Hi,
I’m James.
I write words and stuff.
Here is my honest CV (Curriculum Vitae).
That’s Latin for: “I am wasting my life!”
Or Resume if you’re American.
That’s French for: “Trust me; I can explain everything!”
Curriculum Vitae
QUALIFICATIONS
NCTJ Diploma in Journalism (I wanted a grown-up pair of pants for my writing)
MA Creative Writing (Did I mention that I want to be a writer? I think I may have said something about it before.)
BA English (Hons) (I had an undeserved reputation as an English student who you never saw reading — the real reason was that most of the time I read in my room!)
CELTA (Level 4 Certificate in TESOL) (I thought it would come in handy and help me work my way around the world)
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
My work experience is that work is overrated
Part-time vagabond, full-time grumpy arse
Core competencies include bitterness, sarcasm, and drinking tea
Secretly fluffy
I pretend to be grumpier than I really am
Most people don’t get the joke
I think this is hilarious!
Making people laugh is my superpower
I’m disarmingly honest and upfront
I don’t suffer fools gladly
My bluntness often gets me into trouble
I quite literally live on tea
I spend way too much time on Twitter
People tell me that my GIF game is on point. That counts as a marketable skill, right?
The worst thing about working for myself is that I still have an asshole for a boss
WORK
Working for fruit and veg stalls, supermarkets, and factories, as a teenager, put me off having a real job
Working for McDonalds whilst at College put me off eating at McDonalds for the rest of my life
Paid my way through University by stuffing magazines into envelopes
Did a number of crappy telesales jobs that scarred me for life
I also worked in several public and University libraries
I’m a Creative Writing postgraduate with several years experience of teaching and engaging with young writers, an extensive career background in arts and editorial work, and a genuine passion for inspiring creativity in young people
When I was a teacher on residential creative wtiting courses my young students decided I was an Elf and nicknamed me Legolas
I’m an NCTJ-qualified multimedia journalist, copywriter and subeditor, recently working in the third-sector
I’ve been a copywriter for MoneySupermarket, subeditor for Esquire magazine, and Media Officer for Amnesty International
I’ve been published as a journalist in newspapers and magazines including The Argus, Our Voice, and Big Issue North
I’ve more than 15 years combined experience of web content development, marketing and communications in the arts, creative industries and third-sector
In my last real job I co-led the delivery of the communications plan of a £6m project funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Fulfilling Lives: Ageing Better programme to reduce social isolation and loneliness amongst people over 50 in Leeds
I left to travel and pursue my own work as an independent journalist and writer
I haven’t starved to death yet — so that’s good, I guess
SOCIAL PROOF
I’m part of the Medium Partner Program and have written for over 100 publications on Medium
I’m a Top Contributor on NewsBreak — I’m not proud of it I was hungry
I run a successful crowdfunding campaign on Patreon where fans support my work
I’ve hundreds of subscribers to my Substack and Mailchimp newsletters
I’ve around 15,000 followers on Twitter, just short of 5,000 on Medium, and about 1,250 followers on NewsBreak
Was that a humble brag? Did I do it right?
please self-schedule an interview here on calendly
Nice.