In this episode, we speak to Nickolas Rossi, the director of Elliott Smith documentary Heaven Adores You. As well as talking us through his selection, Nickolas also discusses how he came to direct the film and what it was like using Elliott's music as his soundtrack.

Episode 3: Nickolas Rossi

This is a co-produced Development Finance and CDC podcast.

Two billion people are living in countries affected by fragility, conflict and violence. Fragility and conflict have a huge impact on poverty, so in these countries businesses are particularly important because of the economic and job opportunities they can create. 

Growing a successful company in such a country is easier said than done, however. In this podcast, we aim to understand the challenges facing people trying to build businesses in these extremely challenging environments and find out how they are overcoming them.

We hear from Teza Bila, the Managing Director of Congo Invest Consulting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Michael Mithika, who's leading the World Vision Fund, which covers fragile states such as the DRC and Azerbaijan. 

We also speak to Thierry Artaud, the Managing Director of M-Birr a mobile payment platform in Ethiopia - a country no longer classified as a fragile but one that still faces its fair share of challenges.

What does it take to lead a business in a fragile or conflict-affected state?

This episode is with the animator Craig Bartlett. Craig is perhaps best known as the creator of children's TV shows such as Hey Arnold and Dinosaur Train.

As well as being a great animator, Craig is also a huge Elliott Smith fan. In this edition, he talks us through his favourite Elliott Smith song, as well as an Elliott comic he drew - you can find that comic on our website myfavouriteelliottsmithsong.com.

Extra things to look at and listen to:

Craig at the Elliott Smith mural: https://www.instagram.com/p/BjuzoH6FGcb/?taken-by=myfavesmithsong

No Name #4 on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/3161kTNVNPqzGHArIpKWvU

Roman Candle on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0vgbFgcYqm2B0csVXvo8d5

Find us on Twitter and Instagram - @MyFavESmithSong

Episode 11: Craig Bartlett

The potential of technology in supporting development is huge. We've already seen that, particularly through examples such as mobile money and off-grid solar systems, which have been adopted by millions of people in developing countries and are used every day.

So, where else are companies using technology to help development? In this podcast, we look at examples across a range of different sectors, from education to gas and services. We also get an understanding of the potential limitations of technology by speaking to an academic who has concerns over the impact blockchain might have on development. 

This episode features interviews with:

- Fausto Marcigot, Chief Technology Officer, PayGo Energy
- Adam Grunewald, CEO, Lynk
- Adesuwa Ifedi, Vice President, Policy and Partnership, Bridge Academies
- Michael Pisa, Policy Fellow, Center for Global Development

Which technologies are supporting development (and which may still have something to prove)?

The journalist and documentary maker Louis Theroux joins us for the very first episode of the My Favourite Elliott Smith song. Find out his number one Elliott track, how he got into the singer and the story of how the pair crossed paths in London.

Episode 11: Craig Bartlett

My Favourite Elliott Smith Song

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