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Bob Geldof
Sir Bob Geldof is an influential and inspiring speaker. He is highly entertaining and has great insight into the sociopolitical and upliftment arenas and is highly sought after by companies who wish to benefit from his sensational presentations.
Bob is incredibly well informed, not just about African famines and aid organizations, but also about London and Washington politics. His presentations are highly provocative and he uplifts and inspires audiences as he motivates through his own personal experiences and the lessons learned from Live Aid and Live8.
How it all Begun
Bob was born in Dublin on 5 October 1954. He entered the music scene as a journalist on Canada's premier underground rock journal Georgia Straight. Further experience with the New Musical Express and Melody Maker sharpened his prose and upon returning to Dublin, he formed the band Nightlife Thugs, which subsequently evolved into the Boomtown Rats, one of the first acts to emerge during the punk/new wave explosion of 1976/77.
After a series of hits, including two UK number 1 singles, Geldof emerged as one of the most well known pop personalities of his era. Bob had always had an acerbic wit and provided excellent interviews with an energy and enthusiasm that matched any of his articulate rivals. After starring in the film of Pink Floyd's The Wall, he turned his attention to the dreadful famine that was plaguing Ethiopia in 1984. The single, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" sold over three million copies and, thanks to Geldof's foresight in gaining financial control of every aspect of the record's production, manufacture and distribution, Famine Relief received over 96 pence from each of the £1.35 retail record sales. The record inspired 1985's mammoth Live Aid extravaganza in which Geldof herded together rock's elite to play before a worldwide television audience of over 1,000,000,000. Geldof continued to help with the administration of Band Aid, which put his singing career on hold for a couple of years.
Autobiography and Knighthood
After receiving a knighthood in June 1986 and publishing his autobiography, he recorded the solo album, "Deep In The Heart Of Nowhere", which spawned the minor hit "This Is The World Calling'. His second album, "1990's The Vegetarians Of Love", was recorded in only five days and proved a hit with critics and fans alike. Complete with folk and Cajun flavoring s and an irreverent stab at apathy in the hit single "The Great Song Of Indifference", the album undeniably proved that Geldof should continue his recording career.
Breaking into Business
In 1992 Bob had established himself as a highly astute businessman with his co-ownership of the television production house Planet 24, which began life as Planet Pictures back in the mid-80s. The company broke into the big time by launching the pioneering early morning television series The Big Breakfast in 1992. Planet 24 was sold to Carlton TV.
In the late 90s, when Bob encountered problems booking a family holiday over the Internet for his children and his French actress girlfriend Jeanne Marine, he founded online travel agent Deckchair.com. He did it in conjunction with James Page, the successful creator of the Eidos software company, responsible for Lara Croft.
Ten Alps Communications was founded by Bob and Alex Connock in 1999 and sprouted from what was left of Planet 24, their previous TV venture. The name Ten Alps comes from a backwards, misspelling of Planet. Ten Alps has been hugely successful and, of recent, productions have included High profile documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4, Five, Sky One and Discovery Events that Changed our World (with Michael Buerk), Jeremy Vine Meets, To Kill and Kill Again, and Manchester United's Top 50 Goals / The Top 50 Goals Scored Against Manchester United. Thirty-five productions are currently underway fueled by the growth in broadcasters' appetite for factual TV.
Geldof returned to the music scene in September 2001 with his first new recording in over eight years. A raw and brutally frank album dealing in unflinching detail with the recent emotional upheavals of Geldof's personal life, Sex, Age & Death was in marked contrast to his previous studio set, the relatively upbeat The Happy Club.
In February 2005, at a special reception at the Swiss Embassy, the Rose d'Or Festival announced that Bob is to be the recipient of this year's Rose d'Or Charity Award, presented in remembrance of Sir Peter Ustinov. Geldof's passionate determination to take action in the face of human suffering created Live Aid, the greatest fund raising concert ever, which commemorated its 20th Anniversary on July 13th 2005.
The aftermath of the relatively recent Live 8 concerts which took place in London, Paris, Philadelphia, Rome and Berlin in 2005 to boost aid to African states, cancel their debts and remove trade barriers has made Bob an exceptionally busy man.
