Dublin-based student Conor Clinch has been named a winner of Samsung’s ‘Launching People’ project, a search for undiscovered British and Irish talent with a passion for food, film, music and photography. The 18 year-old was revealed as Rankin’s chosen protégé in the ‘Photography’ category this weekend in a new television series, The Ones To Watch, airing on Sky 1 at 7pm every Sunday until 8th June. Conor’s project was a photography exhibition based around the idea of ‘lad’ culture in Dublin, which aimed to portray the subjects’ pride in their fashion and how they presented themselves outwardly though their clothes. After learning he had won the ‘Photography’ category, Conor spent two weeks working with Rankin one-on-one on a unique project. Conor’s Launching People submission can be found at the website below.

Website: Launching People Project

Samsung Press Release

DUBLIN-BASED STUDENT WINS PHOTOGRAPHY CATEGORY OF SAMSUNG ‘LAUNCHING PEOPLE’ CAMPAIGN

Conor Clinch chosen by Rankin as his protégé and features in ‘The Ones To Watch’ on Sky 1

20 May 2014, London, UK – Dublin-based student Conor Clinch has been named a winner of Samsung’s ‘Launching People’ project, a search for undiscovered British and Irish talent with a passion for food, film, music and photography. The 18 year-old was revealed as Rankin’s chosen protégé in the ‘Photography’ category this weekend in a new television series, The Ones To Watch, airing on Sky 1 at 7pm every Sunday until 8th June.

In February this year, Samsung joined forces with pop-up chef and Sunday Times cook Gizzi Erskine, award-winning actor and filmmaker Idris Elba, singer-songwriter Paloma Faith and portrait and fashion photographer Rankin, to find people with extraordinary potential and original ideas. Anyone with a great idea was asked to pitch their project via www.launchingpeople.co.uk, with Gizzi, Idris, Paloma and Rankin each choosing one person to work with one-on-one, helping to bring their ideas to life and launch their project.

Conor’s project was a photography exhibition based around the idea of ‘lad’ culture in Dublin, which aimed to portray the subjects’ pride in their fashion and how they presented themselves outwardly though their clothes. After learning he had won the ‘Photography’ category, Conor spent two weeks working with Rankin one-on-one on a unique project, which has been captured in the Sky 1 television series The Ones To Watch, produced by Fresh One, part of the Jamie Oliver Media Group.

Conor is currently a student who bought his first camera at the age of 14. He began shooting self portraits and still life pieces at home, then made the move into fashion photography. It wasn’t long before he was shooting local models in his home town and had gained a name for himself in the photography world in Dublin.

Commenting on being part of Samsung Launching People and The Ones To Watch on Sky 1, Conor said:  “It’s surreal, it’s been a nightmare not being able to tell anyone! It’s amazing that I had an idea that I wanted to do for so long and I was able to do it with along with Samsung and Rankin. It still hasn’t sunk in, really. The thing I enjoyed the most was standing at the final exhibition and seeing an idea that had been in my head out there and supported by Rankin.”

Rankin added: "I wanted to find someone that was totally undiscovered. I was looking for someone that had a vision, a creative eye who wanted to make a career out of photography. I wanted what they did to be different, interesting and unique. I wanted my protégé to have an original view of the world – and that’s exactly what I found in Conor.”

Andy Griffiths, President, Samsung UK and Ireland, said: “Everyone knows Samsung for launching products and every day we’re inspired by people who use those products to achieve amazing things. ‘Launching People’ is all about doing just that – launching people’s potential through technology, whatever their stage in life. We wanted to give people with passion, ambition and a hungry mind, a launch pad for their bright ideas and change their lives in a positive way.”

Conor’s Launching People submission can be found at http://www.launchingpeople.co.uk/project/conor-clinch.

Photo: Conor Clinch

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