Ollie Winiberg is a young musician from Southend who has been instrumental in promoting and showcasing new musical talent. He and his colleague Mike Bromfield are the youngest BBC Radio presenters in the UK and together they host 'INTRODUCING', a show which is a platform for emerging and breaking talent in Essex. Here he talks to Shine about how he got his big break.

Tell us how you came to set up a record label at only 15 years of age?
Four years ago my dad died and a group of his friends and I arranged a two day charity event to raise money for the hospital where he was cared for. This event had over 70 acts and there was a compilation CD with all the bands involved available too. I learned loads about how to put a CD together from there. Last year, I realised there were loads of talented young bands in my region who could probably not afford to be on a CD so I put together a business plan and applied to my local council youth department for a grant to produce the CD. I was very lucky because the council liked the idea and agreed to fund it from their FIXIT fund accounts. We called it SOUNDS IN SOUTHEND.

I wanted to produce a CD that showcased young talent (under 19 years old) in a positive light. Young people get a lot of bad press but we're not all bad :-)

Who was your inspiration and what motivated you to set up this business?
The memory of my dad and my mum - my mum works in music PR so she has given me lots of ideas on how to promote this CD. Also my friend Mike Bromfield who I do the show with is a real entrepreneur who's full of ideas.

What was the objective of the HI FLY album launch with Mike and what did you learn from this experience?
While I was busy organising the CD, Mike had already set up his own music PA and events company. So as we were good friends already working in different areas with the same bands, we decided to join forces for this event and combine our skills to launch the CD. I did a lot of the promotion, Mike organised the event and we booked the bands together. It was an AMAZING night. We sold out with over 400 people coming to Chinnerys to see six bands who were on the CD. And every person who came got a free CD too so all these bands reached loads more ears. I learned that putting on events isn't as easy as I thought! It was really hard work but worth every minute of effort.

What has your school experience been like?
I have dyslexia quite badly and struggle with reading and sometimes taking in information. It takes me longer to understand something from a written word - I can process information better if it is spoken to me. I'm not a natural student I’m afraid and although I got my GCSE's I was glad to leave and go to music college.

Who in your life has helped you to Shine? Who inspires you?
My family and my friends. When I lost my dad people I never expected were so kind to me. My brother Josh is three years older than me and he is also a musician. I can share anything with him. My mum was a single mum for years and she gave up a lot to make sure I had my music lessons. And my friends Ben, Mike, Sam, Jack and a load of others are always there. I am very lucky to have such a great crowd of mates.

What other talents do you have?
Um - I am a drummer, I love playing the drums. Before I got into radio being in a band was all I ever wanted to do.

How did you get to be a radio DJ for BBC Essex?
BBC Essex heard about the CD I was making and invited me on the breakfast show to talk about it and give it a plug. I invited Mike along too as we were planning the launch event together. We'd never been interviewed together and we had a great time and discovered we had quite an unexpected but natural banter between us. During the show, the boss of BBC Essex was listening on his way to work in his car and he liked how me and Mike sounded so he called the studio and LIVE ON AIR offered us our own show. I can't tell you how much we had to pinch ourselves - we could not believe our luck.

So that was last June and we spent the summer holidays being trained by the BBC to use the equipment and the desks and the show started in September. At first because we were (and still are) so young all the shows were pre-recorded but we recently went live which is more scary but also better as the adrenalin gets going and I think gives us more edge on air.

How did you meet your radio presenter partner Mike Bromfield?
About 18 months ago, Mike put on a school music event and the band I was in was invited to play. We argued like mad at first (and still do at times actually) but still got on really well.

How do you think schools can best help young people to develop their ideas and have the confidence to take them forward?
I don't think it is just up to schools but parents too. Sometimes if a pupil is very good at something they get held back because the class has to be taught at a pace that caters for everyone. Maybe there should be some kind of fast track system available so talented students can be encouraged to work at a pace that is right for them rather than right for the rest of the class.

Also if a student shows talent for a subject that maybe the school doesn't cover then there should be arrangements with other schools that do teach those subjects so the student can have work and tuition from the other schools and doesn't loose out.

What do you think about the Shine festival of talent?
It looks really good. I think anything that allows young people to try to fulfill their hopes and dreams is good.

What in your view are the positive outcomes of focussing on all talents of all young people with a festival like Shine?
My mum always says that the weight of unfulfilled potential is a very heavy burden and if you don't follow your dreams as a young person you might end up a very frustrated older person. Also it is much better to follow a passion than hang around on street corners doing nothing with your life.

How can young people in your view best find their own talents?
For young people who already love something like music or sport or photography or something it is easier because they know what they like but lots of young people don't know what hidden talents they have. I think that adults like parents and teachers should try to help young people they care for realise what their skills are and then build on them. But the young person also has to take some responsibility for pursuing their dreams too.

How do you hope to develop your own talents for the future?
As much as possible I try not to say NO to anything even if this means moving outside my comfort zone. I don't think you learn anything about yourself or your passion by standing still. It's good to push yourself. I will apply for university for next year but probably defer for a year and try to pursue more radio and live event work as well as do gigs with the bands I'm in. So basically, music, music and more music!

Join Ollie and Mike Bromfield, Friday nights from 7pm on BBC Radio Essex.