1. I am a massive Queen Fan
Queen has been one of my biggest passions since I was around 7 years old.
I remember being terrified of the Bohemian Rapsody video when it came on Top Of The Pops 2. At that time, TOTP2 repeated about a million times a week, so by day 6 of seeing it, I actually began to enjoy it. I mentioned it to my mum and she dug out the greatest hits CD out of our extensive collection. And that was probably my mother’s biggest mistake.
From that point on, I was obsessed. I bought every CD I could find, asked for merchandise for Christmas. My walls were covered in posters and the songs blasted from my tiny CD player night after night. When Queen went back on the road, my parents treated me to tickets. I’ve been to every show, and even have an “Emergency Queen Fund” tucked away in case VIP tickets or meet-and-greet opportunities come up.
My favourite song? It usually changes depending on my mood. But I often come back to Save Me. Freddie’s voice is stunning on that track. Followed closely by Drowse. My favourite album is Sheer Heart Attack, which was also the first CD I ever bought with my own money.
2. I’m bootstapping an App
In 2016, my dad had a horrific accident, and lost his leg below the knee. The next few weeks were full of confusion, fear and anxiety. At the time, we wanted a step-by-step resource that could guide us through dad’s amputation and help him get back into everyday life.
So I decided to make that app.
Apputee is an app which helps amputees wit their goals. I’m bootstrapping the app entirely, but should have an MVP by the end of the year. I record my progress over on apputee.org, but will provide some updates here too.
3. I love going to comic conventions
Before the pandemic, I was always going to conventions. I travelled all over the UK attending conventions, usually in cosplay. I had hoped to travel around Europe going to conventions, but the pandemic got in the way.
I loved going to panels to hear something new or just chatting to attendees. There were so many subcultures, skills and industries giving talks about something cool. Marketing covers so many different skills, and there’s always something that can be applied to a campaign.
4. My favourite TV Show Is Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries
Phryne Fisher is my idol. When I grow up, I 100% want to be her.
I discovered the TV show after binging Death In Paradise on Netflix. It came up as a recommendation and I fell in love. It’s a show I go through every couple of months and I’ve just started working my way through the books.
Miss Fisher learns languages, dives into knowledge and takes every opportunity as it presents itself, something I definitely wants to be. She’s also well dressed and sociable, which is something I am working on!
I adore Miss Fisher and can’t wait to finish the novel series too.
5. I started Uni at 27
During the pandemic, I was furloughed almost immediately. By June, I realised I needed to step up my life and start hitting goals I’d set myself. One of those was to get a doctorate. Another was to advance my marketing career.
So, I applied to Uni.
I was accepted into Birkbeck University pretty soon after I applied, and as I’m writing this, I’ve just finished my first year as a marketing undergraduate. It is hard working full time, building two businesses and studying full time, but I will get these in the end!
6. I love old films
I have an obsession with Cinema History, and I blog about films from time to time. It all began from a love of Paul Merton, a comedian who appeared on Have I Got News For You, Room 101 and Whose Line Is It Anyway. Paul Merton had a few documentaries that I watched because it was Paul Merton, and one of those was on the early days of Silent Film. He also wrote a book, which I bought… because he wrote it.
And I loved it! From there I spun out into all manor of old films, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, James Stewart, Marilyn Monroe. Anything I could find.
I started my Cinema History Blog in 2018, and while I’m not as active as I’d like to be on there, I still love that blog.
7. I love the sea… But I hate swimming and sailing
I love staring at the sea. I love beaches, nautical design and naval history. I’ve been to historic dockyards and museums about the water.
I just hate being on water.
I can’t swim, no matter how many lessons or how hard I tried. I just sink, rather than float.
Boats make me sea sick.
Funny, huh?
