LONDON, UK – 17th February, 2020 – Samsung’s brand manifesto, ‘Do What You Can’t’ calls on users to defy barriers and do what can’t be done in the everyday. How people capture moments and express themselves creatively depends on the tools they use, and with the ever-expanding world of social media, the opportunity to create epic things with smartphones has never been greater.

Meet Gareth Berliner and Kiruna Stamell, renowned comedians and performers who seek to champion diversity and disability. Over the past few months, they’ve made the most of their time at home in lockdown with the creation of their children’s TV series, Pirate and Parrot. Filmed in their kitchen, entirely using Samsung Galaxy smartphones, the series aims to celebrate diversity and educate and change people’s perception of disabled people.

What Galaxy device do you own and how has it played a role in your life during the lockdown period?

• Kiruna: I use the Galaxy S10e because it is powerful but small. My disability and dwarfism means I typically find holding and operating a larger phone difficult. I have been surprised by the lack of choice available in the marketplace for powerful smaller phones, but the S10e gives me the perks of the larger models with easy accessibility.

• Gareth: I own a Samsung Galaxy Note 10, which has been invaluable during lockdown. On a personal level, it’s allowed me to connect with my friends and family across the world, keeping my mental health in check knowing I have easy access to a network of support. For work, it’s been my go-to camera for self-tapes for acting auditions.

What features did you find most useful during this project?

• Kiruna: The high-quality camera and microphone on the phones is the best. It’s mind-blowing that we can shoot in HD, edit and upload videos all from our mobile phones. It’s like we have a mini film studio right in the palms of our hands. Also, with our limited filming space, the Ultra Wide-Angle lens meant we could squeeze everything into the shot. As the S10e has a headphone jack, we also added a separate directional microphone, which elevated our content even more.

• Gareth: I particularly found the camera useful, where being able to shoot in 4K UHD gave a real professional quality to our content production. The S Pen has also been a champion. Being able to use it to draw, scribble notes and storyboard for Pirate and Parrot was an incredible asset.  It also acted as our camera assistant, where we could use the S Pen to remotely capture photos from a distance.

What are your main objectives for Pirate and Parrot? What do you want to achieve?

Our show celebrates diversity, and we include disability as the biggest flagship of diversity. Our main goal is to help educate and change people’s perception of disabled people. We want to create positive change in the world and would love Pirate and Parrot to educate hearts and minds.

You cannot be ‘diverse’ or champion equality without championing disability. Disability in a children’s show has been proven to directly improve access for disabled people, as kids learn to be adaptable. We want children to watch an episode and feel empowered to play ‘Pirate and Parrot’ on their own terms, making up stories with friends and family. It not only fosters resilience in the community but encourages healthy attitudes to diversity. We want to be able to give opportunities to more disabled actors and crew who are so often excluded from lots of productions because of their disabilities.

How did you find shooting and editing from home using your smartphone?

Staying disciplined was challenging during the pandemic. Our brains were full of real-world worries, and the pressure to be productive was at an all-time high. Our Samsung devices alleviated a lot of our workload, as shooting and editing from home was far easier than we expected. They’re versatile and can be placed in all manner of places and positions to capture content. Being able to edit from anywhere in the house is liberating.

Was there a key feature of your Galaxy device that allowed you to create the show during lockdown? How did it make the process easier for you?

• Kiruna: Portability was key feature of the devices. Being able to get a wide angle shot in such a tiny room was fantastic. Storage capabilities on the phones also made a massive impact on our ability to capture long, single shot takes. The clear screen meant our director, who worked with us over video call, was able to observe the shots we were getting in real-time and give us direction or request retakes

• Gareth: The processing speed of my phone was incredible for editing and even worked faster than my laptop. Also, the memory capacity of my phone meant we were able to store all the episodes on the phone while we were editing and processing. We also made use of the excellent warranty service, where a technician came to our garden, observed COVID-19 rules and addressed all our questions with ease.

Do you have any other creative plans for the future using your Samsung Galaxy device?

Yes, we’ve decided to expand our channels and go full throttle into social media production. As people whose bodies are ‘non-conformist’, we aren’t connected to an endless world of influential people ready to elevate our circumstances. As disabled people, our stories go largely untold, so we’ve decided to become the original source of our community and normalise disability. We’re a positive representation of a disabled relationship, as we both proudly identify as disabled. One of us has an invisible disability and one of us has a physical one and we want to share that with the world. So, expect a stronger presence from us on Instagram and TikTok, and continued development of our brand. Our phones are so integral to all of this, we’re even looking forward to investing in a third Samsung phone to devote to our joint projects.

Why do you like shooting and editing using Samsung devices?

• Kiruna: Using a Samsung enabled us to access a broad spectrum of Android apps for editing, which lead to an enhanced experience. It’s great that Samsung keeps us connected with the best and latest products and services

• Gareth: I love shooting on Samsung devices because I trust the product and the brand, and I prefer the Android operating system. Samsung’s built in S Pen, fast processing speed and huge memory capacity is a great example of both their engineering prowess and design style.

If you had to give top tips for people looking to create content from home with their smartphone, what would it be?

Google ‘how to’ videos. Someone out there has always got a great guide to follow. Don’t waste your life stumbling around in the dark, but by all means experiment. Push the features to their limit. TikTok was one of the best teaching tools for us, in terms of learning old school linear filming tricks.

We also found story boarding useful in helping us tell our stories and optimise them for each platform. Developing 15 second Instagram videos is a great way to get started. We often feel intimidated by great content creators, but they were once beginners too!

You also need to be brave, as people have strong opinions online so self-care and looking after your sense of well-being is very important. This is best done by staying connected to the things that are important to you offline. Ask yourself, what are you putting out into the world, is it an enriching experience get from your content or a destructive one? If you enjoy the world of content creation and social media, then keep persevering!

• Top Tips:
  • Do your research and know your marketplace: Explore each social media platform. Watching other people’s content is inspiring, you see things you can improve on and emulate, and it helps keep you inspired
  • Get the right Apps: There are some incredible apps that can help you create great content. Apps are continually growing and give you creative freedom, so embrace them!
  • Keep on top of trends: Trends fluctuate but keeping up to date with the latest and greatest trends allows you to stay current
  • Invest in extra equipment: Whether it’s a selfie light, lighting, a tripod etc – the right equipment can create an extra set of hands, as well make your production quality look even more professional
  • Don’t be afraid of making mistakes: Mistakes teach you everything and once you’ve made one, you learn not to do it again

In line with the brand’s ‘Do What You Can’t’ spirit, Samsung partnered with a range of diverse talent to create bespoke experiences that welcomed communities to explore different passions and make remarkable memories to snap through the Galaxy S10 lens.

From discovering Portsmouth’s vibrant street art, to nailing the ultimate food shots in the Vegan capital; Brighton, each experience was crafted to create moments that brought to life key features of the Galaxy S10 camera.

Attendees enjoyed getting hands on with the Galaxy S10 device and were particularly impressed by the Scene Optimiser which recognises photo surroundings and automatically enhances the quality of images. This resulted in just under 7,000 shots captured and shared #withGalaxy.

The Tour

1^st Stop: Coventry with Suhaiyla Shakuwra

Discovering the art of being present in a session of crystal meditation and jewellery making in Coventry’s creative quarter, FarGo village.

Suhaiyla educated guests on the power of self-healing, including her use of Samsung Health breathing exercises as an on-the-go alternative for keeping mindful.

Guests were then inspired to capture Galaxy S10 content at the jewellery making station, where kits were presented on beautiful flat lay surfaces for the ultimate shot.

2^nd Stop: London Bridge with Cat Meffan

Practicing selfcare in a morning of mindfulness, complete with yoga and a nourishing breakfast.

Cat Meffan talked through the different ways in which she maintains a good balance throughout her busy schedule, including tracking her stress levels via Samsung Health.

Guests enjoyed chatting to Cat one on one at the end of the session and captured selfies on the Galaxy S10 camera.

3^rd Stop: Portsmouth with Wavey Garms

Swapping outfits and learning to dress street style.

Portsmouth locals gathered their unwanted garments and headed to local art café, The Tea Tray, where outfits were exchanged and personalised by the in-house artists.

During the session, Andres Branco, founder of Wavey Garms, spoke on the impact tech has had on the fashion world, with the Galaxy S10 camera replacing his traditional kit for model shoots.

Guests got to test the camera for themselves by posing for pictures in their new custom-made garments

4^th Stop: Brighton with MOB Kitchen

Rustling up Instaworthy dishes in the vegan capital.

Brighton foodies joined MOB Kitchen for lessons on how to create delicious, plant-based dishes in a matter of minutes. Whilst getting their cook on, head chef Ben Lebus discussed how the Galaxy S10 camera is the ultimate device for food photography.

Ben demonstrated his favourite features at the bespoke food styling station, showing guests how to capture the perfect plate pictures using Shot Suggestion and Food Mode.

5^th Stop: Leicester with The Lean Machines

Breaking a sweat with the help of Samsung Health.

Fitness enthusiasts joined John Chapman & Leon Bustin, aka The Lean Machines, for a weekend HIIT workout in the beautiful surroundings of Leicester’s Abbey Park.

HIIT stations were inspired by exercises from the Samsung Health app and the boys recorded their fast-paced moves in Super Steady mode.

Guests were able to test out the filming capabilities for themselves by capturing each other’s workouts, so they can keep the hard work up at home.

6^th Stop: Stoke-on-Trent with Sammi Jefcoate

Exploring bold makeup looks for the finest of selfies.

Sammi Jefcoate invited residents of Stoke-on-Trent to face their make-up fears, with a demonstration on red lips, winged eyeliner and perfecting the glow. Guest were able to try out these looks for themselves with a selection of Sammi’s favourite make-up staples on hand.

Throughout the session, Sammi educated guests on how to capture the ultimate beauty shots with the Galaxy S10 camera with no need for filters.

7^th Stop: Norwich with Intensi-T

Celebrating self-expression in the UK’s literacy capital.

Tom Povey, aka Intensi-T, invited Norwich for an evening of exclusive beat boxing sets in the city’s standout music venue for upcoming artists, The Birdcage. The evening included a mini masterclass on beginner beat boxing skills and the audience were invited to share the mic.

Tom demonstrated how the video and audio capabilities of the Galaxy S10 have transformed the way he captures his performances and guests put this to test whilst capturing acts throughout the show.

8^th Stop: Dalston with Rebecca Spencer

Posing for professional portraits through the S10 lens.

Londoners enjoyed an evening of champagne, canapes and pampering before partaking in a personal portrait shoot with leading fashion photographer, Rebecca Spencer.

This shoot was powered by the Galaxy S10 and Rebecca talked the guests through key features they can use at their leisure to get professional pictures with every shot.

9^th Stop: Hull with UK Shooters

Seeking Hull’s most picturesque spots and shooting them like a pro.

UK Shooters invited locals to join them for a walking tour to capture Instaworthy cityscape content in the nation’s least-pictured city. Each hotspot was pictured with the Galaxy S10, with guests inspired to explore the various camera features.

Live Focus mode proved perfect in capturing Hull Marina, whilst guests enjoyed exploring the city streets in Low Light mode come evening time.

10^th Stop: Newcastle with This is Mothership

A morning of pampering with lessons on skincare and wardrobe essentials.

Gemma Breger and Sam Silver, aka This is Mothership, welcomed the busy women of Newcastle for a session of lifestyle hacks on how to look and feel your best, no matter what your schedule.

Guests enjoyed five-minute facials followed by a talk on wardrobe essentials and were encouraged to capture the hacks using the Galaxy S10. The girls also demonstrated their favourite camera specs including Ultra-Wide lens – perfect for fitting everyone into those all-important family shots!

About Samsung Galaxy S10

Celebrating a decade since the launch of the first Galaxy S, Samsung has introduced a new line of premium smartphones: Galaxy S10. The range boasts four unique devices with innovations in the categories consumers care about most: display, camera and performance.

A testament to a decade of revolutions, the Galaxy S10 is designed for those who want a first-class smartphone and sets the stage for the upcoming generation of mobile experiences.

For those looking for a supercharged device, Galaxy S10+ takes every spec to the next level. The Galaxy S10e is built for those who want all the premium essentials in a compact package on a flat screen. Finally, Galaxy S10 5G is created for those who desire the fastest available speeds and most powerful features. Featuring the all-new Dynamic AMOLED display, next-generation camera, and intelligent performance, the Galaxy S10 line offers more choices and sets a new standard for the smartphone.

For more information on Galaxy S10 devices please visit Samsung Newsroom UK here.