Some years ago, a special episode of The Apprentice went out in the UK. It was a special edition filled with so-called celebrities. They were tasked with putting together an event aimed at raising as much money as possible for charity. And they were explicitly expected to lean in on their celebrity contacts to help make the event happen.
Rebekah Teasdale, the founder of the beleaguered #ForTheMusic movement against the sexual harassment and assault of women, doesn’t appear to have seen this episode. And if she did, she clearly learnt nothing from it – which is how I find myself feeling after Rebekah’s “huge announcement” today, to use her own words.
So what was the big announcement? Er, this…
A short video? So far as ideas go, this isn’t a bad one – but nor is it one of those which captures the imagination. And as for the €10,000 apparently needed to produce it, I just have one question. Why are the public being asked to pay for this?
Rebekah is a very well connected DJ. She knows a lot of people, from fellow DJs to promoters to managers to journalists – and the accounts I’ve been given suggest to me she’s a person who’s quite grounded and sensible – a nice contrast from some of the creeps and cranks I hear about. So I cannot for the life of me understand why Rebekah hasn’t decided to lean in on those connections and to start telling people to put their money where their mouth is.
And that surely must start with herself. My understanding is that her fee is typically in the high four-figure range, sometimes going up to five figures. She could quite easily afford to donate €2000 to give the campaign a big start – but her name doesn’t appear anywhere near this list, which only has €745 in it at the time of writing.
On Wednesday, I said it was time for Rebekah to show the colour of her money. This isn’t a good start. And the fact the interview meant to take place today has been pushed back a week has not gone unnoticed, either…
