The Blog

Welcome to my corner of the internet. This blog is a collection of thoughts, stories, ideas, projects, and occasional obsessions. You’ll find posts about filmmaking, storytelling, theatre, technology, the paranormal, creativity, and whatever else happens to hijack my attention for long enough to make me write about it. I’m a chronic overthinker, which means I have a habit of trying to understand and explain the unexplainable—or sometimes topics that were probably never meant to be explained in the first place. Expect deep dives, personal reflections, behind-the-scenes insights, and the occasional rant about things I have absolutely no business ranting about.

Filmmaking

How to budget an indie film

How to Budget an Indie Film: A Practical Guide for UK Filmmakers

A practical guide to how to budget an indie film — covering crew, equipment, post-production, contingency funds, and where UK filmmakers should and shouldn't cut corners.
UK film legal basics

UK Film Legal Basics: Contracts, Releases and Permits Nobody Warns You About

A practical guide to UK film legal basics -- contracts, release forms and permits every indie filmmaker needs sorted before day one.
How to fund an indie film

So You Want to Fund an Indie Film: Here’s What Nobody Tells You

Funding an indie film is harder than it looks. Here's an honest guide to grants, crowdfunding, private investment — and the mistakes that will sink you before you start.

Writing

Stuck writing a novel

Stuck Writing a Novel? A Practical Guide to Getting the Thing Moving Again

Stuck writing a novel and staring at the murky middle? Here's a practical guide to diagnosing the problem and getting your story moving again.
How to start writing a novel

How to Start Writing a Novel: A Practical Guide for Complete Beginners

Ready to learn how to start writing a novel? This practical beginner's guide covers finding your idea, planning your story, building characters, and actually writing the first chapter.
Gary on Writing

Nobody Warned Me It Would Feel Like This

Two novels in progress, a head full of doubt, and what nobody tells you about writing long-form fiction.

Theatre

FHODS Blackadder

Why Amateur Theatre Is Better Than Professional

It's not about polish or budget. It's about love. A Front of House Manager makes the case for why your local amateur theatre might just be the real thing.
Empty theatre auditorium with stage lighting, UK

The Stage Is Not Dying. It’s Waking Up.

Theatre attendance is booming nationally — but south east venues are fighting for survival. Why live performance matters more than ever, and who's being left behind.
The Theatre

Is This the End of Theatre? (Spoiler: No, But We Need to Talk)

A look at why South East theatres are struggling with falling ticket sales this year, what's really driving it, and how venues — and audiences — can help buck the trend.

Nonsense

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? A Deep Psychological & Technical Academic Breakdown

We subjected the world's oldest joke to psychological profiling, structural analysis, and a frankly unnecessary amount of academic rigour. The chicken had reasons. Many, many reasons.

Personal

why being number one ruins mobile games

Why Being Number One Ruins Mobile MMO Games For Everyone Else

You don't need to be top of the leaderboard to enjoy a mobile MMO. Here's why the chase for number one ruins the game for the people who just want to play.
Just one more turn... Gary is a gamer
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Stealing Hours: The Games That Keep Me Sane

From managing Kings Lynn Town to Champions League glory to losing entire nights to Civilisation, here's what I play when life finally gives me a moment to breathe.
Grimsby > Dover > Pontypridd

Why I Write About Grimsby (and Apparently Wales) When I Live in Kent

A wry, personal look at why a man who's lived in Kent for over a decade still writes about Grimsby — and finds himself inexplicably pulled toward a Welsh town he's visited once.