London, England, United Kingdom
When I was eight years old, I would sit building LEGO models for hours... today, I still sit building LEGO models for hours. My career really clicked into place when I combined journalism with my hobby. Now, I produce engaging, relevant content for LEGO enthusiasts across print magazines, websites and videos. As an editor my pedantry comes in handy, while planning content and writing features fulfils my creative itch. As much as covering the world of LEGO keeps me occupied, I do some 'real' work and also write about other subjects, which have so far included education, films and human interest stories. I am available to discuss LEGO related projects and freelance editorial/writing work – please feel free to drop me a message.
Blocks is the monthly magazine for LEGO enthusiasts, covering all aspects of the brick-based hobby, and is sold in major UK and US retailers. I joined the magazine at Issue 8 as Features Writer and within a few months took on the role of Deputy Editor. I work on the flatplan for each issue, liaise with contributors on features and set deadlines. This includes providing feedback on and editing articles for layout. As part of this role I also write features each month, which have included interviewing a young man who constructed a prosthetic arm from LEGO bricks, assembling the most comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at The LEGO Movie 2 and covering the Star Wars Celebration event in California.
Contact me! Clients include The Sun, The Independent, LEGO.com, StarWars.com, Toy Tales, TheForce.net, Toy World magazine. My portfolio includes features, interviews, opinion pieces and event coverage. In addition to the work referenced below, I have produced articles for trade magazines, websites and event brochures.
Brick Fanatics (www.brickfanatics.com) is the go-to website for all LEGO fans seeking the latest news, be that product reveals, movie releases, upcoming events, human interest stories or theme park updates. Tiro Media Ltd acquired Brick Fanatics in July 2016 when I was hired as the website’s Editor. During that period I have overseen a 1500% increase in traffic, through an understanding of what content is relevant to the audience and how to present it. Part of my role is news writing, keeping up with all of the LEGO goings-on and producing SEO friendly content in Wordpress. As Editor, I also plan the website’s features and review based content, managing the contributors and editing their content. I also liaise with the LEGO Group and PR companies to achieve the coverage our audience expects. Brick Fanatics has had particular success stories in thoroughly covering LEGO MASTERS (a television series focused on creativity), the LEGO movie releases as well as the ongoing challenges both the company and fans face from copycat products.
For the full run of 12 monthly issues, I worked as Features Writer on Brick Fanatics Magazine, producing cover features for each edition of the LEGO publication. Features included an interview with a NASA historian, a look at LEGO fans turning their hobby into a career and a personal highlight – an interview the LEGO designer who developed my favourite childhood toys. I was also responsible for the #HowtoAFOL page and promoting the magazine on BrickFanatics.com.
At City, University of London, I worked in the Marketing and Communications department as Internal Communications Officer. In this role, I edited the City News magazine, a print publication delivered to staff across the organisation. As Editor, I supervised City News Issue 29 from inception to completion, delivering the finished magazine to the printers, then seeing it distributed across the organisation and to select external partners. I also edited the CityWire newsletter, which I compiled on a weekly basis. This digital update is sent out to all staff who work for the organisation, sharing the latest news, events and success stories. Given the newsletter’s very tight word counts, it was excellent training in cutting stories down to their essence. Specific campaigns and events that I worked on included International City Week, a visit to City by Meghan Markle HRH The Duchess of Sussex and the Study Well programme. On several occasions I worked as a photographer for special visits and events. These included Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry MP’s visit to the University, the University signing up to the UN Sustainability Goals and a celebration of City’s partnership with Santander Universities.