of it / her.
That interview, and the others that followed, over a period of several months, also helped Camila. My story was published on the cover of the FT magazine, and indirectly led to a HUGE wodge of funding for her charity.
For some time afterwards, I would receive envelopes containing unsolicited financial contributions. One, from India, contained a small number of rupees (“to help the poor children of London”).
All of which is a very long way to say: interviews make things happen.
==
***
Want Me To Interview You?
Stop recording awkward videos into the void. Talk to a real person (me).
I’ll send you tips in advance, nudge you to speak as well as you can, and send you the unedited video afterwards.
Three options, based on the time you want:
***