Portfolio
Here, you will find a diverse collection of my professional work, including examples of my writing, podcasting, project management, and training and facilitation skills. Whether you’re looking to learn more about my experience in a specific area or simply want to get a sense of the range of my abilities, I hope you’ll find something here that interests you. Thanks for visiting!
Writing
Below is a selection of articles I've written over the years. There is a mix of features, interviews, opinions, and factual explainers to demonstrate the range of the writing.
Homeless to hostel to home: An interview with Dan Campbell
“These days I have a lot more to lose.”
I’m slightly apprehensive as I wait outside for Dan to meet me. I’ve known him since we were 13 years old, having gone to the same high school. Our relationship was always cordial, although I know I was never as kind to him as I could have been. We fell out of contact at 16 after finishing our GCSEs, and it was only due to a chance encounter at a house party that we started talking again. It transpires that our lives went down wildly different paths, starting from the very day we finished our last exam in 2010. While I went home and debated which notes to keep or burn, Dan was kicked out onto the streets.
This was a feature I wrote after meeting Dan Campbell at a party. We had previously gone to school together, and fell out of contact after GCSEs, and he told me that he was made homeless after his final exam. His story was a fascinating insight into how quickly things can turn for an individual, and the hidden homelessness that exists. The feature was written from nearly 2 hours of recordings.
Black Lives Matter
The fact that it needs saying demonstrates how society has failed.
I wish I could say that I am surprised by the scenes we are seeing play out in America right now. I wish I could say this was an unexpected event to compound an already terrible year – that we’re only halfway through.
But I can’t.
The only surprise to me is that this explosion of anger has taken this long to happen.
I wrote this opinion piece in response to the protests that broke out across America, and then the world, in response to the killing of George Floyd. It was infuriating to see people push a line that it was unwarranted, and even members from the white side of my family same that there wasn’t an issue with racism in society.
Football and racism: a match made in England
The team we needed, but not the team we deserved.
I’ve written and rewritten this piece so many times, trying to find something new and interesting to say, or to offer some considered and measured response to the vitriol witnessed over the last few days. But I don’t have anything. What can be said today that hasn’t been said yesterday, or last week, or last year?
This opinion piece was written after the hateful vitriol displayed in pubnlic and on social media after England’s defeat to Italy in the 2020 Euro finals.
Why there hasn’t been a general election yet
We have seen two prime ministers resign in just over three months and yet the public haven’t been able to vote for a replacement. We explain why.
The announcement by Liz Truss on 20 October that she will stand down as the prime minister of Great Britain marks the second resignation of a prime minister this year, following Boris Johnson’s forced departure in July. But rather than a general election to decide the new prime minister, the public will once again be frozen out of the process, which instead is expected to be made by Conservative MPs and party members. Although being expedited to take place over the course of a week, rather than the several months it took to elect Liz Truss, the process still perpetuates the image of a government in chaos, and continues to leave vital questions around the country’s economic policy unanswered.
This explainer article was written in response to queries we were getting about what was going on in the Conservative Party and why there hadn’t been a general election called. It was written in a simple and direct format to be understandable to a younger audience.
Jason Reynolds: “It’s only by showing up that you will see improvement”
Multi-award winning author says you have to “trust your gut and write it your way, do it your way and break all the rules”
It’s 10am in Washington, DC, and the start of our call had been plagued with technical issues. But rather than get frustrated, as would be his right, Jason Reynolds laughs it off in a cool and affable manner; which was both disarming and relaxing.
“I’m a writer that was raised in the hip hop generation but trained classically through poetry, so I’m an amalgam of all those things. I’ve got the edge of the Black American community, and I’ve got the musicality of the music that came from that community, but also I’ve been trained to pull devices from the Shakespeares of the world; the bridge between the science and the soul as I always say.”
I was approached by Jason’s PR team to write the interview with the multi-award winning author. It was conducted over Zoom, before getting transcribed and then turned into the final feature. What was really nice about this interview was that while I was on the call, Jason found out he had been nominated again for the National Book Awards.
What does prorogation mean, and how will this impact Brexit?
Johnson’s decision for an extended Parliamentary recess has worrying implications for democracy
In the latest of a series of escalating actions, Boris Johnson has announced that Parliament will be suspended for five weeks at some point week commencing 9 September, and will not reconvene until the 14 October. We will explain how this suspension is happening, the impact it could have on Brexit, why people are calling it an affront to democracy, and how the Queen is involved.
What is proroguing?
Simply put, prorogation is the formal mechanism for ending a session of Parliament. These are a common event in British politics, usually happening every autumn.
The suspension of Parliament (prorogation) is then proceeded by the State Opening of Parliament. This is an elaborate ceremony demonstrating the independence of Parliament from the monarch, and includes the slamming of the door on Black Rod, taking an MP ‘hostage’ and, most importantly, the Queen’s speech in the House of Lords, which details the legislative agenda for the government during the new session of Parliament.
This explainer article broke down all the arguments for and against the proroguing of government. It was in plain English, and took the time to explain all key terms for our audience.
Boris Johnson: is there still hope?
Boris’ personality flaws might be Britain’s best bet
As the country reels at the news that the duplicitous clown has taken the keys to Number 10, I feel that there is still a chance that the UK walks back from the cliff-edge, and I believe that it all hinges on Johnson’s worst personality traits.
As I’ve written about before, Boris is a shrewd political player, able to survive seemingly any controversy with a Teflon like quality. However, in recent months the finish on his stick-proof exterior has been worn away, and to reach his end goal of Prime Minister he has burned through a lot of his political goodwill. His party, and seemingly the public, can now see through his babbling facade, and if he wants to survive the impending political crisis he is going to have to change tact. It is that desire to survive that I think could save the UK.
This opinion piece was written in the aftermath of Boris Johnson’s thumping general election victory on the back of an extremely detail-light manifesto. I optimistically hypothesised that Johnson would ultimately walk away from his more extreme statements due to his desire to stay in power – and popular.
Tory Party conference: A road to nowhere
This Tory Party conference must surely be the death knell for a government out of ideas, out of steam and increasingly seem out of their minds
They say ‘start as you mean to go on’, and rather than kickstart a new, united image of control, the Tory’s have continued to demonstrate a level of farce that would have John Cleese bowing down in awe.
It hadn’t even started before professional turncoat Boris Johnson had attempted to undermine May’s efforts by once again ridiculing her (ridiculous) Chequers plan and presented his own totally unworkable ‘Super-Canada’ dream. It is both worrying and a true joy every time Boris publishes a new post to his lucrative blog posing as a news publication. Reading like the delusions of a madman, a manifesto you see published before an atrocity, you’re reminded that this self-serving sycophantic careerist still has influence and sway over public opinion. Yet, by the same token, every post further strips him of authority, reveals his hypocrisy, and highlights his lack of sincerity or integrity.
A political opinion piece, this column criticised the Tory conference for its vapid approach to governing and how totally devoid of fresh ideas they were.
How the European Union works
It’s not always clear how exactly the European Union works. This article will hopefully help to clear a lot up for you!
One of the complaints often rallied against the European Union is the perceived lack of democracy. While there is certainly room for improvement in regards to the democratic operations of the Union, part of this perception comes from a failure to provide clarity and explanation as to the inner-mechanics of the EU. Below, we have given a brief outline as to some of the more important institutions.
I wrote this explainer piece in the lead-up to the Brexit vote in 2016. It was written in a non-partisan manner, with plain English and no over-complications. I wrote it to try and ‘de-mystify’ the European Union and to provide clear information for the public in the lead-up to the vote.
Do young people even care about Brexit?
Britain is currently undergoing one of the biggest political, social and economic disruptions it has ever faced, and those who will feel the long-term impact are failing to make their voice known.
A startling observation I made during my time at the Suffolk EU Alliance March was just how weighted the attendance was towards the older generation. Graciously hosted at the University of Suffolk in Ipswich – a campus university no less – I was shocked to see the lack of presence from the student population.
While I appreciate that this is a stressful time for students, with exams and dissertation deadlines looming, taking 30 minutes out of your day to literally walk out of your front door to participate in a march to protect your rights as EU citizens shouldn’t be beyond capacity. They should see it as further investment in their job prospects – there is no point having a degree if you can’t get a job!
I wrote this piece following the Suffolk EU Alliance March, where I was shocked by the lack of representation from young people – those most likely to be affected by our departure from the European Union.
Podcasts
In 2011 I started podcasting using a simple dictaphone to interview Iain Lee at Absolute Radio. I have since been commissioned to create podcasts for other people, and supporting young people to take ownership of their own narrative as an executive producer.
Creative artist interviews from the team at Voice.
This podcast was set up during the pandemic as a new way to connect with Voice’s audience. I frequently work on the show as editor, taking the audio from various sources and tidying it up to work in a podcast format.
Listen now
Voice Extra was used by the Voice Contributors initially as a way of chatting about content outside of the magazine, but eventually as a way to add more context and flavour to the work they were producing on site. I serve as executive producer and occasional editor on this show.
Listen now
‘Tom Inniss interviews…’, which used to be called the ‘Tom Inniss Podcast’ is a podcast where people from all walks of life get interviewed by the host, Tom Inniss.
I created the format for this podcast back in 2011, and oversaw the whole production, including artist liaison, recording, editing and publicising of the show.
Listen now
The official podcast from the Arts Award Voice team. This youth driven podcast brings you all the latest news in the arts world. This will include interviews, updates from the Youth Network Leaders, live performances and helpful hints on how to get the most from your Arts Award.
I was commissioned to create this podcast for the Arts Award Voice team at the beginning of 2014 as a way to increase our output, and offer an alternative medium for young people to engage with both Arts Award Voice, and the arts more generally. The brief was given to me after the management team heard Tom Inniss Interviews… They were impressed with the high production quality and ability to make guests feel at ease, and felt that these would be great traits to have on a youth based discussion podcast. It is sadly no longer available to hear, as it was lost when the new Voice Magazine Podcast feed launched.
Project and event management
Below are three multi-year, multi-stakeholder projects I have overseen the delivery of. These all have a mix of budgeting and human resource management, and strict timeline requirements.
Amplify
Working with nine Arts Council England Bridge Organisations, I oversaw the delivery of this project, including scheduling recording of 32 arts organisations across England, the tight editing turnaround deadline, and the creation of wraparound assets.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
I coordinate Voice’s annual coverage of Edinburgh Fringe. This includes arranging 150+ interviews with artists, and then managing the transport, accommodation and tickets, and reviews of six young people we take up to review 150+ shows over the space of a week.
Brighton Fringe
Voice is the official Youth Media Partner of Brighton Fringe, and as editor I oversee the planning and delivery of our coverage every year, including recruiting local reviewers and interviewing artists. I also oversee adjudication of our Brighton Fringe Newcomer Award.
Training and facilitation
I'm an experienced facilitator, with years of experience in delivering tailored training and workshop programmes to people of all ages and abilities.
Training workshops
I’ve developed a range of training workshops aimed at young people wanting to get started in the media. These include writing reviews, features, and columns, and interviewing techniques. I’ve also delivered workshops on incorporating youth voice into professional practice.
Mozilla Festival
I’ve delivered a number of workshops at Mozilla Festival, including ‘Exploring the Impact of Artificial Intelligence‘, ‘Young and opinionated? How to thrive as a commentator in an era of fake news’, and the panel discussion ‘Is technology holding journalism hostage?‘.
Kickstart Trainees
The Kickstart Scheme was a government funded programme to get young people at risk of long-term unemployment into high quality placements. I oversaw 24 young people in editorial roles to build their portfolios and supported them to decide their next career move.
Voice Contributors
Working at Voice Magazine I have directly supported more than 50 young people to develop their writing and media skills by joining our network of Voice Contributors. I offer mentoring, editing, and direct skills development through workshops and training days.