A long long time ago in a county far far away . . .


In the last century there used to be these educational shacks called Polytechnics.

These were like Universities only better.

I went to one between 1983 and 1986.

When I enrolled I wasn’t strictly sure what I wanted to do when I grew up. I’d gone to study glass for goodness sake – persuaded by some pushy lecturer from my Foundation Course.

Anyway, at the “Poly” I met a fella that genuinely changed my life and showed me the way.

He was a lecturer in what was grandly titled “Audio Visual Communication”.

Nowadays young folk would understand that to mean something like “Media Studies”. Now don’t laugh, but back then it really was a proper degree. Honest. There was writing and art history involved and everything.

Anyway this lecturer was, in fact still is, a fine, clever and inspirational human being.

( NB: Kids – should you ever suddenly realise that someone who taught you at school or college or anywhere else for that matter, made a real and positive influence in your life, do remember to tell them.)

Anyway, I graduated.

Then I had a couple of jobs as a video editor.

Then I ran a small video production company for 10 years with my best friend.

Then I worked for a bigger production company as a producer/director. (oooh get him!)

While there I managed some bands.  (None of this is actually as exciting as it might at first sound)

Then I started a new business, this time on my own.

And during the twenty odd years it took to do all that, I’ve dodged 2 if not 3 economic recessions that have had varying degrees of personal impact.

This new venture is a direct response to them there recessions.

I think when I left college I had the same aspirations as many of contemporaries, “I won’t work on anything else but film love, and I won’t do anything else but direct, darling”. This should have been our collective mantra.

Then of course bills came in and I did what I had to do to pay them.

During my time in the heady/cutthroat/depressing/frustrating (delete as applicable) world of corporate TV I did on occasion get the chance to make something that made the audience laugh or cry – and that was the best feeling.

I see that doyourememberwhen.co.uk is giving me the chance to do that more often – for real people that really mean what they say.

And hopefully, I’ll get to pay some bills in the process.