NE Online Magazine Issue 9 by Wayne Groves

Hi Chris and welcome to NE Magazine, for the few readers who must be living in a cave somewhere and don’t know who you are how about giving th em a quick l ow- down o n yourself? - Hello! Can’t help but think I’m writing your interview introduction for you here, oh well… I’m a stand-up comedian from South Shields and I’m also a bit of an actor now and then… but mainly a comedian… that might not come across as well as it should in print form, but I am. So there. At the moment it’s hard not seeing you on the TV when we switch it on as you’re everywhere, but what has been the highlight for you so far? - Not everywhere though am I? If you turn on QVC and I’m selling a frying pan, just assume you’ll find me floating face down in a river very soon. The highlight for me so far was probably being in Hebburn. Since starting comedy I always wanted to try my hand at being in a sitcom too so I was over the moon to do one with my mate and so close to my heart, and I got to work with Vic Reeves. I know you had a bit of a crazy time with fans wanting pics and autographs when you were having a few drinks in a South Shields bar recently, how are you finding this, does it put you off going out? - Not at all. Any person in that position who has been on TV or whatever and people want photos (I’m trying my best not to say celebrity here!) who pretends they hate the attention is a liar. You don’t go for a career on TV because you don’t want anyone to notice you. As long as I’m not eating or having a shit when you want a photo then it’s no problem at all… I meant, like on the toilet, not just in the middle of the dancefloor.

Have you had any weird fan requests or incidents? - Not really. The odd person will show up to a gig with my face on a T-Shirt, or bake me a cake, or send me a dead animal in the post but other than that it’s just photos and autographs. A little kid in Hebburn when we were filming asked me to sign his micro scooter… that was a bit weird. As well as being a bit of a regular on Celebrity Juice, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and 8 out of 10 Cats you are now starring in the North East based sitcom Hebburn, how did that come about? - My mate and fellow comedian Jason Cook decided to write a sitcom about the town he was from, Hebburn, and he actually wrote me a little side part which he named after me. But when it came to being made the BBC asked me to read for the main character, and when I got it, Jason took the part that he’d written for me! It came about so gradually that I didn’t really realise the enormity of being lead role in a BBC2 sitcom until I saw the advert on TV. I nearly passed out. How has the response for Hebburn been so far? - Overwhelmingly positive. And we just won Best Drama at the RTS North awards too. And we’ve got a second series! You are now embarking on your biggest tour to date, how do you feel about this? - Yeah incredible! It’s an extension of my last tour, Feeling Lucky. I did 60+ dates in 2012 but the demand for tickets was so high and people enjoyed the show so much that I’m doing another 40 odd dates this year in much bigger venues. I can’t wait to get back out on the road.

Are there any venues on the tour that you are looking forward to playing or any you’re quite nervous about? - The Theatre Royal in Newcastle. I absolutely can’t wait. I used to watch panto there when I was a kid. I’m

We l c oand m ewelcome N o t e .to NE Hi Chris Are there any venues on the Have you had any weird fan Magazine, for the few readers tour that you are looking SPONSORS requests or incidents? who must be living in a cave forward to playing or any We l c o m e t o t h e J u l y I s s u e - Not really. The odd personCineworld somewhere know you’reBoldon quite nervous about? o f N E . O u r and s u mdon’t mer m ay will show up to a gig with mywww.cineworld.co.uk who about - The Theatre Royal in b e oyou v e rare b uhow t tha t s s tgiving ill not th em a g quick l owNewcastle. I absolutely can’t sto ppin us from g edown t t i n g o u t face on a T-Shirt, or bake me o wait. Gateshead I used to watch panto a n dyourself? a b o u t . J u l y s e e ’s s e v e ra l a cake, or send me a deadThe Sage animal in the post but otherwww.thesagegateshead.org -e vHello! there when I was a kid. I’m e n t s Can’t w o r t hhelp l e a but v i n gthink the I’m h o u swriting e fo r i nyour c l u d iinterview n g E I KO 5 , than that it’s just photos and autographs. A little kid introduction A c o u s t i c M afor g i c , you Ro c khere, fo r in Hebburn when we wereOcean Beach Pleasure Park oh R e f uwell… g e a n dI’m t h ean Tstand-up im and filming asked me to sign hiswww.oceanbeach.co.uk comedian South L u ke s Wafrom cky A n t i c sShields Pa n e l micro scooter… that was a bit and I’mwalso Show h i c ha bit i s aof c tan u a lactor ly now then… b e i n gand film e d fobut r T V,mainly s o g e t weird. Quasar Elite South Shields ay ocomedian… u s e l f o u t that fo r omight n c e anot nd go www.quasarsouthshields.co.uk come a n d s uacross p p o r t as y o uwell r N oas r t hitE a s t As well as being a bit of a regular on Celebrity Juice, should t a l e n t in ! print form, but I am. Never Mind the BuzzcocksFor all queries or if you would So there. and 8 out of 10 Cats you arelike to feature or advertise in We h a v e a fe w At the ann o u moment n c e m e n tit’s s ahard n d enot v e n t s now starring in the North EastNE Magazine email seeing onr w the c o m i n gyou you a y TV t h iwhen s m o n t h based sitcom Hebburn, howcontact@neonlinemagazine.com we s o mswitch a ke s uitr eon y o uasj oyou’re i n u s o n did that come about? everywhere, Fa c e b o o k a nbut d Twwhat i t t e r has s o y o u - My mate and fellow comedian Jason Cook decidedUnless stated otherwise all been for you d o n ’ t the m i shighlight s out! to write a sitcom about thecompetition entries should be so far? town he was from, Hebburn,sent to win@neonlinemagazine. -A s Not a l w aeverywhere y s , i f y o u h though ave am s o mI? e t hIfi nyou g y oturn u w aon n t tQVC o s e e and he actually wrote mecom and frying i n a I’m f u t selling u r e i s sau e t h e npan, d o n ’ t a little side part which he just you’ll fo r g eassume t to dro p u s find a n e me m a i l t o named after me. But when itPlus you can catch up with us floating c o n t a c tface @ n edown o n l i nin e maariver g a z i n e . came to being made the BBC asked me to read for the mainonline for news, events, blogs, very c o m soon. The highlight for character, and when I got it,competitions and more at me so far was probably being Jason took the part that he’dwww.neonlinemagazine.com in Since starting T i l lHebburn. next time written for me! It came about comedy I always wanted to try so gradually that I didn’tFollow us on Facebook my hand Ta ke c a rat e being in a sitcom really realise the enormity- http://www.facebook. too so I was over the moon to of being lead role in a BBC2 do Waone y n e with my mate and so sitcom until I saw the advertcom/pages/N-E-Onlineclose to my heart, and I got to on TV. I nearly passed out. work with Vic Reeves. DESIGNER How has the response for I EDITOR know you& had a bit of a crazy Wayne Hebburn been so far? time withGroves fans wanting pics and autographs when you wayne@neonlinemagazine.com- Overwhelmingly positive. And we just won Best Drama were having a few drinks in at the RTS North awards aDESIGNER South Shields bar recently, too. And we’ve got a second how are you finding this, does series! itJoseph put youArcher off going out? www.josephphilliparcher.co.uk - Not at all. Any person in that archer.joe@neonlinemagazine. You are now embarking on position who has been on TV your biggest tour to date, or whatever and people want com how do you feel about this? photos (I’m trying my best - Yeah incredible! It’s an not to say celebrity here!) CONTRIBUTORS extension of my last tour, who pretends they hate the Ian Berryis Photographer Feeling Lucky. I did 60+ dates attention a liar. You don’t in 2012 but the demand for gowww.ianberry.co.uk for a career on TV because info@ianberry.co.uk tickets was so high and people you don’t want anyone to enjoyed the show so much notice you. As long as I’m not eating or having a shit when Greame Baty Photographer that I’m doing another 40 odd dates this year in much you want a photo then it’s no www.facebook.com/ bigger venues. I can’t wait to problem at all… I meant, like get back out on the road. onGJBPerformancePhotography the toilet, not just in the g.j.baty@gmail.com middle of the dancefloor.

As well as being a bit of a regular on Celebrity Juice, Never Mind the Buzzcocks and 8 out of 10 Cats you are now starring in the North East based sitcom Hebburn, how did that come about? - My mate and fellow comedian Jason Cook decided to write a sitcom about the town he was from, Hebburn, and he actually wrote me a little side part which he named after me. But when it came to being made the BBC asked me to read for the main character, and when I got it, Jason took the part that he’d written for me! It came about so gradually that I didn’t really realise the enormity of being lead role in a BBC2 sitcom until I saw the advert on TV. I nearly passed out. How has the response for Hebburn been so far? - Overwhelmingly positive. And we just won Best Drama at the RTS North awards too. And we’ve got a second series! You are now embarking on your biggest tour to date, how do you feel about this? - Yeah incredible! It’s an extension of my last tour, Feeling Lucky. I did 60+ dates in 2012 but the demand for tickets was so high and people enjoyed the show so much that I’m doing another 40 odd dates this year in much bigger venues. I can’t wait to get back out on the road.

Hi Derek, welcome back to NE Magazine, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s busy busy for you as always then. Now Acoustic Magic, what is that all about? Acoustic Magic this time around is mostly coffee shop and music venue gigs with singer song writers. Setting up places to play for musicians uk and America. And whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the mastermind behind Acoustic Magic, is it just you or are there others involved as well? If so who does what? I put it together with my wife, Melanie and we run the whole thing. When the band split, Clear Blue Skies I was lost and also had an interest in the acoustic world I knew nothing about. I went to find players for the night, which then were in bars and had three or four players a night. Hoping to bring people into empty bars and for players to share a night rather than be alone in the corner of a bar. I was also on a mission then to find a musical partner, which I found.

Acoustic Magic has put on events with quite a few big names in music, how did that come about? I asked the players from the buskers nights who were their influences, they told me and i set up nights for them to support them. Front men of The Seahorses, Dodgy, The Bluetones, The Wonderstuff, Proud Mary, The Inspiral Carpets and some more.

he was reliable i would book him.

If you could get anyone involved with an Acoustic Magic event who would it be and why? I would like Pete Doherty, if

One of your upcoming events is a Chris Helme Acoustic solo gig, tell us a bit more about Chris and about the gig? The gig is The Cart Shed

Do people have to be famous to get on board with Acoustic Magic? If not how can they get involved? I pretty much want people involved who love music. People need to encourage music, so many players now and so view listeners. Support what you do.

coffee shop gig in Acklington Northumberland on the 7th July. Mel took me to see it a few years ago and this we knew would be an ideal venue for music. An old horse and cart shed and it looks amazing. Chris Helme sang for The Seahorses in the 90s. He has always played music as most people who love music do. He is an amazing live performer and this will be the 4th time I play the same night as him. Nice on and off stage, very important. I see you have a few sponsors, do you want to give them a shameless plug? Newcastle Greyhounds and Newcastle Eagles Basketball. Are you looking for new sponsors? If so tell us a bit more and hopefully it could be of interest to some of our readers. It is very important to support each other in life. We are always looking for people to help and to help move on what we do. So what can we expect from you in the coming months? And how can people follow and keep up to date with Acoustic Magic? w w w.fa c e b o o k . co m / acousticmagicc is one of our homes.

Hi Ash, welcome to NE Magazine, you come highly recommended from our very own Photographer Graeme Baty, he says if we should ever feature a North East photographer then we should feature you, how does it feel to be held in such high regard? Hello and thanks for having me, I feel very honoured. So how about you tell us a bit about yourself? I am a full time professional photographer based in Gateshead. You go under the name of ILLA Photography which is an

unusual name, is there any story behind the name? ILLA has different meanings in different languages but the reason I chose this is purely out of respect for my dad who persuaded me to follow this passion/skill of mine on a professional level. If you read ILLA backward it says Ali which is my dad’s name. So how did you get into photography? Since I was a teen. Back then each family had a precious camera and there was always one person who could operate it and was in charge of family photos, that person was me in our family. My uncle

had one of those traditional photo shops and I used to go and help him during summer holidays, that’s how I got into it and realised I have a knack for it. I worked in an animation studio for 6 years as special effect technician which excelled my skills in Photoshop. And what kind of photography do you do? Anything really, from portraits, scenery, commercial, weddings, you name it and I have done it. What kind of images do you prefer to shoot? The ones I haven’t done yet,

like under water photography or capturing thunder storms and lightning. If you could shoot anyone/ any place who/where would it be and why? Marilyn Monroe, New York in 1040â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. I have always had this fascination for Marilyn. What has been your biggest highlight so far? In this career? having one of my images awarded by Flickr. What inspires you with your photography? A lot of things, for example unique ideas, sometimes music. I did a shoot inspired by Silent Hill (the game) so in a way anything that goes on in my life could inspire me. If people need a photographer why should they come to you rather than a friend with a camera? My images are not just what is captured in the camera,a lot of creativity and artistic elements go into it which turns a normal (and sometimes dull) image to

something interesting memorable.

and

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get started in photography? First, learn how your camera works and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean how to operate it, I mean how internal mechanism work together to capture an image, that will be a base to a better understanding of this profession/hobby. Tell us 3 random facts about yourself? 1. My first passion in life is not photography, it is marine reef fish keeping. 2. I am from Persia. 3. My shoe size is 9. Do you have a facebook or a website where people can see your work? Web site: www.illa-photography.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ i l l a . p h o t o g ra p h e ? re f = t n _ tnmn Google +:https://plus.google. com /b/10019171714244011 2905/100191717142440112 905/posts

Anything you would like to add? Not really, just want to thank you for giving me this opportunity. Thank you for sharing your work Ash and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure this wont be the last we see of you here in NE

Downcast Studios present Rock For Refuge, in aid of Stomham womens service. This will be a great start to your weekend, featuring 4 great local punk, rock & indie bands: Minnie, Dirty Rock & Roll, Revolver and Mother Firefly. The whole point of the gig is to raise as much money as possible & to help support local charities such as “Stonham womens service”. Following the success of the first event in April for Newcastle’s Dog and Cat shelter, Downcast Studios have decided to raise money for charities that we feel are sometimes overshadowed by the mass marketing of other larger organizations. Also the charities that we are choosing to help this year are very personnel to us in one way or another and have affected members of our staff in different ways over the years. The service that “Stonham” provide can be crucial to a woman rebuilding her life after the affects of domestic violence, which the majority of times could have been on going for

numerous years unreported and most of the time due to fear of repercussions from the violent partner, this can shatter a persons confidence, as well as being very damaging for any children involved in a violent household. Which is why we feel any help to offer temporary shelter and a way to rebuild a mother and child’s life is a very just worthy cause and we hope to see a lot of people at the event to help support this charity. Rock For Refuge will take place @ The Cluny, 36 Lime Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 2PQ. Friday July 5th 2013, doors open 7pm, £4

admission on the door and all profits go to Stonham Womens Service, Reg No:22981 For more info contact: Phil Davies, Downcast Studios, 69 Park Lane, Gateshead, NE8 3JQ, 0191 4777 411, 07749 379036, downcaststudios@gmail. com, www.downcaststudios. co.uk In association with: Northside Tattooz, 2 The Basement, Bewick Street,Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5EF, 0191 221 0328 & Northern Glory, 8 Upper, Princess Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ER, 0191 232 3467

FEATURED BANDS Minnie Tyneside powerhouse vocalist Minnie is honoured to be headlining this amazing event. This will be a great opportunity for her to showcase her recent band line up changes as well as share some new songs written with new guitarist Erson. Mainly influenced by grunge, rock and punk Minnie has embraced the switch from covers to originals since her debut Junk Saviour EP launch last summer. Comparisons have included Poly Styrene. Minnie is petite, powerful and raw. A must see. Check her out on www.minnie.co.uk Dirty Rock â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Roll Dirtyrockandroll are not for the masses. they are for the few, they are for the few who like their music loud, the few who want to be a part of something new, the few who want music to change and be part of that change. Dirtyrockandroll are nothing more than what you make them. We are dirtyrockandroll and so should you be. Mother Firefly: Amazing Gateshead based grunge rockers Mother Firefly are building up their live profile and are willing to rock anywhere and at any given notice, reknowned for there unbelievable co-operation mixed with a well oiled professional stage show, they WILL rock you... If you want comparisons, Mother Firefly appeal to fansof Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Biffy Clyro, Queens Of The Stone Age, Soundgarden,

Hi Luke and welcome to NE Magazine, so how about telling our readers a bit about yourself? I’m Luke, 23 from South Shields, Magazine journalist student, part time cinema worker and somebody with his foot firmly on the ladder of being a comedian as I’ve been doing stand up for just over two years now. And how did you get into it in the first place? I saw an advert at uni saying do you want to try stand up come to a work shop, went along and a great comedian called Dan Willis was running us and literally said right your first gig is in a week write five minutes and I’ll see you then. And I’ve never looked back. How do you prepare for a gig? I’m at a stage now where I always roughly know what I’m going to do but, I usually just write a list of key words in order and have a go over them in my head.

Do you get nervous before taking to the stage? Always, I think if I ever get stop getting nervous then there will be no fun in it anymore. I use the nerves as an adrenaline rush. How would you describe yourself and your kind of comedy? Very audience participation heavy, confrontational in a charming way, kind of like Jonny Vegas in the early days. What has been your biggest gig to date? I did the fringe last year and every one of those dates felt like a really big deal and something special, other than that every time you play the Stand in Newcastle It’s special. I have done Gav Websters Northumbrian Assembly a few times and that’s a real honour to be asked to do that night. If you could play anywhere in

the world where would it be and why? I’d love to play some of the old theatres, like the Shaftsbury and places like that. I’m not really a fan of arena comedy and I always think comedy works better in smaller venues so for local reasons I would love to do the City Hall or the Customs House. Have you ever been heckled? If so how do you tend to deal with them? Not really, but I think that’s because of my style of comedy as I’m always including the audience so people don’t really get a chance to. You run your own show, can you tell us a bit more about that? Yeah it’s my baby, is Laughterholics. Started it two years ago and the two years we have been going it’s gone from strength to strength. We have had some of the best acts around on, which is a real buzz for me as I get to book people I really look up to and

love watching anyways. Acts like Pat Monahan, Seymour Mace and Gav Webster, it’s only going to keep growing as well I have some big things lined up for Laughterholics. So what made you decide to put on your own show? At first it guaranteed me at least one gig a month which I had to write new material for every month which when your first starting out is good motivation. How can people get involved? If they want to try stand up give me a shout on facebook other than that just come along and enjoy the show. I run all aspects of it myself as that way I always know what’s going on, Who is your favourite comedian and why? That’s a hard one, so I’m going to give you three in no particular order. Russell Brand- As a comedian I think people often over look him due to his persona and the celebrity profile he has, but his first three dvds he put out are some of the best work you will see out there. He has this amazing ability to be talking about puerile stuff one minute then have you really thinking the next. I think He is a genius. Craig Campbell- I would encourage any one to see this short wearing, beard

growing Canadian. You will not see a more friendly yet confrontational act if you try. His story telling is second to none as well, he’s one of those acts that I just look at and think If I could be half as good as you I’ll be alright. Pat Monahan- You could go watch Pat everyday of the year and I could guarantee you it would be a different show. His ability to talk to the audience and use his surroundings to find the funny is something I really look up to and try to do a lot in my set. I once read a review of him that started with “Pat Monahan doesn’t need material” which I agree with but that’s what makes Pat so good as when he does eventually get around to doing routines there just as good as his superb adlibs. When you are not working what do you like to do to relax? Just the normal stuff, have a drink, catch a film spend time with the girlfriend. Where is your favourite place in the North East? The Stand in Newcastle has to be up there, but I’m also partial to a trip down Shields sea front. I think a lot of people take the sea front for granted. If you could work with any one past or present who would it be and why? Russell Brand, like I said before I just think he’s amazing and I would love to spend a few days with him crashing ideas together, I love his unpredictability. Also a big fan of Judd Appataw films and all his regular stars like Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill so doing a film with those guys would be pretty amazing. Any names you can point out as one to watch for the future? Tim Strange, Anth Young, Stephen ‘Frizz’ Frizzle are

the guys I gig with who I am proud to say will definitely do big things. But there’s also a host of established acts out there people who only follow TV comedians should go run to see if they get the chance. Acts like Craig Campbell, Paul Foot, Pat Monhahn, Seymour Mace, Nick Helm, Terry Alderton all those names are worth a youtube. What advice would you give to anyone wanting to get started in stand up? Just do it, the only way you get better is buy writing everyday and gigging as often as you can so stop thinking about it and get in touch with me and I’ll give you your first gig. Tell us 3 random facts about yourself? Big wrestling fan The comedy night on Geordie Shore that they go to is mine I love all things Disney. Where can people follow you and keep up to date with you? Add me on facebook and Laughterholics. What can we expect from you during 2013? I have a few competitions I’m doing and already in the semi finals of one of them so I’m focusing on them. Any last words? Come and see a Laughterholics show if you haven’t done so already, you won’t be disappointed.

Andy Kaufman although he ever said he was a comedianthe man loved doing what he did and was a genius in my opinion. Where is your favourite place in the North East? Stateside Diner or Yankee Doodle Candy it’s like a home away from home for me. If you could work with any one past or present who would it be and why? Andy Kaufman again or Will Ferrell both of them I rate highly. Any names you can point out as one to watch for the future? Luke Milford, Anth Young, Nick Banks, Carl Gillespie, Fran Garrity, Matt Fong- loads of great comedians out there now. Hi Tim and welcome to NE Magazine, so how about telling our readers a bit about yourself? I’m Canadian but live in the North East of England now, love doing comedy or whatever you call what I do. So how long have you been doing stand up comedy for? Dabbled in it a couple years ago but really started it seriously back in September so about 8 months How do you prepare for a gig? I have a drink of black currant and water and relax or joke with my mates if they’re there to get me in the right frame of mind. Do you get nervous before taking to the stage? I get nervous, but I love doing what I do so when I’m up there and messing about the nerves disappear. How would you describe yourself and your kind of comedy? I would say I’m a wild card because I don’t really know

what I’m going to say or do half the time, I’m very spontaneous that’s both in my comedy and in my personal life. What has been your biggest gig to date? I’ve not really had any massive gigs yet, I enjoy doing The Stand Newcastle and Laughterholics in South Shields and Rib Ticklers in Hartlepool- I just love performing in front of 5 or 250 I enjoy it. If you could play anywhere in the world where would it be and why? I would like to play in Calgary Canada or St.Johns Newfoundland so my family and friends could see me. Have you ever been heckled? If so how do you tend to deal with them? Never been properly heckled but I always address situations like interruptions or talking in a friendly fashion- we are all just out to have fun. Who is your favourite comedian and why?

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to get started in stand up? Do it and enjoy it for what it is- don’t take yourself too serious. Tell us your favourite joke? I don’t have one but my wife’s is What Bees make milk? BooBees Tell us 3 random facts about yourself? I used to wrestle I don’t drink alcohol or do drugs I love Penguins. Where can people follow you and keep up to date with you? Tim Strangecomedian on Facebook or @ JustTimStrange on twitter. Website coming soon. What can we expect from you during 2013? Gigging, messing about and loving every minute of it. Anything you would like to add? Thanks for the interview and thanks for reading

www.josephphilliparcher.co.uk

NEED A DESIGN? Business cards Leaflets and Brochures Magazines Information Graphics 07523 331797

so tell us about it? Eiko5 is set to hit Newcastle on Sunday 28th July 2013 at Club LQ. We have one hell of a line up with two title fights as well as some highly talented local fighters. We have Mick Terrill Vs Romy Da Silva competing for the WKF International K1-Rules Title and then Kyle Redfearn Vs Phil Flynn for the EIKO Lightweight Title. So how did you come to be a fight show promoter? To be perfectly honest, I stumbled upon the job. I have watched James and Richard working hard with Eiko and have offered ideas along the way. Whilst these guys do the vast majority of the work I have found myself more and more intertwined with the show. It’s so addictive! I enjoy being a ring girl for Eiko and have even fought k1 on Eiko2 last July but I have to say my biggest highlight is my recent first ever official match up between 2 top standard WMMA fighters for Eiko5.

Hi Helena and welcome to N E Magazine, thanks for taking the time to speak to us. First off lets find a little bit about you? Hi, I’m Helena Donkin, 27, from South Shields I work part time to pay the bills but I have a passion in and around the world of martial arts! I have trained and competed in Taekwondo from a young age then spent just over 2years training and finally competing in mma. I currently work for Eiko and have recently set up my first ever match for the show.

So what is Eiko and how did it come about? Eiko is an mma and k1 show based in the North East of England. It was founded in early 2012 by Richard Ince and James Hanson. Eiko is Japanese and can be translated as ‘glory’. I have been to watch quite a few other shows now and I have to say Eiko stands out. I know It will sound bias but we take pride in treating both our competitors and audience with the utmost respect. Here’s your chance to sell your next event to our readers

Why should people come to Eiko rather than another show? Eiko has never failed to impress. Every show I come across will shout how amazing they are but I find they have holes as they tend to get too big too fast. I have never spoken with anyone who has fought on or attended Eiko who has a bad word to say about us. We go the extra mile to ensure we perfect each show. Top class fight cards are now expected of north east shows. Eiko 1, 2, 3 and 4 are behind us now, we have more than found our feet and Eiko5 has just fallen into place. I’m genuinely amazed and excited about July. This show will be one to watch! People think being a promoter is easy and will make you a fortune, I know that’s not

the case but can you give our readers a rough idea of what you have to go through to put on one show? Like I say, I have nowhere near the hardest job in the team and I still find it increasingly stressful. And yes you’re right, we don’t make a big wage, we do this because we love it! I think that’s why we stand out, we work with passion rather than pound signs in our eyes. Being attached to any show means you constantly have a phone in your hand or a lap top around, you need to be ever ready with information and answers to all questions 24hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s a lot to get used to but its more than worth it and we take so much pride in our work. I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t part of the team now. All members of the team train, compete and work in the industry. This on top of having

qualifications from NVQ to Degree level in areas such as sports management, media, customer service, design, etc means we know our stuff :) Eiko is made by professionals for professionals! If you could have 1 fight on your show featuring anyone in the world who would it be and why? Being who I am I’d have to say I’d always welcome female bouts with open arms! I love that there are now girls in the UFC, I know it will work wonders for WMMA. It’s even gotten my 7 year old daughter into the sport. As for an idyllic match, I think I pretty much have it sorted for Eiko5! The bout between Hayes and Tweet has me literally jumping up and down in excitement! Both these girls are true warriors; I don’t think either of them have even considered a loss on July 28th.

The North East has a lot of other shows, how do you feel about there being so many? Is it a good or bad thing? I think there is always good and bad. Its great for the competitors to be given a huge choice, it means shows have to work hard to look after the guys they have on the shows. At the same time it means I have seen some very silly matches put in the cage. Drop outs always mean there is a struggle for a rematch but I think it should never result on a poor one. The North East is saturated with gyms and guys climbing the ladder, I love that I’m surrounded by what I think is the strongest part of Britain when it comes to mma. I just wish there were more females around here! What is the biggest problem you encounter as a promoter? At the moment, it’s learning when to switch off haha. I speak for myself and all the guys when I say this, I don’t

believe in a half job, I will keep on at a task until it is complete. This has meant huge sacrifices and crazy schedules right across the board. It tends to get a tad hectic! When you are not hard at work how do you like to relax? I do relax but I don’t think my ‘relaxing’ is the same as others. I like to spend time with my partner and daughter, often this involves gyms and martial arts classes.

yourself? 1. I have a crazy love for tattoos 2. I’m a qualified tiler haha 3. I am a former ITF Taekwondo British champion :) So what can we expect from you throughout 2013? As well as working with Eiko and Sub7 I plan to do a lot more ring Girling and alternative modelling. I’m toying with the idea of a GI too, who knows!

How can people follow you and keep up to date with Eiko? Anyone wanting to see what we’re all about can head over to www.eiko.co.uk, you can also find us on Facebook and Twitter! Is there anything you would like to add? Just to say a big thank you to NE Online for speaking with me and I look forward to seeing everyone at future shows.

Schedules and commitments have meant I’ve had to move away from competing for a while, I said forever but.... I do miss it a lot. When I’m not training I tend to be a complete film geek, my house is full of DVDs! Where’s your favourite place in the North East? It will always be South Shields my home town. No matter where I travel to I have never found somewhere as well rounded as it is here. I love living in a beach town in the summer. When I’m feeling full of energy and motivated, every where I turn I have the option of high quality gyms and martial arts instructors. Then when I need to kick back I can walk my dog along the cliffs and beach or take my daughter to the park. It is a brilliant place to be. Tell us 3 random facts about