Freelance Journalism
I grew up on stories of the Great Bitter Lakes, the Karakoram and long sea voyages to far flung postings. My wanderlust flourished with me, and by my early twenties I had done three ski seasons, spent six months travelling around South America, learnt to dive in Tahiti whilst working for a marine research centre observing humpback whales, and joined a climbing expedition in the Himalayas.
With social media not yet on the horizon, I had an urge to record and share my experiences in order to imbue my travels with greater meaning and longevity. This led me to take a post grad at the London School of Journalism, where I was awarded a distinction in Broadcast by an inspiring tutor from BBC Radio 4. This course complemented my earlier post grad study of Photography at St Luc Ecole des Beaux Arts in Belgium, arguably the top art school in the country.
Then, as kitesurfing was just taking off as a sport, I started up a travel guide to the best spots around the world. Sponsored by Ozone and DaKine, I travelled throughout Egypt and Morocco with a cameraman, filming with pro-riders. We enjoyed some amazing shoot locations and I had several features published, including my first magazine front cover with a six-page spread of photos and copy. I then let the company drop for personal reasons.
Some time later, I talked my way into an internship on the Guardian Travel Desk, where I learnt the nuts and bolts of publishing. For the next three years, I worked in-house for the luxury travel communications company PCC, representing premium hotels and yachts across the globe. I was something of a misfit, as my passion was always more editorial than commercial, so they generously morphed my role into a more creative one. In 2016, the company split up. I closed my eyes and jumped into the freelance world, now as a Creative Director.
Alongside other skillsets, this has brought me many fantastic copywriting and photographic opportunities. It also leaves me free to take on journalistic assignments on topics close to my heart, notably experiential travel and sustainability.
Please do get in touch if you think we could work together.
Work / publications include :
TIME magazine, The Sunday Times, The Financial Times (FT Weekend & HTSI), The Telegraph, The Times Magazine, The Guardian, Conde Nast Traveller, SUITCASE Magazine, The i, Departures (US), Tatler, Country & Town House, Square Mile, Foodism, Escapism, Jet Set (US), Press Association, The Luxury Channel, Polo Times, The Travel Magazine, Abercrombie & Kent Sundowner, Black + Green Magazine, The Yacht Week, Yachts and Friends, Hg2 A Hedonist's Guide To..., Aston Martin Magazine, Sipsmith gin (blog), Emirates Open Skies magazine, Country Club UK, Virgin, Stills Gallery (Edinburgh), Global Kite Guide, Access Kiteboard, Kiteboarder, Extreme Elements, various kitesurfing billboards / posters, Skyriders, The Scottish Farmer and NFU Scotland.
