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Stephen O'Regan

@stephenoregan

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1997

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Founder of People of Lisbon (200+ episodes) & BalconyTV (100 cities). Telling human stories and building communities.

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BalconyTV20: Lonely Planet x BalconyTV Barcelona //

One of the things that made BalconyTV special was seeing local teams take the concept and run with it.

BalconyTV Barcelona were brilliant at that.

Whether it was securing relevant partnerships, finding fantastic artists, or filming from stunning locations, Marta, Jaume and the team were always pushing the format forward.

This publicity shot comes from BalconyTV Barcelona's partnership with Lonely Planet, which was a very cool collaboration at the time.

They even produced special BalconyTV episodes from inside the legendary Camp Nou.

This photo captures two of the people who helped make it happen: Marta and Ruben, proudly flying the BalconyTV flag against one of the most iconic backdrops in Europe.

#BalconyTV20 by @stephenoregan

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4 months ago

BalconyTV20: Dengue Fever //

A BalconyTV classic from 2008.

Dengue Fever were one of those bands that stopped you in your tracks because they sounded like nobody else. Cambodian rock, psychedelia, surf, pop - somehow it all came together into something completely unique.

And completely charming.

As good as they were on BalconyTV, everyone who knew the band would tell you the same thing: you really had to see them live.

Published: 16 November 2008.

#BalconyTV20 by @stephenoregan

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BalconyTV20: Presenters //

BalconyTV was never just about the musicians. It was also about the incredible producers and presenters who brought the show to life in cities all around the world.

Pictured here are two of BalconyTV London's coolest presenters and producers, @tinaedwardsdj and @louisehoughton_, modelling BalconyTV t-shirts back in the day.

One of the great joys of BalconyTV was watching talented people pass through the project and go on to do amazing things.

Tina has become one of the UK's most respected jazz DJs, while Louise has built an impressive career interviewing some of the biggest names in entertainment and beyond.

For a while, they were part of the wonderfully eccentric global family that was BalconyTV.

Shirts designed by @gary.molybaron of @ampvisual

#BalconyTV20 by @stephenoregan

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BalconyTV20: The Script // Aired: 12/9/2007

One of the most important performances in BalconyTV history featured The Script on BalconyTV Dublin.

At the time, they were just another young band trying to get their music heard. Like countless artists before and after them, they climbed the stairs to our messy apartment on Dame Street and stepped out onto the balcony.

What I remember most is how down-to-earth they were. But the moment they started performing, it was obvious there was something special there. The star quality was impossible to miss.

Not long afterwards, The Script broke through and became international stars.

The band have said that BalconyTV was their first TV appearance. Whether that's true or not, it's a claim we're very happy to accept.

Nearly two decades later, The Script are still going strong and releasing new music.

And it's impossible to watch this performance now without thinking of Mark Sheehan, whose guitar playing helped define the band's sound.

RIP Mark.

#BalconyTV20 by @stephenoregan

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BalconyTV20: High Places //

BalconyTV made it to some pretty high places over the years.

Perhaps none higher than BalconyTV Chamonix, high in the French Alps with a view that could stop you in your tracks.

By Chamonix standards, this was a clear day.

One of the things I loved about BalconyTV was seeing how each location put its own stamp on the format. Some balconies overlooked busy streets. Others looked out over skylines, oceans, rivers or rooftops.

Chamonix had mountains.

The question is...

Can anyone figure out the name of the band?

#BalconyTV20 by @stephenoregan

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BalconyTV20: The Hot Sprockets // First aired 16/03/2007

The Hot Sprockets were exactly the kind of band BalconyTV was built for.

Fun, rowdy, unpredictable, a little bit wild- but always tuneful.

Looking back at this video from the early days of BalconyTV, what's most striking is just how poor the picture quality is. Pretty bad.

But that's the thing about those early BalconyTV videos. Nobody was tuning in for the production values. They came for the music, the atmosphere and the chance to discover something new.

And The Hot Sprockets delivered all of that in spades.

Twenty years later, the video quality may have aged badly, but the music is still great.

#BalconyTV20 by @stephenoregan

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BalconyTV20: The BalconyTV Years //

Today marks 20 years to the day since myself and a couple of flatmates in Dublin launched a little music website called BalconyTV.

The idea was charmingly simple: we filmed a music show from our apartment balcony. It was the very dawn of YouTube. In fact, most people didn't even know what YouTube was at the time.

What started as a small experiment on a balcony in Dublin somehow grew into something much bigger. Over the following 12 years, BalconyTV launched in more than 100 cities around the world through an incredible network of grassroots producers who shared a love of music and discovery.

Together, we filmed almost 20,000 performances by artists of every genre imaginable, on balconies across the globe.

I often liked to think that BalconyTV gave every artist their Beatles rooftop moment. It was Music With A View.

Those BalconyTV years were an extraordinary adventure. There were countless highs and lows. There was the challenge of trying to build a sustainable startup. There was the thrill of discovering music from every corner of the world. There were the friendships, the near disasters, the lucky breaks, the impossible moments, and the endless lessons that come with trying to turn a simple idea into something meaningful.

Along the way, BalconyTV featured artists who would go on to become global stars, including Ed Sheeran, Mumford & Sons, The Script, and many others.

Looking back, I genuinely believe BalconyTV became one of the great documents of independent music from that era.

To mark BalconyTV's 20th anniversary, I'm going to begin sharing stories, memories, photos, lessons, successes, failures, and behind-the-scenes moments from the BalconyTV years as they come to mind.

If you're building a startup, trying to get a creative project off the ground, working in music, or simply enjoy a good story, I hope you'll come along for the ride.

Let's laugh, let's cry, and let's revisit some of the stories from the BalconyTV years. #BalconyTV20 #BalconyTV

Bring your feedback.

// by @stephenoregan

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We get to capture some pretty interesting people in Lisbon. Few quite as 'big' as the game changer himself... Pictionary creator/ inventor/ entrepreneur Rob Angel. Great photo @rita_ansone by @stephenoregan

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The great @rita_ansone catching me talking all things movies and @peoplelisbon with @ruitendinha in Lisbon #lisbon #lisboa #portugal by @stephenoregan

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6 months ago

Great snap by @rita_ansone of me sharing a bench with the legend that is @tetericou of @o_chapito by @stephenoregan

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6 months ago

Waiting in a doctors office is no fun. Unless its with Roman Sorkin of United Medical Clinic in Lisbon. Great snap @rita_ansone @umclisbon @roman_in_lisboa by @stephenoregan

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6 months ago

Meeting The Track Star* Guy

Do You Believe in Manifestation? I’m not entirely sure that I do.
But here’s a funny little story from the last few days in New York City.

Before the trip, my girlfriend and I had been watching the brilliant YouTube show called Track Star*. If you haven’t seen it, the premise is wonderfully straightforward (I wish I'd thought of it) : the host, Jack Coyne, interviews a rotating cast of musicians and celebrities and usually challenges them to “name that tune.” If you’re a music lover, it’s impossible not to find the show infectious.

So just a few days ago, while watching it at home I said to my girlfriend:
“When we go to New York, I’ll bring you to the exact spot where they film the show.”

That happened.

But what I didn’t expect was that host @jackycoyne himself would also happen to be standing right there.

At that point there’s only one thing you can do: say hello.

You can see the sequence unfold:

First Jack looking slightly concerned as a random Irishman approaches him on the street… And then, thankfully, breaking into laughter as rambled on. Which was very generous of him.

It was a small moment, but one of those classic New York encounters where the city suddenly feels like a stage where anything might happen.

See @trackstarshow by @stephenoregan

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