Profile

I am a freelance journalist with experience across a range of national press, television, radio and online work.

I feel I have many skills to offer as a sports journalist to all media outlets due to a combination of my university studies and experience.

I am passionate about all sports and I am capable of covering anything from curling to golf, although my particular specialism is tennis.

Work Experience

May 2006 – present: Freelance Journalist

·         I have worked for Sky Sports News on jobs in Scotland which included the John Hartson Ben Nevis Climb in July 2010 and heavyweight boxer Dereck Chisora’s training in November 2010 for his world title fight against Wladimir Klitschko.

·         I write freelance articles on news and sports including football, tennis, golf, snooker and shinty.  These have appeared in national newspapers including The Sun, Daily Record, Herald, Scotsman, Metro, Sunday Mail and Sunday Herald.

·         I often travel to international tennis tournaments to cover them for several national newspapers on a freelance basis.  These events have included ATP events in London and Rotterdam and British Davis Cup ties.

·         I have submitted freelance audio clips from tennis events at Futures level to BBC Radio Scotland for their daily lunchtime sports broadcasts.

·         I was interviewed on camera by STV News in May 2011 for a piece on tennis which also featured Judy Murray and British Davis Cup captain Leon Smith.  As a tennis journalist, I was asked to give my thoughts on the state of the sport in Britain.

·         I write a regular tennis piece for the quarterly AtTheMatch magazine which is produced in partnership with the Jason Roberts Foundation.  The magazine is distributed to sporting professionals across England and has an estimated readership in excess of 100,000 per quarter.

·         I regularly cover football matches in the Scottish Football League and Scottish Cup for Moray Firth Radio using portable ISDN equipment.  Duties include live pre-match, half-time and full-time reports as well as updates throughout the game.  I also conduct post-match interviews with managers and players.

·         I am the press officer for the annual West Highland Tennis Championships in Oban which features some of Scotland’s top players.  This involves promoting the tournament to the local and national media.  ATP player Colin Fleming is a previous two-time winner of this event.

·         I assisted with media promotion for the Legends of Squash event in Aberdeen in September 2011.  This involved working in close liaison with former squash world No.1 Peter Nicol in developing promotional material for national media.

·         I was one of the main interviewers at the Oban and Lorn Sports Awards ceremony in November 2010 which involved interviewing international sportspeople in both an informative and entertaining way in front of a live crowd.

·         In March 2009, I took part in a work experience placement with The Times where I shadowed Neil Harman, Tennis Correspondent, at the Davis Cup match between Great Britain and Ukraine at Braehead.

·         From May 2006 to February 2008, I wrote a regular article for the local West Coast Review monthly magazine which was distributed to every address in the Oban area.  The article was based on an interview with a local sports personality.

June 2000 – present: Sports Editor – 103.3 Sports, Oban FM, Scotland

·         Since first joining the 103.3 Sports team as a volunteer answering the telephones in 2000, I have progressed to the position of Sports Editor which involves several duties on a regular basis.

·         I have reported on several football matches and events over the past few years including UEFA Cup finals and draws, Scotland international matches and Scottish club matches.  At these events, I regularly attend press conferences and conduct interviews with players and managers.

·         My duties include producing the 103.3 Sports programme.  Tasks include pre-recording, editing, writing and people management in a team environment which involves a considerable amount of preparation.  I also drive the desk during our live studio shows and have experience of using the BURLI news production system.

·         I have organised several live outside broadcasts from events such as the Oban pre-season football tournament which features Scottish Premier League clubs and shinty’s Camanachd Cup Final.

·         I also regularly submit pieces of sports news to the news editor for inclusion in the main news broadcasts.

·         As well as reporting on sport, I am often drafted in to cover news events such as the Cruachan Train Crash in June 2010, the 2010 General Election and the 2006 Scottish Labour Party Conference which featured a speech by the former Prime Minister Tony Blair.  I received praise in the local press for my work as a reporter on a special emergency snow report show on Oban FM when the town was cut off by a freak blizzard in January 2011.

Education

September 2008 – May 2011: University of the West of Scotland, Hamilton

BA Journalism

August 1997 – June 2003: Oban High School, Oban

Highers                                   Intermediate 2            Standard Grades

Administration             A          Mathematics    A          French             3
PE                                A          English            B          Physics            3
Computing                   B
Modern Studies            C

Interests

·         I am a keen competitive tennis player and have competed in national competitions.
·         I enjoy watching a variety of sports including football, tennis, golf and many more.

Additional Information

·         I have a full driving licence.
·         I completed the Scottish Football Association Referees Course in June 2004 which gave me a useful insight into the laws of the game.
·         I am currently in the process of learning Spanish.

References Available On Request