Cally Beaton

Cally Beaton is a natural storyteller full of intelligent, distinctive and punchline-rich material and her star is fast on the rise. She has held senior management positions at some of the biggest media companies in the world including MTV, UKTV and Viacom.

Early in her career she headed an independent television production company that was bought by ITV’s Carlton Television (where a certain David Cameron was on the board). She left to set up a successful creative consultancy company, and went on to do a 10 year stint as Senior Vice President at the US studio giant Viacom.

There, Cally oversaw a multi-million dollar budget for channels including Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central and Paramount; if you want someone to blame for bringing South Park and SpongeBob SquarePants to the world, you need look no further.

She has a Masters in Neuro Linguistic Programming and has worked for many years, alongside her not inconsiderable day jobs, as a sought-after Executive Coach to the great and the good in industry, public life and politics.

It was while working for Comedy Central, on the road with the late, great Joan Rivers, that Cally Beaton was nudged into the sphere of performance. Acting as an unofficial business event warm-up for Ms. Rivers, it was she who told Cally she had what it took to be a stand-up and so, as a 45 year old single parent, Cally first took to the stage.

She quickly cemented her position as one of the most exciting and distinctive new stand-ups in the country, with her unflinching, acerbic and intelligent brand of comedy. She has appeared on BBC2’s QI multiple times and as a guest on Radio 4’s Museum Of Curiosity, as well as BBC Radio 6 Music and as a regular contributor on BBC London.

Her first foray to The Edinburgh Fringe in 2016 was a big success. Her show Cat Call, a double header with Catherine Bohart, received a Malcolm Hardee Award. She then followed up with her debut solo hour in 2017, Super Cally Fragile Lipstick. The show was a sell-out hit, receiving multiple 4**** reviews, national press coverage and picked as Best of Edinburgh Fringe by The Arts Desk.

After multiple Finalist credits in competitions in the UK & the US, Cally went on to win the prestigious 2018 Piccadilly Comedy Club New Act of the Year competition, after being tipped as one of the comedians to watch for 2017 by Chortle.

As well as being one of the country’s top stand-up comedians, Cally Beaton has worked in the television industry for over three decades (under her birth name Caroline Beaton).

She has operated at board level in companies including ITV, MTV and ViacomCBS, and has also run her own award-winning creative agency. She still serves as a non-executive director and is a BAFTA voting member and popular media pundit. In short, she’s been around the block a few times and knows how to work a room!

Drawing on this vast experience, eclectic life and unique wit, Cally is able to strike the perfect balance of smart, insightful, and entertaining. She is a gifted event host and gives sharp, inspirational and thought-provoking keynote and after dinner speeches.

Cally’s speech topics include:

Let me entertain you: Lessons from the television industry

The need for reinvention and adaptation has never been more relevant. The process doesn’t have to be limiting; it can instead be daring to do things differently and in a way that defies expectation and creates meaningful, positive and permanent change. Here, Cally shares what she has learnt from her many years at the top of the entertainment industry and looks at how we can best equip ourselves as creative disruptors to thrive.

Getting out of the weeds - Daring to lead

What is leadership? We can look around and see what it isn’t but how can we cultivate braver, more daring, more authentic leaders? From her many years at the top of the media industry, and as an executive coach to some of the most high-profile people in the world, Cally knows that leadership is not about titles, status and power over people; rather it is about vision, values and influence. Here Cally looks at what it takes to choose courage over comfort, make a difference and lead - whatever your business or background.

Invisible women

Gender balance is not solely a women's issue, but an economic issue. Cally looks at how we can work collectively to eliminate bias and remove obstacles in women’s career paths. It is Cally’s belief, based on her many years’ experience first in an all boys’ school and later in male-dominated boardrooms, that we can all choose to challenge - calling out inequality and celebrating women's achievements; and how the rise of women is not about the fall of men.

Namaste Motherf**kers - Wellbeing at work

Drawing on her time at the top of the media industry, together with life lessons from the celebrity guests on her hit podcast, Namaste Motherf**kers (the only podcast where the worlds of work, comedy and wellbeing collide), Cally shares stories, inspiration and life hacks. Her humorous and insightful take on her own experiences of tackling the everyday issues that affect us all, as well as the many she has interviewed, offer up ideas that may just change your life.

Little black books & why we still need them: Networking, allyship & connection

Cally explores how we can capture the energy, affirmation and momentum of serendipitous networking and long lost water cooler moments, and why this is not just a luxury item. She explores our capacity to build and extend our connections, within working life and without - enhancing motivation, opportunity and professional results.

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