MonRae Mail #2: A chat with Evie Buckley
Here we are, the second edition of MonRae Mail—because, let’s face it, the first one was a smash hit.
Goodbye February…
Ah, the month of my birth, a time when the world collectively shrugs off its well meaning New Year’s resolutions and embraces mild despair. But not here at MonRae Towers (a term coined by a wonderful book editor we recently had lunch with, ™ pending). No, we’ve been far too busy for existential dread, thank you very much.
Just as the sun is finally peeking out from behind its winter duvet, we’ve got our own ray of sunshine to brighten your inbox: the legendary, Evie Buckley.
At Channel 4, she’s the queen of digital first entertainment, wrangling the UK’s top production companies and talent to create youth-skewing shows on Channel 4.0. Formats that actually make teens look up from their phones (briefly to the TV). So what’s her superpower? Spotting and nurturing fresh talent, both on and off-screen. She’s responsible for shows like the award-nominated series Secret Sauce, Harry Pinero’s Worst in Class, Tapped Out and It’s Alright to Be White.
In short, if you’re a rising star in the UK, Evie Buckley is the person you want in your corner. She’s not just commissioning content—she’s building careers. Big clap for Evie. Here she is taking us through a day in the life/career deep dive. Enjoy!
Bronagh x
MY WAKE-UP CALL…It can either be a vigorous 6am walk to Hot Pilates through North London with my best mate who makes me laugh until I cry on the journey. Or treating myself to some TikTok time in bed and replying to group chats followed by dancing around my flat to high energy music– much to my sleepy boyfriend’s annoyance. I’ve tried to stop checking emails as soon as my eyes open, but it can be hard.
MY HQ AND WHAT GOES ON THERE…I’m based in the Channel 4 London office where I’ve worked for nearly 4 years. My official title is Digital Commissioner and Channel 4.0 Lead. We launched Channel 4.0 on YouTube about 2.5 years ago as C4’s youngest-skewing, digital-first brand with the aim of entertaining 13-24 year olds.
I grew up loving and watching Channel 4 and I’m proud to be making content to reach the youngest generation to extend the DNA of Channel 4 to them. I often feel like I work in a start-up within the building as we’re constantly testing, learning and evolving 4.0. If you ever visit the office, we’re the loud team in the corner surrounded by cloned heads of talent, Tapped Out prank props, quite a few awards (!) and a bright green step & repeat board from our latest event.
MY ORIGIN STORY…I’m one of those annoying people who has always known what they wanted to do in life. I also have very hard-working parents that continue to inspire me today. From a really young age I was using a home video cam to make films with my friends after primary school and I never stopped. At secondary school I was trying to get as much experience as possible, working as a runner during my summer holidays and got the taste for being on shoot.
I’m really lucky to have been brought up in London so I could take work experience opportunities whilst living at home which I know is a real privilege. I started properly working in unscripted development for TV but have always chased the most exciting, raw and innovative content opportunities so digital and YouTube has been my main driver for the past 5 years. I know 13-year-old Evie would be so in awe that I get to work with the best content Creators, Rappers and Celebrities in the business.
MY DAILY GRIND…Most of my day is spent taking pitches from production companies, meeting new talent, steering editorial for our shows, catching up with the social team, dealing with Business Affairs, debating with compliance about whether a slang word like “fine shyt” needs a strong-language lozenge, working with the Branded team to respond to briefs, giving feedback on dozens of cuts a week, obsessing over thumbnails and copy and I’m pretty sure I’ve ready EVERY SINGLE COMMENT on our hundreds of thousands of assets.
I’m also increasingly working on new talent strategies across the business and have started running Create Your Legacy events which aim to equip breakthrough Creators with tools for working on platforms other than their own. If I’m not meeting an agent for lunch, I’m guilty of al-desko eating as back-to-back meetings can mean dropping food into my keyboard whilst furiously trying to play email catch up.
MY PINNACLE MOMENT…Channel 4.0 winning Best Entertainment Channel of the Year at the Broadcast Digital Awards was a huge moment for me and the whole team as it felt like we’d been recognised by the grown-ups of the industry as something really special. Our table of talent, crew and team erupted in celebration when it was announced and it disrupted the polite applause in true mischievous 4.0 style.
MY GREATEST JOY…Reading comments on our shows where our audience feel really seen and represented is absolutely why I get out of bed in the morning. It’s so important to me to achieve authenticity and true joy and when I see a teenager or young adult connect with our content, it makes all of the behind-the-scenes drama and agonising over scripts and packaging worthwhile. My Godson is also a huge inspiration as he’s shown me that the world is SO much fun whether you’re 2 or 32.
MY WIND-DOWN…I wish I could say something really interesting, arty and cool here but genuinely having a large glass of wine and being silly with my mates and boyfriend is how I de-stress. Most of my friends I’ve known since school and we’re all in different industries, so the work chat is kept to a minimum unless we’re hyping each other up. I am known for coming up with games when we meet up so I guess I can never quite switch off my format brain…
MY ALTERNATE REALITY…If I wasn’t in the media I would love to run a seafood restaurant, open a nursery, become a psychologist or a song-writer (I’m lacking the vocal-cords to be a singer). When work is particularly full-on, I do have this recurring dream that I’m a water-park slide attendant and all I have to do is tell people not to go head-first down the slide – if a dream expert can analyse that, let me know if I should be worried.
Things us and our talent have our eye on…
Lenovo Legion (Tom ambassadorship)
TommyInnit, the Minecraft MC, teamed up with Lenovo Legion for their Quest for the Impossible campaign. They whisked him away to an ancient castle on the outskirts of Bristol (why not!) and teamed him up with fellow gaming legend Eystreem for a medieval showdown. If you’d like to see Tom in his royal garms, watch here.Shrigley Postcards (Office Decor)
Elspeth (our resident artistic/managing director) recently donned the MonRae office with David Shrigley postcards because nothing says “we’re creative” like ironic, deadpan art staring at you. Grab your own dose of sardonic whimsy here.Classic FM Hoodie (Dan’s Show)
DanTDM’s Classic FM show ‘Next Level’ is the auditory equivalent of a warm hug, and now you can own that cozy feeling with the official Classic FM hoodie.Miffy 70th Anniversary (Yammy’s Video)
Yammy helped celebrate Miffy’s 70th birthday by presenting a video for the new exhibition at Leeds Museum. Commemorate the occasion with a Miffy coaster and pretend you are cultured.Predator Boots (5Guys Activation)
5Guys were invited to one of Adidas’ London activations and each walked away with a pair of Predator Boots (!).MonRae Editions (Bloomsbury HQ)
MonRae went to Bloomsbury HQ recently to discuss a MonRae Editions idea (more on that soon!). While there, we fell in love with Want, an anthology edited by Gillian Anderson. Yes, the Gillian Anderson. It’s brilliant, thought-provoking, and leaves you wanting more...Doechii (Grammy Winner)
Doechii, the creative powerhouse who just won Best Rap Album at the Grammys, is EVERYWHERE —including Twiggy’s podcast. Her album Alligator Bites Never Heal is a masterpiece of raw talent and unapologetic artistry. Listen here and prepare to be obsessed, if you aren’t already.
Thanks for reading our Substack and please subscribe if you haven’t already!
All the love,
Elspeth & Bronagh x
Co-founders of MonRae