Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom
Have worked in a variety of freelance roles and have a current full-time position with Topps Europe Ltd (Fanatics Collectibles) as a Supervising Sports Editor. Finished a Journalism degree at the University of Northampton in May 2012, earning a 2:1 final grade. PERSONAL SKILLS • Working in small and large teams • Punctual • Highly organised • Strong ethical integrity • Work well to tight deadlines • Wide knowledge of computer programmes including Microsoft Word and Excel, Adobe Photshop and Adobe InDesign SKILLS GAINED FROM PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE • Writing feature articles • Research • Sub-editing articles • Picture research and copywriting • Checking spelling, facts and punctuation meticulously • Writing scripts • Hosting shows to a live audience • CMS (Content Management Systems) • Running social media channels on X (formerly known as Twitter) and LinkedIn • Building up a useful contacts portfolio
Main duties - Working underneath the Editorial Manager and overseeing the Sports Editors in Europe, helping to enhance their progress and development. - Supporting in project allocation for the European team and working closely with Licensing, Project Management and Product Teams. - Collaborating to ensure a sound presence of the company’s processes and systems, including Content Management platforms and working with external photo retouching and design agencies. - Continuing to manage a team of freelance copywriters, assigning their project workload for upcoming football and Formula 1 seasons. - Monitor status of projects closer, following up on outstanding tasks and providing clear and concise communication for other departments within Topps/Fanatics Collectibles. - Lead Editor on F1 Turbo Attax for a seventh season, the Premier League Sticker Collection and collaborating on the digital app, Topps Total Football with our UCC and MLS licenses. - Participating in brainstorming sessions and product reviews for upcoming project cycles. - Working closely with the internal Licensing and QA teams on UCC, Premier League and F1, which includes managing trackers and dealing fluently with club feedback on the Total Football product. - Reviewing proofs for 100% editorial accuracy and strong ethical integrity. - Full understanding of Licensing Style Guides, colours, logos, F1 sponsorship and kits for over 50 football teams across Premier League and UCC products. Main Licenses - Formula 1 - Premier League Sticker Collection - Topps Total Football (Premier League 2025/26, UCC and MLS continuing into 2026/27.)
Main duties - Managing a team of freelance copywriters, assigning project workload. - Producing house styles and editorial guidelines for our team of sports editors and copywriters. - Oversee the sports programme in Europe, supporting in project allocation and working closely with Project Management, Product and Licensing Teams. - Managing the company’s photography requirements, including quarterly reports to photo agencies and identifying subject targets for our football and Formula 1 products. - Lead Editor on the Formula 1 products in the European market, the return of the Premier League Sticker Collection for 2025/26 and the digital app, Topps Total Football. - Work closely with our dedicated F1 Product Team on European F1 products. - Proofing, which includes internal checks and final artwork files before print sign-off. - Working closely with the internal UEFA licensing team, including anticipated proof dates for club submission and dealing responsibly with club feedback on the Total Football product. - Creating card lists and the gameplay stats for the Turbo Attax trading card game. Main Licenses I work on: - Formula One (European products including Turbo Attax trading card game and Sticker Collections) - Premier League (Sticker Collection) - Total Football Digital App (UEFA club competitions & Premier League)
Duties have included: - Downloading pictures for the Match Attax trading card and Sticker Albums. - Proofing and Researching historical data. - Dealing with licensor and club approvals. - Data inputting. - Writing product artwork briefs. - Creating gameplay stats for the Match Attax game. - Submitting official player lists. Licenses I have worked on include: - Formula One (2020 onwards) - Bundesliga (from June 2015-December 2019, in Lead Editor and Supporting Editor positions.) - SPFL - Premier League - UEFA Champions League (primarily from January 2020 - December 2021) - Top Gear - Despicable Me 3 - WWE
Articles created for Essaar Motorsport include: - Ferrari F1 debuts to remember and forget. - F1 stars in TV commercials. - Two-part series looking at the wacky moments in the F1 pitstop. - Interview with the Senior Mechanic from the Envision Virgin Formula E Team. - Regular Race Reports on the 2019 KwikFit MSA British Touring Car Championship.
Variety of sports, TV and news pieces, to no more than 4000 characters. Pieces included: - Sir Bruce Forsyth: An entertainment genius. - Election 2017: The key questions. - Manchester: A city united and standing together. - Bundesliga Season Review 2016/2017 - Brilliant Bayern make it a fab five. - Will the iconic Vauxhall brand leave the UK?
Pieces produced in this freelance role included: - Male grooming and skincare products. - Amazon's impact on the online market. - FIFA 14 computer games review. - The downfall of the BlackBerry smartphone.
- Using HTML links and sourcing stories from the main football news feeds. - Sticking to a strict word count limit.