I love writing and am always on the lookout for new opportunities, so if you’re in need of a writer or scriptwriter, get in touch and tell me about your project!

Here’s some information about my experience to date:

Mark Kermode’s Surround Sound: The Stories of Movie Music

I’m the co-author of the award-winning film critic and broadcaster’s forthcoming book celebrating film music. I produced Mark’s show on Scala Radio and he kindly asked me to join him on this writing journey in March 2023. The book explores the evolution of film scores from the Golden Age of Hollywood to the present day, examines how directors communicate their musical vision to composers, and focuses on specific film genres like Horror and Action, and on musical genres like Electronica and Pop.

We wanted to write a book that appeals to die-hard film music fans and also to those who are keen to learn more about this fascinating world.

Here’s the back cover blurb:

‘How can a film score make you cheer, shiver, cry or punch the air in exhilaration? How do directors communicate their musical vision to composers? And when does a soundtrack take on a life of its own? 

Award-winning film critic Mark Kermode and radio producer Jenny Nelson embark on a full-throttle trip down the glorious rabbit hole of film composition, exploring the evolution of film scoring from silent films to the present day and examining how what we hear has an impact on what we see.

Including interviews with extraordinary talents from Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood to Oscar-winning composers Rachel Portman, Anne Dudley and Howard Shore, and ranging from classics to blockbusters to horrors, Mark Kermode’s Surround Sound is a thrilling take on how great scores are brought to life on the silver screen.’

It’s out on Picador on 11th September and is available to pre-order in all the usual places including here and here.

Scala Radio’s book A Soundtrack for Life

Octopus Books approached Scala Radio with the idea of creating a book about classical music, and A Soundtrack for Life was released in Summer 2021. This is a collection of classical pieces to take you through a typical day and key events across the year, featuring short descriptions about the music and composers. I worked very closely with the writer Alex Johnson to ensure the tone, style and content reflected the Scala brand, and I co-wrote the foreword with Simon Mayo.

Saturday Night at the Movies Book

The independent book publisher Elliott & Thompson released various Classic FM books and in 2016 I successfully pitched my idea about a book exploring creative collaborations between film directors and composers. It was released in March 2018 and is available here – and in all good bookshops!

The book explores the following director/composer partnerships:

• Carter Burwell and the Coen Brothers
• Patrick Doyle and Kenneth Branagh
• Danny Elfman and Tim Burton
• Michael Giacchino and J.J. Abrams
• Bernard Herrmann and Alfred Hitchcock
• James Horner and James Cameron
• Maurice Jarre and David Lean
• Thomas Newman and Sam Mendes
• Howard Shore and Peter Jackson
• Alan Silvestri and Robert Zemeckis
• John Williams and Steven Spielberg
• Hans Zimmer and Christopher Nolan

I spent a lot of time at the brilliant BFI Reuben Library researching the book, and incorporated existing Classic FM interviews with the featured composers and directors, such as Christopher Nolan, Hans Zimmer and the Coen Brothers.

I also conducted interviews especially for the book. Sam Mendes, Howard Shore, Carter Burwell, Patrick Doyle and Alan Silvestri all kindly spent some time talking to me about their collaborations and the film-making process, as did James Horner’s widow, Sara.

Radio Programmes, Documentaries and Presenter-led Playlists

I have scripted many radio shows and documentaries in my roles at Scala Radio, Classic FM, TBI Media and CBeebies but these projects have been particular highlights:

• Classic FM’s Summer Book Club – broadcast in 2013, this was a 10-part series celebrating the relationship between music and literature, presented by Alexander Armstrong. I scripted the series and went on to produce and co-write Alexander Armstrong’s weekend shows when he joined the station on a regular basis in 2014.
• The John Bonham Story – as producer of the documentary for BBC Radio 6 Music & BBC Radio 2 in 2010, I really enjoyed creating the script to weave around the interviews with the remaining Led Zeppelin members, and it was even more rewarding hearing Dave Grohl as the narrator!
• Fifty Years of To Kill A Mockingbird – I produced this 2010 BBC Radio 2 documentary celebrating Harper Lee’s seminal book, and developed a script incorporating performances of key scenes and interviews with famous fans of the story such as Meera Syal and John Humphrys.
• The Composers – the 2018 Deezer Originals content explores the lives and music of some of the best-loved composers. The brief was to write conversational anecdotes about the composers so that the presenter-led playlists could provide a suitable entry point for listeners seeking to learn more about classical music.

Clash Magazine

I wrote features and reviews for music magazine Clash from 2005 to 2008. I interviewed acts including Bat for Lashes, Editors, Super Furry Animals and La Roux, and in 2007 I spoke to a singer called Adele. Whatever happened to her?! Have a listen to our rather rambly conversation here.