From Protesting in Washington, DC to Training a Global Creator Community: Be the Change Media Network Unveils New Look

The Oxford-based organisation, which trains and supports emerging creators to create podcasts and blogs rooted in social impact, launched their rebrand with Northamptonshire-based agency OneKind Creative on 16th September.

Be the Change Media Network, a youth-led global community committed to ethical digital storytelling, unveiled a new brand identity in September, marking a milestone for this organisation that began with one woman recording a protest on her phone six years ago.

From a Phone Recording to a Global Network

Be the Change Media Network was founded by Lily Mott, who began recording her experience at a Black Lives Matter protest in Washington, DC, on 1 June 2020, while working as a US Congress intern. After spending seven hours at a protest in Lafayette Square Park, during which she was tear-gassed and protestors were fired on by rubber bullets, Mott recorded an audio note documenting what she had witnessed. She published it the next day as the first episode of what later became her weekly podcast, Be the Change Podcast.

The podcast grew to feature young activists, advocates and changemakers from around the world, covering issues from local political controversies to global crises, including climate change and mental health. More than 300 episodes have been published to date.

In 2024, while pursuing a Master's degree at Cardiff University as a Fulbright Scholar, Mott began training other young people to produce their own podcasts, which is the process that grew into Be the Change Media Network. What started as a solo project is now a community of more than 40 creators producing 27 podcasts and 7 blogs, alongside commissioned work for organisations including the #iwill Movement, The National Lottery Community Fund, The Ferdinando & Luigi Innocenti Foundation, HUDL Youth Development Agency, and Youth Leads.

A Mission Rooted in Access and Authenticity

Be the Change Media Network empowers emerging creators, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, to use storytelling and digital media as tools for social impact. Through an accessible online training course, in-person workshops, and peer-to-peer mentorship, the Network equips emerging creators, most aged 18 to 30, with the skills, confidence, and support to produce content on issues that matter to them and their communities.

A New Look for the Next Chapter

The new brand identity was created in collaboration with OneKind Creative, a Northamptonshire-based studio specialising in branding for purpose-led organisations and charities.

"Six years ago, I never imagined my podcast would turn into a global community of creators, committed to making change through storytelling. This rebrand honours that journey, but more importantly, it honours the creators, our guests, and our supporters, who have poured their voices, their stories, their time, their energy, and their courage into Be the Change Media Network. Our new look reflects this journey that we’ve all been on together, and I’m already looking forward to all that the future holds."

— Lily Mott, Founder and CEO, Be the Change Media Network

“It has been such a joy to work on this rebrand, and it’s exactly the reason why I started OneKind Creative.

Be the Change Media Network has grown so much over the last six years, so it was only right that it had a visual identity that supports its growth for years to come. After my first meeting with Lily, something really stuck with me: her very first podcast recording at the BLM protest in Lafayette Square. I was so moved that in that moment, Lily decided to turn that experience into a way to amplify unheard voices, and it felt only right that this moment formed the basis of the rebrand.

Be the Change Media Network  is about amplifying voices, sharing opinions and supporting changemakers. All of that is woven together in this identity, with the map of Lafayette Square inspiring the logo mark and rectangles taken from protest signs throughout.

Being able to bring the BTCMN story to life through design was such an honour, and I can’t wait to see the organisation flourish.”

— Olivia Krawczyk, Founder, OneKind Creative