Hi, I’m Jen, I’m a radio presenter and journalist who has spent more than 25 years talking, writing and occasionally getting overexcited about music for a living.
You can currently hear me on Magic Musicals, where I present Breakfast from 6am-10am Monday to Friday and Sunday afternoons from 3pm-6pm. I’m also on Virgin Radio every Saturday 1am-6am, and Sunday from 2am-6am and 11pm-2am.
Before that, I’ve popped up behind the microphone at Planet Rock, Virgin Radio Chilled, Heart Yorkshire, Magic Radio, Mellow Magic Breakfast and BBC Derby, among others.
Radio is a huge part of what I do, but I’ve actually been a journalist for even longer. Writing, interviewing and asking lots of questions I specialise in music and entertainment journalism, covering everything from celebrity news and interviews to long-form features.
My work has appeared in Metro, NME, Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Rolling Stone UK, LADbible, UNILAD and Tyla, alongside plenty of other places over the years.
I’ve interviewed hundreds of musicians, actors and celebrities, and interviews are still one of my favourite parts of the job. Highlights over the years include Bon Jovi, Bastille, Green Day, Christina Aguilera, Architects and more.
I’m much more interested in having a proper conversation with somebody than working my way through a list of predictable questions.
Outside of entertainment, I write about lifestyle, homes and technology, with bylines including Livingetc and TopTenReviews. I’ve also created commercial and affiliate content for brands and publications including Stylist and GoalMy career began when I taught myself HTML at 13 and built my own online music magazine.
Yes, even on dial-up internet.
I left school at 16 and somehow persuaded the Milton Keynes Citizen to let me do long-term work experience across its news and entertainment desks. From there, I started writing for music magazines including The Fly, Rock Sound and Big Cheese, before going on to work for the likes of AOL and Yahoo.
That teenage obsession with music and journalism eventually turned into an actual career, although I’m not entirely convinced my 13-year-old self would believe me.
I later went back to education and graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a First-class degree in Broadcast Journalism in 2018.
While at university, I threw myself into student radio and ended up winning six Student Radio Awards, including Gold for Best Female Presenter and Best Specialist Presenter.
My documentary When The Music Stops, which explored musicians and mental health, also received recognition at the Student Radio Awards, Broadcast Journalism Training Council Awards and Mind Media Awards.
Since then, I’ve presented music, entertainment and personality-led radio across national and regional stations, as well as working as a podcast presenter, on-camera interviewer and voiceover artist.
I’ve also recorded audiobooks and written biographies for bands along the way.
After more than two decades doing this, the bit I enjoy most hasn’t really changed: finding a good story and working out the best way to tell it.
Sometimes that’s a radio show. Sometimes it’s an interview, feature, podcast or video.
Sometimes it’s asking someone one slightly nosy question and discovering there’s a brilliant story behind the answer.
Looking for a presenter, journalist, interviewer or voiceover artist? Get in touch.
