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EDUCATION

University of Sunderland
Sports Journalism degree, 2:1
Shorthand, 75wpm
National Council for the Training of
Journalists (Grades in Brackets)
Sports Journalism (B)
News Reporting (B)
Multimedia Portfolio (B)
Essential Media Law (C)
Production Journalism (C)
Essential Public Affairs (C)
Lincoln College (Lincoln, LN2 5HQ)
A Levels (Grades in brackets)
Critical Thinking AS Level (C)
History (B)
English Language (C)
English Literature (D)
Boston Grammar School (Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 6JY)
GCSE (Grades in brackets)
Business Studies (A)
English Literature (B)
English Language (B)
German (B)
Science (B)
Additional Science (B)
Religious Studies (B)
History (C)
Information Communication Technology (C)
Design & Technology (C)
Maths (C)
EXPERIENCE

Editor of SportsByte (June 2014-September 2014) Sunderland
SportsByte is the local sports news website in Sunderland, covering university, amateur and
professional sport. As editor, I was responsible for planning, overseeing and co-ordinating the
creation of sports content on the website and in the magazine. I worked for the website over the
summer alongside a Media Editor, when very few of the reporters were available due to it being a
student-run website. This meant that any story was effectively covered by me, unless a reporter
could be found. I then interviewed, subbed, sourced pictures and planned future content.
Spark Magazine Sports Editor/SportsByte Magazine Editor (July 2013-May 2014) Sunderland
SportsByte Magazine is essentially the sports section of Spark Magazine, a student production
distributed around the city of Sunderland. In the past, I have been a reporter and sub-editor for the
website SportsByte, and I have contributed match reports, match previews, features, photo, video,
live blogs, tweets and much more across the platform. My work at SportsByte can be seen on my
portfolio website, seen at the top of this page.
I have had work experience at the Shields Gazette and Lincolnshire Echo. My press cuttings
along with all of my other work can also be found on my portfolio website.
AWARDS

In May 2014, I won the Sports Portfolio of the Year award for second time at the SportsByte
Media Awards for a broad and diverse list of sports covered over the year.
In March 2014, I was listed among the nominees for the David Welch Student Sportswriter of the
Year Award. I was listed alongside students from Oxford, York and Nottingham.
In May 2013, I won the Sports Portfolio award at the SportsByte Media Awards. I was also
among the finalists for the Reporter of the Year award.



UNIVERSITY

I completed my three-year Sports Journalism course at the University of Sunderland in June 2014. As
part of my course, I met and interviewed people from all walks of life regularly. Despite the obvious
focus, my course was much more diverse than just studying sport, in that I studied politics, news,
newspaper production, law and many other topics. For my final university project, I produced a series
of articles on the true legacy of the London 2012 Olympics, interviewing 20 people at various levels of
sport, across a wide array of sports. I achieved a first for my final project.

MORE EXPERIENCE

In addition to my work with SportsByte, I have had work experience on the sports desks of the
Shields Gazette (May 2013) and the Lincolnshire Echo (March 2013 & summer 2013) where I have
voluntarily contributed articles to the newspapers and their websites. My work at both newspapers
saw me interview a variety of people from different sports and producing work to a deadline and to
an expected high standard.

I have produced features for Spark Magazine in the sports section on stories such as the rise of futsal
in Sunderland, the 2012 Olympic legacy for volleyball, and on the successful Sunderland basketball
sides of the 1980s/90s. When I was at the Lincolnshire Echo, I produced a feature on the distance in
travel and costs that Lincoln City fans would have to endure in the new season, and I sourced online
features on new signings for the club.

Before university, I spent a lot of my spare time blogging about football. This work can be found at
http://lofocus.wordpress.com/.

Outside of the media, I have worked behind the bar for Home Nightclub in Lincoln and as a sales
assistant for Sports Direct in Sunderland.

WEBSITES & MAGAZINES

In October 2012, I set up a hyperlocal website called Run Of The Millfield, which covered all news
concerned with the Millfield suburb of Sunderland. In running the site, I had the chance to interview
local councillors - including the Mayor of Sunderland - as well as key figures in political
groups and local organisations.

The website had a successful run, gaining over 2,500 page views in around seven months. The website
also had a Twitter page, which amassed a decent following of 50 followers and provided live updates
on events such as protests over a mosque and a destructive fire on a take-away. I closed the site in
May 2013 due to other commitments but the project allowed me to hone my reporting and key
communication skills.

Between March 2012 and May 2014, I covered various sports for SportsByte and I was also a sub-
editor for the website. In my time with SportsByte I covered football, volleyball, handball, table tennis
and hockey, and I reported on events such as the Marathon of the North and international table
tennis.

My work with SportsByte led me to apply for the position of Sports Editor of Spark Magazine, which
was effectively set to become SportsByte Magazine. I was appointed as Sports Editor in July 2013.
This role saw me commissioning content from a team of writers with whom I was in direct contact
with, communicating with PRs and liaising with the SportsByte editor to create a bi-monthly
magazine.

In secondary school, I was a reporter and then the editor for 18 months - of the school newspaper,
working with a team of students to produce a weekly newspaper.