The co-founder of the ‘Reclaim These Streets campaign, Jamie Klingler, has revealed that her decision to invest in herself, after years of heavy drinking and partying, is the most valuable step she’s taken, despite it making her poorer.
Klingler is a guest on ‘Status Update’ the new podcast from influencer marketing agency Disrupt and features some of the world’s best-known creatives.
The activist, writer, and Tedx speaker says the Covid pandemic “gave me the opportunity to change everything” and she credits that action with enabling her creativity.
The podcast, hosted by former Made in Chelsea star Stevie Johnson and co-host ‘voice of Gen Z’ Jake Crabb, was launched on October 27th and is available on Apple and Spotify. It has been designed for listeners with an interest in the future of social and digital content.
On the third episode of the podcast, Klingler describes how in London, in March 2021, the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving policeman Wayne Cousins prompted her to use social media to organise a vigil, along with two local councillors.
When the police banned the vigil and threatened individuals with heavy personal fines, Klingler used Twitter, now renamed X, to raise £600,000 to take the Met to the High Court for infringing their human right to freedom of speech and assembly, and won.
She told the podcast: “For me, coming off a long history of (my) drinking way too much and partying way too much and getting home unscathed, Sarah had done everything right… Had the police let us hold the vigil legally we’d have gone back to our lives on the Sunday.”
Describing herself as an ‘accidental activist’, Klingler’s background in creating social content and events management meant she was able to utilise those skills to co-found the ‘Reclaim These Streets’ campaign. She says she feels “a huge responsibility to speak for women who can’t fight back.”
The campaigner tells the podcast that what she has learned from the wider issue of police reform has ‘radicalised’ her and given her focus.
“Waking up with purpose, I don’t have a hangover, and caring about everything…Having a moral code is a lot more complicated and now I don’t wake up with any shame…So having good habits, liking myself more, has made the creative process a lot easier,” she says.
Klingler tells ‘Status Update’ that she’s lived her life very publicly on social media for 17 years. She says in creative terms: “We all need the freedom to make mistakes and to screw up. We all need to fail.”
Her background in creating social content gave her the space to do that: “All kinds of kids flourish by causing a little mayhem.”
She argues that creatives need to “lean into their weird” to develop their ideas and says inspiration and collaboration are an important part of that journey. She advises creatives: “Know your strengths. Find those partnerships that you spark off and use them.”
Stevie Johnson, Status Update co-host and managing director of Disrupt says: “Jamie Klingler is a force for inspiration. We’re delighted that she’s joined us to share her experience.
“Status Update is the podcast that shows how powerful social media and digital creatives can be. Jamie demonstrates that and is passionate in her encouragement of others to develop their own creative digital content.
“In the series, we hear from all sorts of inspirational social creators, activists, authors, poets and comedians. Come and join us on Status Update because, as you’ll hear each week, the future is undeniably creator-led.”