NE Online Magazine Issue 16 by Wayne Groves

NEW STORY ADDED

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 o m e N o t e . The summer is nearly here and we h a v e 3 p e o p l e fe a t u r e d i n t h i s i s s u e t o help you look amazing, with clothing f r o m C ra i g L u m l e y f r o m R H A , g e t t h a t beach body with Joe Sexton and the S c h o o l O f We i g h t L o s s a n d t h e n f i n a l l y look cool as hell thanks to father and son team Phil and Philly from Red Hot S u n g l a s s e s . W h o s a y ’s w e d o n ’ t l o o k after you. As always, if you have something you want to see in a future issue then d o n ’ t fo r g e t t o d r o p u s a n e m a i l t o wayne. groves@neonlinemagazine.com P l u s r e m e m b e r t o fo l l o w u s o n Fa c e b o o k a n d Tw i t t e r fo r o u r r e g u l a r updates on events and competitions. Till next time Ta ke c a r e Wa y n e

EDITOR & DESIGNER Wayne Groves wayne.groves@neonlinemagazine.com CONTRIBUTORS Ian Berry Photographer www.ianberry.co.uk info@ianberry.co.uk

SPONSORS Cineworld Boldon www.cineworld.co.uk Hall Or Nothing Events www.facebook.com/ hallornothing5511?fref=ts The Sage Gateshead www.thesagegateshead.org Ocean Beach Pleasure Park www.oceanbeach.co.uk Quasar Elite South Shields www.quasarsouthshields.co.uk For all queries or if you would like to feature or advertise in NE Magazine email wayne.groves@neonlinemagazine.com Unless stated otherwise all competition entries should be sent to win@ neonlinemagazine.com Plus you can catch up with us online for news, events, blogs, competitions and more at www.neonlinemagazine.com Follow us on Facebook - www.facebook. com/pages/N-E-Online-Magazine join us on twitter @NEOnlineMag

Greame Baty Photographer www.facebook.com/ GJBPerformancePhotography g.j.baty@gmail.com Jon Dea Photography www.facebook.com/JonDeaPhotography Derek Brettle www.facebook.com/ lastlaughcartoons lastlaughcartoons@gmail.com LeeNemsPhotography www.ne-ms.co.uk

P6 Craig Lumley RHA P13 Snooker Legends P14 Joe Sexton School Of Weight Loss P20 A.R.C. Member Andy Todhunter P28 Capturing the Nightmare with Jon Dea

P40 Cineworld Boldon P50 Red Hot Sunglasses P62 Ric Flair…WOOOOO! P66 Nethermined P75 Stu Armstrong

NEW STORY ADDED P76

SCREEN-CON has firmly established itself as the fan favourite of all the conventions that take place here in the North East. It is a well ran event ran by fans for fans, something that clearly shows. Despite the pressure and bully boy tactics of some of the bigger conventions, SCREEN-CON is back and it is even bigger! Saturday May the 3rd will see the Park Leisure Centre in North Shields invaded by all manner of creatures, monsters and very recognisable people from the world of Sci-Fi and Fantasy., Film and TV, Comics and Books, even the odd Computer Game Character thrown in for good measure. Expect to see all of your favourites from Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Marvel and DC plus a whole hos of characters you may not be so familiar with. One thing that is guaranteed...every one is going to have an amazing time. Doors open at 10am for those with the early bird tickets, those paying on the door will be let in from 11am onwards, but judging from the previous 2 SCREENCONS I would suggest you

get there early to make sure you don’t have to wait ages. Though the one thing that is guaranteed, unlike other supposed “Big Conventions” who shall remain nameless, If you come to SCREEN-CON then YOU WILL ALL GET IN! Granted, you may have to Q for a little while, you won’t be stuck outside in the cold all day. This convention does actually look after it’s fans and will make sure you are not left waiting for hours.

The line up for SCREEN-CON 2014 is looking fantastic. They have some great guests in attendance, all wowing the crowds with photo’s, autographs and some good banter. You will have to pay extra for autographs but you won’t be charged silly money for them and you won’t have

to pay more for a photo and you will not be herded through like cattle only there to fill someones bank balance. As I said earlier, this is a convention ran by a fan for the fans. So this issue will introduce you to the guests appearing at this May’s SCREEN-CON as well as showcase last years SCREAM-CON which was held at the Park hotel last October. We will have the winner of the Horror Short Story Competition plus we will be showing off the photo’s that you all sent in from SCREAMCON with prizes going to our favourite photos. It is time to wet your appetite and get you all excited for Saturday May the 3rd and the return of SCREEN-CON 2014...I can’t wait!

Rising High in the fashion scene is North East entrepreneur Craig Lumley, one of the men making the people of the North East look good. Hi Craig and welcome to NE, can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself? Hi Wayne, thanks for having me! Well I’m known as Craig Lumley, tender age of 30yrs old and from South Shields, I’m the co-founder of Rise High Apparel (RHA) for short!

made you start it up? It has Wayne, we are going from strength to strength here in the north east and we’re starting to turn heads

RHA has been a big success here in the North East, what

What has been the hardest part of doing it so far? To be fair it’s all hard work, you can’t take your foot of the pedal! Always having to think ahead and look for the next big idea.

So you are one of the guys behind RHA, can you tell us some more about that and what RHA is? Rise High Apparel is an emerging brand of bespoke streetwear. Drawing inspiration from the laidback attitude of skating and surf culture, the message is simple....”Be yourself and feel good”

I asked Chris (the lad from RHA) if he fancied doing some design work for me, one little conversation and several months later RHA was born!

And what has been highlight for you?

the

One for the highlights for me was being entered into South Tyneside Entrepreneur Awards this year, so finger crossed Wayne! further afield which is exciting but nerve wrecking too. RHA came about when

How would you describe your brand to people who are still unaware of it?

Laid back, big designs! Visit our website www. risehighapparel.com if you haven’t seen us you’re missing out! You have recently got involved with a few of the top local MMA fighters with James “The Juggernaut” Mulheron, Colin “Freakshow” Fletcher and Alex Enlund with RHA even designing limited edition walkout tops for James and Colin, how did all of this come about? Yes we have and it’s great working with the lads, true professionals of their sports!

We just wanted to give them a way of expressing themselves outside the cage. It’s great for RHA having the likes of James, Coiln and Alex working with us, it helps us grow the brand! We’ve recently started working with Adam “love doctor” Proctor who’s part of Alex’s team down at Sixth Sense MMA, he’s a young and upcoming pro fighter. Also we’ve jump on board with Made 4 The Cage and started producing t-shirts for their shows, they are fantastic to work with and always put on a great show. If you could see your label on anyone famous past or present

who would it be and why? Tough one to answer! Maybe David Beckham or James Bond haha, I dunno, just anyone that feels comfortable wearing RHA! Would be great to see a style icon wearing us, it’ll happen one day. When you are not busy taking over the fashion world what do you like to get up to in your spare time? I try to get along to M4TC academy and Juggernaut fitness to learn MMA and get fit! But mostly I try to spend time with my family, little trip away here

and there, canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t beat it! Where can people follow RHA and keep up to date with new releases? By following us on Social media or visiting our website! Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty more to come from RHA, so get following us to find out! Facebook www.facebook.com/ risehighappareluk Twitter @RiseHighApparel

SNOOKER LEGENDS Who fancy’s playing a frame of snooker against 2 legends of the sport? Here is your chance to play against “The Whirlwind” Jimmy White and Dennis Taylor with Special Guest Referee Michaela Tabb. The date is Saturday November 7th and the venue is the Byker and St Peters Social Club, Commercial Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE62EH. Tickets are £50 Vip including early entry with a meet & greet, table side seating, food and Waitress service. £20 standard event entry only. Tickets go on sale Monday June 1st at 8am from www.nesportingevents. co.uk on a first come first served basis, no reservations. For more info conttact Lee Bellerby 07908221215 or email info@nesportingevents.co.uk You can also keep up to date via social media... Facebook NORTH EAST sporting events And Twitter @Leebellerby_d16 www.nesportingevents.co.uk

SNOOKER

School dinners have never tasted so good...well, as long as you go to the School of Weight Loss! Read on to find out how you can enroll. Hi Joe and welcome to NE. When it comes to fitness and weight loss you are the name everyone recommends so it is about time we got to know more about you? Joe Sexton, 25 (I had to think about it there) South Shields and I’m a weight losss expert soon to be daddy. You have a fantastic new Online Program that you are offering at the moment, tell us a bit more about that? I have an online program which I run. I have kept it pretty small up until now but looking to grow it. It’s £12.99

a month (a minimum 3 month sign up) so fairly cheap for everything you get in it. You get cookbooks, home workouts, coaching calls from me, full meal plans etc, basically everything a personal trainer does without seeing them and for much cheaper, that way you can do everything when it suits you and in your own time. If you are interested or want more info just drop me a message quoting NE Online Magazine. Is this suitable for beginners and easy to do? We designed it with beginners

in mind. We know how hard it is to start exercising when you haven’t done any in a long time so we made sure it was accessible to complete beginners. The good thing about the workouts is that people who are super fit can put a little more effort into them and have just as good of a workout as the beginners. Will they need any equipment or anything to get started or can they just sign up and start straight away? No equipment needed. Most of the videos are filmed in my front room or small office. I

It’s a company that helps people all over the world (literally) look and feel better than they have ever done before without ever feeling like they are on a strict diet. We promote a lifestyle change. We have two classes that run in South Shields and an ever growing online program for people who want to work with us from all over the world.

done this to prove the workouts can be done at home with minimal space. So how did you get started in fitness and weight loss? I always had an interest with fitness in School so decided to take sport and exercise studies when I went to college. I then did all my fitness qualifications and started working in a gym learning from as many people in the industry as possible. I started specialising in weight loss, as I understand how the client feels. I have been 3.5 stone over weight in the past and know what it’s like going through that journey. It’s really not easy and many super fit trainers seem to forget that.

could of made) You are the man behind the School of Weight Loss, how did that all come about? I wanted to stand out from the crowd a little and do something a little bit different. Education is very important when it comes to getting healthy and in shape so I make sure that not only do my clients get exercise sessions, they get recipes, cooking tips, home workouts (homework), hand in food diaries and learn tips and tricks on how to live a healthy lifestyle. So what exactly is the School of Weight Loss and what are your aims?

It is a very competitive market, but why should people come to you instead of some of the other people out there? Last week I asked “How much do you pay for your personal trainer and what do you get for that money you’re paying” on the School of Weight Loss Facebook page. We want to make sure we give out a lot more and a lot higher quality content in even our cheapest programs than most personal trainers give to their £30 a session clients. None of the answers of what people receive come close to what we offer. We get amazing results because we have so many very tasty recipes and meal plans that come with our packages that you cannot fail if you follow them. I know myself when I diet that it can be pretty boring when you have to eat certain foods, what help can you give to dieters to help them keep going? Like I said above, our recipes taste amazing. I was finding

And how have you found it working in an industry that is always full of fads and miracle cures? Every month something new is coming out that promises the world. I tell my clients that if it was that good, I would advise them to take it as I want the best possible results for them all. I once got offered the chance to sell a very popular fad product before anyone had even heard of it and said no. The people who launched it up in the North East went on to make A LOT of money. I don’t regret saying no at all (If I don’t think about the money I

me feeling horrible and getting huge. That’s also one of the reasons I made sure the healthy food we give out tastes good. Eating salads every day would lead me to shove pizza down my throat all day and night. You recently teamed up with The Momotaj in South Shields to offer healthy options, what has the response been like so far? ** Amazing. Who doesn’t want a healthy curry? You don’t feel horrible the next day and the best thing is it doesn’t taste ‘healthy’. It’s like you’re having a real dirty takeaway. We have had nothing but good reviews from it Any other team ups planned? Yes. We have recently teamed up with Take a Bite in South Shields. They started off as a normal Sandwich shop but now they serve meals straight from one of our cookbooks. They are packed everyday with people eating School of Weight Loss food so it helps to spread the brand a little bit more.

dieting very boring myself so decided to step the game up and make every single recipe we give to our clients taste amazing. I trained with a runner up on Master Chef the Professionals as well as learning from some of the very best chefs at Jesmond Dene House. The food got so popular that I was invited to a food festival to cook some of it in front of a crowd (One of the scariest things I’ve ever done in my life) Do you have any tips to help someone to stick to their diet? Make food taste good, don’t put pressure on yourself and remember that feeling that made you want to diet in the

first place. Oh and don’t do any crazy fad diets. You often release recipes and even your own cook books, how much work goes into them? A lot! I thought making a cookbook was going to be easy but it really isn’t. Thankfully my Girlfriends mam loves cooking healthy food so she helped me a lot. We now have 3 cookbooks that we give our clients or sell on our website. What do you hate about dieting? I LOVE junk food. I mean love it. I would eat it every single day if I could but sadly when I have in the past it has led to

Seeing some of the before and after results on your facebook page is very impressive, how do you feel when you see them? They literally make my day. Last week I got a message of a women who had been following the cookbooks and workout dvd she bought from us over a year ago. She had dropped something like 6 stone and looked like a new person. It reminds me why I’m in this job and why I love it so much. If you could work with anyone who would it be and why? I have worked with some of the best the fitness professionals the UK has to offer but right now it would have to be the crazy mofo CT Fletcher. I Love him. He has to be one of the most motivating trainers in the world right now. Who’s going to quit with him screaming at you. We have been lucky enough to

would fall off. I think I need to get over that fear very fast. I know what an amazing feeling it is so I am really excited for you both, it will be the best thing to happen to you. I know, I treat my little dog like a child so I can’t imagine the love I will have for my actual child. Tell us 3 random facts about yourself? I tried my hand at stand up comedy and found out the hard way I wasn’t very funny. I fought MMA when I was 18. Again, I wasn’t very good at either. train some Celebrities at School of Weight Loss. The latest was Comedian Chris Ramsey. He really surprised me with how hard he was willing to work during training sessions. He’s the only client I’ve ever worked with who openly breaks wind during workouts too. I thought it was about time I named and shamed him for that.

loss challenge and it went viral. Within a week, 180 thousand people joined and it was mental. I have no idea how it happened. I woke up one morning expecting to see a few hundred had joined and 50 thousand had instead. It didn’t stop rising for days. We helped a lot of people lose a lot of weight in that challenge so it couldn’t have went any better.

You are known for your own workout dvds, but how do you feel about a lot of these celebrity dvds that are churned out every other month by people like members of Geordie Shore? People enjoy them and if they followed them, they probably would see some good results. The thing is most of the celebrities who do them didn’t get in shape by doing those exercises. They probably trained twice daily with a Personal Trainer in a kitted out gym. That’s what I don’t like about them.

When you are not working what do you like to get up to in your spare time? I’m so lazy in my spare time. One of the perks of my job is I decide the hours I work so I make sure I fit in a nap every single day. I have started boxing again so that’s something I’m working really hard on. I’m looking to compete in about a years time. Right now I’m just getting my face punched off every session. It’s as fun as it sounds (Not very)

What has been the best moment for you? Last year we did a free online fat

I used to run a pub crawl that was very successful. I quit after the headline on the Sky website read ‘Ambulance called to fitness gurus night out.’ Where can people follow you and keep up to date with you? At our School of Weight Loss Facebook page - https://www. facebook.com/joesextonfatloss Is there anything you would like to add? If any one has any questions or needs a little bit extra help getting in shape, drop me an email on admin@sowl.co.uk and I will be happy to help you with anything you are stuck on. Well thank you for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to talk to us, I look forward to checking back with you once Baby Sexton arrives Thanks NE! <3

A big congratulations to you and your partner as you are expecting your first child soon, I bet you both can’t wait? I have never been so excited for anything in my life. We both can’t wait and want nothing more than a little Sexton running about. I am a little nervous though. One of my best friends recently had a baby boy and I was asked if I wanted to hold him. I said no as he looked so little and fragile I was literally scared his head

A.R.C. TOP SECRET FILES

A.R.C. MEMBER 002 Andy Todhunter 20

A.R.C. MEMBER 002 - Andy Todhunter Each issue we will be delving into the Top Secret Files of A.R.C. and introducing you to their members, this issue we catch up with Andy Todhunter Welcome to NE, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Hi my names Andy Todhunter, im 47 from Newcastle Upon Tyne, and work as an Electrical Technician building Rov’s/Submersible Vehicles for the Oil & Gas Industry. What characters have our readers seen you as so far, even if they didn’t realise? So far I’ve been a :Stormtrooper, Sandtrooper, and Maverick from Top Gun How did you get started in costuming? I’ve all ways been into Star Wars / SciFi Movies and also collecting and building movie props etc.

After seeing a local costuming group at a local show I just had to join up and be a part of the fun. Costuming not only takes up your time but also a lot of money, tell us your thoughts on this? Yes costuming can take up a lot of your spare time and money, but for me its great fun and great

comradery within our club, where we all help each other out and muck in as between us all there’s lots of people with different skills which comes in handy. It’s also about the social side of things as well for me as it can be a good laugh on overnight trips away to events where everyone gets together. It can also get very expensive to put some of these costumes together, but most of the shows we do are to help raise money for various charities so it makes it all worthwhile. If you could bring any character to life who would it be and why? It would have to be a Halo Master Chief, I just love the awesome body armour.

1 I love 80s Retro Arcade Games. 2 Prefer Beer to Lager 3 I once drove a Supercar around Le Mans Racing Circuit Star Wars is back this year, tell us your thoughts? Star Wars is going to be huge again this year, and no doubt hopefully it will break all box office records again. Superheroes are the mainstream now with so many movies and TV shows, is this good or bad and why? Everyone loves a Superhero, especially at the conventions we go to, as there’s usually loads of various different ones. The Marvel Superheroes are so popular now and looks amazing when they’re all kitted up together.

Out of all of your costumes which is your favourite and why? I would have to say my Sandtrooper as ever since I was little and seeing them on the big screen for the first time I was in awe and that’s stuck with me ever since. What event/moment in costume stands out the most for you? To meet and chat to Darth Vader himself. Dave Prowse has to be my all-time favourite moment, he’s such a really nice guy to talk to, a proper gentleman. I also got to work for Disney and Lucas Films at the Glasgow Starwars Episode VII Movie Auditions in Glasgow.

Conventions are well known for having big name guests, who would you like to meet and why? Another of my all-time favourite movies is Top Gun and would love to meet Tom Cruise. I’m also a big fan of Red Dwarf and have already met a few of the cast but have yet to meet the Smeghead himself Craig Charles (Dave Lister). Have you had any funny or embarrassing incidents? Trying to go to the toilet in Stormtrooper Armour is quite a challenge and you get some funny looks lol. Tell us 3 random facts about yourself?

What is your biggest pet hate when at events? I would have to say Troopers who take their helmets off in public is a definite no no, it spoils the illusion. What advice would you give to anyone that wants to get

involved in costuming? Best thing to do is if you are interested just come along to one of the shows and have a chat with the groups they are all a friendly bunch. That way you can see all the different kinds of armour/costumes up close. Then join your local costuming group who can advise you on what kind would fit you best and can point out the good and bad points of all the different kinds, as it can turn into a costly hobby. What can we expect from you during 2015? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m currently working on a

Halo Master Chief with a remote Jet Pack complete with smoke machine and lights.

Ashington on Sunday 19th July https://www.facebook.com/ events/274981369372721/

Where can people follow you and keep up to date with A.R.C. events and appearances? You can find us at :Arc Fan Base on Facebook https://www.facebook. com/pages/ARC-FanBase/597869596977108?fref=ts and https://www.facebook.com/ groups/1016183225067844/

Well thanks for taking the time to talk to us and we will see you at the next event.

Or come along and say hello at Woodhorn Invasion 6 in

CAPTURING THE NIGHTMARE

with jon dea photography We catch up with North East Photographer and convention regular Jon Dea, the Cosplay, Fantasy and Model specialist.

Hi Jon and welcome to NE, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great to finally get you in the magazine for a feature rather than just your great images. How about starting things off telling our readers a little bit about yourself? Jon Dea, age 43. Born in Stockton on Tees now based in Middlesbrough after living in Sedgefield for years. I am a full time photographer that covers weddings, model portraits and all aspects of commercial work, but I found a real passion for fantasy art

that led me to work at sci fi events.

the Official Photographer of the event

We have featured your work on several occasions, mainly for conventions you have been covering like ScreenCon and Teesside Unleashed, how did you get involved with that side of things? I spoke to Al the organiser of screen con about covering his events and he agreed, after the first he said my Images stood out far beyond others and since then I have been

You are going to be the official photographer for ULTRA CON 2015 later in the year, how did that come about? After I covered Yorkshire Cosplay Con I was given details of Ultra Con and told to look at working that. After my Images from Y.C.C. were posted out I was asked by so many people could I do Images of them and was I going to Ultra con. I later got speaking

photography? I was recovering from having a back operation and was out walking around Peasholme Park in Scarborough taking Images as everyone does on their mobile phone. I later uploaded a few and one of a water fall A photographer asked me what camera I have used, when I said it was just my phone I was told if you can take Images like that on a phone you have a photographers eye. I then borrowed cameras till I could afford one myself and read about 60 photographic books. I visited my friends studio in London often and also met up with as many other photographers as I could to try to Improve my work. What was your aim when first starting out? I knew from the start I wanted to make this my new career but avoided weddings and events and tried to focus on nature and street photography. This soon changed as I fell in love with lighting and modelling. I won a few TV and website competitions and got asked to join a few photographic clubs but soon learnt I was not wanting to be that sort of photographer. My aim is to please the subject I am working with not a judge.

to Rob the organiser and we agreed to my being one of the Official Photographers. What aspect of ULTRA CON are you looking forward to? Rob really understood my style and how it’s based on model photography. He told me of the film style sets they are building and the props such as the Transformers vehicles and Batmobiles. I am really looking forward to how I can use these to create new Images

only kind you do, tell us a bit more about the other kinds of work you do? My main area of photography is weddings and I have turned my personal website over to just this. Probably makes sense when so much of my other work is vastly different. I also do child and family portraits and even pets Images. Local council Jobs often come up to cover events such as Xmas markets too.

Event photography isn’t the

So how did you get started in

Are there any photographers who have/still inspire you? Frank Doorhof is one of my all time favourite photographers and I am happy to have befriended him and able to chat with him often. Other photographers I follow range from New Digital Artistic such as Joel Grimes, long time pro’s such as Joe Mcnally and Artistic Photographers such as Jan Saudek What is your biggest pet hates when it comes to photography or other photographers? My biggest hate in photography is gear, just when you update your equipment something new and better

comes out and your £2000 Camera just lost half its value. Other photographers often can be a problem at weddings and events. Shooting over your shoulder is a bad practice that often happens, at weddings we call it the ‘Uncle Bob syndrome’ (this is where a guest thinking he is the photographer, gets in the way and holds you up all the time). At events often when I am setting up shoots other people will want to get in on this as well. Personally I feel you should generate your own Images not steal others Ideas. As I find many photographers are untrained and don’t

follow a moral code of practice, never more so can this be said than at Whitby Goth Weekend. This can be acting rudely towards people, not showing them the Images they take or offering to say where they are displaying etc. I feel it is important to hold up good morals and etiquette. You have recently become involved with Scream Factory, can you tell us a bit more about that and what you will be doing together? Yes, the scream factory Teesside is a live action horror experience that holds events where you become part of the experience. They build sets and use actors to play out horror characters which is to immerse you into the setting and scare the pants off you. I was asked about creating some Images and working with their sets they had built and also the future ongoing plans to expand the experience. Has horror always been a big thing for you? I am not big on slasher movies but Zombie films were a huge part of my teenage years, George Remero defo cost me a small fortune in videos, posters and T shirts. I really loved the Evil dead trilogy and was happy to recreate some of this as part of the shoots. I really enjoy the walking dead now and America Horror story. Horror can be a really visual thing, is that why you working with Scream Factory? I think when I saw the sets I was like a kid in a sweetshop and Ideas just popped in my mind. I was really happy they gave me free range to do whatever I wanted to do with it. What is the best part about doing these horror shoots? My love of clowns really helps and I guess the way I find people reacting to the Ideas with shock even before I have done the Images.

and done a portrait of that man. I always respected him for being able to make people laugh even when he was just poking fun at the truth about any situation. When you are not busy behind the lens what do you like to get up to? Me and Nicole are pretty much turning into Tom and Barbara from the good life TV show, digging up all the garden to grow vegetables and feeding the chickens. Don’t worry I have not given up on the rock and roll lifestyle as we are both musicians as well and I write a lot of music. What shocks people most is we don’t own a TV but rather watch just a few films and shows on computer when we have free time. I like this lifestyle best as we get to control what we do and not driven by timetables. Tell us 3 random facts about yourself? Little known fact, I am a fire performer and due to time restrictions I only now perform at Whitby Goth Weekend’s Sexy Sunday I hold many Black Belts of different Martial Arts and was granted status of a Taoist Monk My first pet was a goldfish called penny chew . Where can people follow you and keep up to date with what you are doing? www.facebook.com/ JonDeaPhotography www.jondeaphotography.co.uk

What kind of shoots/projects have you got lined up with them? So far I have done an Evil Clown in a mineshaft and other areas, a Psycho Nurse torturing a guy and later burning in hell, an evil dead tribute which was the most challenging and a creepy doll. Other shoots in planning involve a series of twisted fairy tale characters and other horror situations.

What would be your dream shoot and who would it be with? I would love to shoot Rob Zombie (as well as play guitar for him) and have a set built like the house of a 1000 corpses with Dr Satan. If you could shoot with anyone, past or present, who would it be and why? So many I could chose but probably be George Carling as I would have loved to meet him

w w w . f l i c k r . c o m / photos/69043684@N06 Is there anything you would like to add? Just that I’m looking forward to working with you on other projects … Thank you for taking the time to talk with us and we look forward to catching up with you at the next event

jon dea photography

jon Dea Yorkshire Cosplay con I was offered to do the official Images for Yorkshire Cosplay con after speaking with the organiser of the event. I have covered many events before, but was not prepared for the amazing turn out and the scale of the venue. Magna a science museum built around the old steel factory provided me with some great locations for images. The long corridors were often packed full of people but I used selective lighting, which is a modelling technique to isolate my subjects. I have had many reports from people that they have not had images taken this way and were pleased I have made the effort for them. I wish I could have done more, but it was slow going with so many visitors to battle my way through. I will be attending an event at the same venue in September called Ultra Con. I think my past experience from this venue will help me in building my portfolio of cosplay work.

jon dea photography

June is a big month for us with some fantastic films coming your way, so we have teamed up with Cineworld Boldon to give you a quick run down on a few films that reall have got us excited. Plus make sure you check out their Facebook page to keep up to date with their daily competitions and updates. www.facebook.com/cineboldon

Jurassic World Released 11th June Pre-booking now - book online: http://www2. cineworld.co.uk/whatson/ jurassic-world Starring - Irrfan Khan, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Chris Pratt, Vincent D’Onofrio, Omar Sy, Nick Robinson

The dinosaurs return to wow a whole new audience in spectacular thrill-

ride Jurassic World. The dinosaurs at Isla Nublar’s Jurassic World theme park have been pulling in the crowds, and the island has recently unveiled its new attraction, a brand new, lab-created dinosaur named the Indominus Rex. The aim is to boost flagging visitor numbers. But the newly created hybrid creature - bigger and deadlier than any dinosaur that ever lived - escapes, endangering the lives of everybody on the island. This dino-sized prehistoric

adventure promises to wow a whole new generation with its awesome CGI effects. Guardians of the Galaxy’s Chris Pratt takes the lead role of behavioural scientist Owen, with Bryce Dallas Howard as the park’s no-nonsense operations manager Claire Dearing and Vincent D’Onofrio as head of security Vic Hoskins. In the director’s chair this time round is Colin Trevorrow, who gave us acclaimed independent sci-fi rom-com Safety Not Guaranteed.

Minions Released 26th June Pre-booking now - book online: http://www2. cineworld.co.uk/whatson/ minions Starring- Sandra Bullock, John Hamm Synopsis - The hilarious little helpers finally get their own movie in this eagerly anticipated spinoff adventure. Since the

dawn of time, the Minions have served a variety of masters - the dinosaurs, the Ancient Egyptians, Dracula. Unfortunately, due to their bumbling nature, the Minions have inadvertently bumped off each and every one of them! Fast-forward to the 1960s and the Minions are looking for a new master to serve. Their quest brings them to New York, where they discover the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first female supervillain, Scarlett Overkill (voiced by

Sandra Bullock). It seems that the Minions have finally found who they are looking for. Since they first appeared in the smash-hit Despicable Me movies, the Minions have become some of the most popular animated characters of all time with their loveable nonsense language and fondness for chaos. Now they finally get a movie all to themselves. The excellent vocal cast includes Gravity superstar Sandra Bullock and Mad Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jon Hamm.

How about an exclusive Unlimited screening of Entourage on 8th June at 20.15 Entourage details: http://www2.cineworld. co.uk/whatson/ entourage-unlimitedscreening?cinema=boldontyne-and-wear&date=all Entourage - Starring - Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Jeremy Piven

Exclusive Unlimited only preview - The cult TV show about A-list actor Vincent Chase and his entourage of friends makes the jump to the big screen. Movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) is about to direct his first film, with the help of agent-turned-movie head, Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Gold secures the $100 million budget from Texas billionaire Larsen McCredle (Billy Bob Thornton) and his son Travis

(Haley Joel Osment). But Chaseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s film soon goes overbudget and Gold realises his studio is in trouble with only its first movie... Four years on from the final episode of the award-winning HBO series, the boys are back with their own celebrity entourage in tow. Among

the stars making a cameo as themselves are Jessica Alba, Liam Neeson, Piers Morgan, Pharrell Williams, Armie Hammer, Kelsey Grammer, Calvin Harris, Emily Ratajkowski, George Takei, Gary Busey and of course, the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s producer, Mark Wahlberg.

Unlimited Card Love Cinema. Join the club - £16.40 a month. You will receive... Preferential Discounts Unlimited members get 10% off all food and drink bought in-cinema at any time of day, every day!* Plus, you’ll also receive discounts for all nonfilm screenings such as Live Opera in HD, Live National Theatre, Live sport in 3D and live gigs etc. (All discounts subject to terms) Get access to Exclusive advance screenings

As an Unlimited member, you can be among the first to see great movies at our special screenings. Just keep an eye on our Unlimited newsletter for your invitation. Discounted Meals & Shopping Unlimited members benefit from exclusive deals set up by their local cinema*. These offers vary from cinema to cinema, but are a great way to save pennies. (All deals are subject to terms) *Until further notice

Watch as many films as you like Are you mad about movies? Feed your fascination by watching as many films as you like at Cineworld every month from just £16.40. There’s literally no limit to the number of times you can visit! Apply for your card now at www.unlimitedcineworld. com/uk/pages/apply. aspx?step=1 using promo code RAF-63KG-29XM-00SB31WU.

Stepney Bank Tyres

Stepney Bank Tyres New and part worn Punctures and balancing 0191 2322062 Or 07557797443 Credit and debit cards taken Byker, Newcastle, NE1 2NP

We speak to the Father and Son team behind North East fashion firm, Red Hot Sunglasses. The Food Dood himself, Phil and his Son Philly. Hi guys and welcome to NE, how about a quick introduction from you both? Hello, Father and Son team, Phil and Philly from www. redhotsunglasses.co.uk here! So you are the driving force behind a company called Red Hot Sunglasses, but you are a father and son team, tell us a bit more about that, how easy is it to work with each other? No, we hate each other and

don’t speak outside of work! Ha, seriously – We’ve worked together for years, so we’re both very much used to each other. There were a few chairs flying round the office in the early days though! Who came up with the idea for Red Hot Sunglasses? Well, we used to run a successful wholesale import company for over 10 years selling cheap sunglasses

to most of the high street stores; Debenhams, River Island, TopShop, NEXT etc…We started to do a lot of research and development on designer sunglasses to try and find the latest trends that would translate well to the high street and after a while we noticed that there wasn’t a fantastic offering online from any sunglasses stores. We spotted the gap in the market and set up RHS. When you started off in 2010 did you have any idea you would be as successful as you are now? It’s been a funny old struggle to get where we are; Changes in Website builders, google penalties, investment buyouts etc…There have been many obstacles in our way. But we think we’ve finally got it right, and can push forward to make the business a great success. It’s a really fun place to work

and we don’t take ourselves too seriously. So who has what role in the company? Phil – I’m the big cheese and oversees everything is running smoothly and that we’re making money Philly - And I do all of the marketing and paid advertising. We’re a small team of 9 fulltime; Content writers, IT and merchandising and up to 6 parttime in the warehouse. But everyone pretty much mucks in with most jobs when needed. I hate buying sunglasses to suite me so you were a big help when I got some from yourselves, do you have any top tips for any of our readers who might be thinking of buying some new sunglasses? People have a real fear of just trying them on! It’s whatever

you feel comfortable in really. However, Round faces should try and go for a wider square frame and square faces should stick to round and oval frames, like aviators. Oblong faces should really stick to squarer frames. The summer is here so what recommendations can you make, what are the must have glasses

right now? Ray-Ban Wayfarers and Aviators have become a cool staple in

recent years. This year we’ve seen trends move towards round frames and coloured lenses. Some of the new Oakley lifestyle sunglasses are excellent and we have a great new women’s range called Wildfox, they’re pretty wild. You

are

always

running

competitions on your facebook page and some have been pretty crazy, what has been your favourite one and why? My personal favourite will be one that hasn’t happened yet. We’re celebrating our 5th Birthday with a Red Hot Chicken Wing eating competition!!! That should be fun. I’ve tried the sauce too. It will blow your head off! Have you got or had any famous clients that you can tell us about? Hmmmmm, Scotty T from Geordie Shore was in last week buying some Cazal frames and Eamonn Holmes loves his Persols, haha. We’ve had a few footballers buying in bulk too. So Phil, I have to ask, The Food Dood, TripAdvisor’s most prolific critic, how did that all come about? With our old wholesale business we used to travel a lot. All over Europe in fact. I started adding reviews as a bit of a hobby as I always use Trip Advisor when we we’re in a new city. I never meant it to become so big. But they contacted me at the end of 2013 and told me I had won an award for being the most prolific reviewer in the world. You became a bit of a celebrity over this, did you not want to take it further as a critic or even to venture into new territory? Yes, I’ve had a few TV offers and a

screen test but nothing really came of it. There are still a few PR agencies asking me to work with them on various projects. Are you still The Food Dood or has he retired? I have set up my own website w w w. t h e f o o d d o o d . c o m which is where all of my reviews can be accessed in one place. Have you had any embarrassing or funny moments when you have been dining out because of being The Food Dood? Philly – I was once given

someone else’s sweet potato fries at a restaurant as they thought I was my Dad and were worried as they were the last portion and didn’t want to upset me! I just played along. When you are not hard at work what do you both like to do with your spare time? Phil goes walking with his partner Michelle they love to get away for small breaks abroad. We watch a lot of football together and enjoy going out with friends and family. Spending time with my 3 kids is my favourite thing to do.

The boring stuff in life, really. So you were at Marvel’s Avengers Age of Ultron Triple Bill at Cineworld Boldon last month decking out the Avengers in your sunglasses, how did that go? It was a great event. I was so impressed with the effort that had gone into the costumes and the guys were really forthcoming when we asked them for a few photos wearing the frames. The only downside was falling asleep after 15 minutes of the premiere! Being a bit of a geek Philly, I have to ask, Marvel or DC?

train and not eating pizzas! I love pizza. I do treat myself now and again.

Marvel films, DC comics. Is that allowed? Who is your favourite Superhero and why? Toughy, I’d have to be boring and go with Batman. Just because he’s the world’s greatest detective! This was a bit of fun promo for you, have you got anything else lined up that you can tell us about? As mentioned. The Chicken Wing Challenge. We also have a collaborative competition we’re running with local transformation centre Elite Physique Fitness. It’s a get fit for summer competition. Free training to get your beach body and some sunglasses to look good in while pumping iron on the beach!

You’ve gone through quite a transformation recently Philly, with training and your diet, how has that been? Yeah, I was at a friend’s wedding last September and someone took a photo of me on the beach. Needless to say it wasn’t very flattering! So as soon as I got back I decided to get back into shape. I joined Elite Physique Fitness and there famous 6 week transformation course. If you lose 20lbs in 6 weeks it’s totally free! I lost 27lbs in total and carried on training in their Fat Loss Camp. I’ve now lost a total of 4st 7lbs with about half a stone to go until my target. What has been the hardest aspect of it for you? Getting up at 5:30am to go and

What advice would you give for anyone else wanting to lose weight or get fit? It’s all about consistency. Train hard and eat right. But allow yourself a blow out now and again. Also don’t beat yourself up if you’ve had a bad day/week/ month. It’s a marathon not a sprint. Where can people follow you and keep up to date with all things Red Hot Sunglasses? We’re all over social media. www.facebook.com/ RedHotSunglasses www.twitter.com/RHSunglasses https://instagram.com/ redhotsunglasses/ www.redhotsunglasses.co.uk Is there anything you would like to add? Thanks for interviewing us. Well thank you for taking the time to chat with us and we look forward to seeing lots more from Red Hot Sunglasses.

RED HOT SUNGLASSES 5th BIRTHDAY

When we first interviewed Phil and Philly at Red Hot Sunglasses it was a week before their 5th Birthday, as mentioned, they had planned the Red Hot Chicken Wing Challenge to mark the occasion. The way it would work was simple; they cooked a lot of chicken and created their very own secret marinade. They then invited some VIP guests to help them celebrate at their HQ and to

take part in the challenge. Each guest was given 10 chicken wings and the winner was the first person to finish theirs… that is IF anyone COULD finish them! The winner would receive total bragging rights, a cool pair of Ray-Bans and a fantastic limited edition T-Shirt. With a few litres of milk at the ready, it was time to “Man Up” and take part in the “Red Hot Chicken Wing Challenge!

Phil

Philly

Red Hot Chicken Wing Challenge Winner John Ryder 55

RIC FLAIR COMES TO newcastle...WOOOOO!

WOOOOO!...He is the most decorated World Champion in history, a 16 time World Heavyweight Champion, a 2 X WWE Hall of Famer, he is a Limousine-ridin’, Jet-flyin’, Kiss-stealin’, Wheelin’dealin’, Son-of-a-Gun, he is “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair! “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair Bio Height: 6 foot 1 Weight: 243 pounds From: Charlotte, NC Signature Move: Figure-Four Leglock Career Highlights: 16 time World Heavyweight Champion; WCW World Heavyweight Champion; WWE Champion; United States Champion; Intercontinental Champion; WCW World Tag Team Champion; WWE Tag Team Champion

North East Sporting Events teamed up with Triple M Promotions to bring Wrestling Legend Ric Flair to Newcastle. A big thanks to Lee Bellerby for getting our NE Charity Banner signed. The event was a sell out with fans of all ages there to meet the main man, have their photos taken with him, get autographs and take part in a Q&A session. There was even a “WOOOOO” off between fans from each table. It is safe to say the atmosphere was electric, Ric Flair was

inspirational and this was a night that the fans will never ever forget! To keep up to date with upcoming events please check out www. nesportingevents.co.uk plus www.triplempromotions. co.uk for an evening with WWE Legends “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase. Also a big thank you to official event photographer, LeeNemsPhotography, for these photos from the Ric Flair event. Check out his website at www.ne-ms.co.uk

"To

be the man, you gotta beat the man!"

Nethermined was the first ever Minecraft convention to be held here in the North East. We caught up with several of the VIP Guests who are YouTube superstars!

NitroLukeDX word “Survival Madness Adventures”. How did you find the people of the North East? Wow the people of the North East talk funny like haha, but what a warm welcome I received, big smiles, big hearts, lovely people.

Hi Nitro Luke DX, how about a quick introduction? Hi my names Luke Pickering I’m 20 years of age, I go by the alter ego of NitroLukeDX, currently I live in a small village Hartley Wintney in Hook, Hampshire. I literally work as a career YouTuber . Where did the name Nitro Luke DX come from, is there a story behind it? The name Nitrolukedx came about a little by default, when I was young i had to come up with a gamertag for Xbox live I was about 9 years old, I wanted to be called after a Nintendo console, I learnt at a later date that it was a Nintendo DS and not a DX but it was too late to correct it, the name had been born. What was your favourite part of being at Nethermined? Nethermind has been the best convention as I had more input, I was able to bring my team along which subsequently was the first time I’d actually met them in the flesh so to speak, rather than only in my virtual

Did you get much time to do anything while you were here or was it all work and no play? I managed to get a sneak preview of the town, ate out, snook time to watch the avengers movie and mingle with other you tubers.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to become a youtuber themselves? If your looking into becoming a YouTuber have a look at what people are doing take a concept and improve it. Tell us 3 random facts about yourself? I went to military college as I was intending to be a soldier so I could fly UAVs. I’m scared of moths big hairy flying horses lol. As a kid I loved to eat onion rings till I found out there was only onions in them. Where can people follow you and keep up to date with everything Nitro Luke DX? You want to follow me, check out all social media @NitroLukeDX

Do you get recognised or asked for autographs when you are out and about? As soon as the kids find out who I am it is amazing, and just shows how massive minecraft has become. What do you think makes someone a good youtuber? My thoughts on what makes someone a good YouTuber is to define your market, put out the best videos you can. But the main thing is consistency, coupled with a sense of humor.

JacksucksatMinecraft ever attended so going as a “VIP” was a very humbling experience. What was your favourite part of being at Nethermined? I guess my favorite part of the event was meeting a viewer of mine who told me he had been subscribed since I had 100 subscribers, seeing him and his Mam’s face as I did something as simple as just chatting to them or getting a picture was such a mindblowing feeling, and made doing Youtube feel so much more rewarding than it did already. Sometimes when producing online content you forget that each individual view is a person on the other end of their computer. Attending Nethermined made me feel really motivated to carry on with my channel.

Hi JacksucksatMinecraft, how about a quick introduction? I’m Jack, known online as JackSucksAtMinecraft. I’m 18. I was originally from Bishop Auckland but moved to Central Newcastle last September in order to pursue my Youtube channel full time. Where did the name JacksucksatMinecraft come from, is there a story behind it or is it just stating the obvious? When creating my channel it was very important to me to have a unique and catchy name, I’d seen so many other channels with cliche names like “TobyPlaysMinecraft” or “Bob1100023”. Sucking at Minecraft is something I was good at so it seems like the perfect name. Was Nethermined your first convention or have you been

a convention guest before? Nethermined was the first gaming convention I had

So what made you want to become a Youtuber? I’d always liked making videos long before I knew Youtube even existed. So when I discovered the site I just saw

it as a place to put them. I originally made sketches and short action films that my friends would watch. Then years later when I discovered Minecraft through watching other Youtubers play it I just had to try it myself. Do you get recognised or asked for autographs when you are out and about? I have been recognized a couple of times when out and about, once at McDonalds and once in Newcastle City Centre, but neither of those people came to talk to me, they just tweeted me when they got home. So Nethermined was my first experience of actually signing autographs and what not. You work closely with The Turkey Dinosaur, have you known each other long and what is your funniest video, in your opinion of the two of you? Turkey is someone who I met at college and have been best friends with for a couple of years, we get on really well so have great chemistry when producing content together. In my opinion the funniest video we have made together is when someone who lives next door to him sneezed and it picked up in the video. What do you think makes someone a good youtuber? A good Youtuber is someone who uploads consistently, interacts with their viewers as much as possible (by doing things like replying to comments and tweets) and someone who cares about their content rather than just the money they make.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to become a youtuber themselves? It’s so difficult to become a big Youtuber now because of how highly concentrated the market is, so I would say don’t start youtube with the goal of getting millions of subscribers, just focus on creating good videos and have fun with it, and if you did this views, subscribers etc should just follow automatically. If you could do a video with anyone at all, who would it be and why? Honestly I’m not someone who idolizes over bigger youtubers and I’m happy just to play and record with people I’m close to

and feel comfortable around. However I did meet some great new people at Nethermined and would love to maybe start getting to know them a bit better. Tell us 3 random facts about yourself? I can Unicycle. I have a pet bear named Augustus. I’m left handed. Where can people follow you and keep up to date with everything JacksucksatMinecraft? Y o u t u b e . c o m / JackSucksAtMinecraft Twitter. com/JackMasseyWelsh I n s t a g r a m . c o m / JackSucksAtMinecraft

TheTurkeyDinosaur Do you get recognised or asked for autographs when you are out and about? Not at the minute. My channel isn’t anywhere near that size yet, but hopefully one day!

What was your favourite part of being at Nethermined? It was awesome to meet so many new people, both fans and other YouTubers. I’m keeping in touch with a lot of the friends I made at Nethermined and hopefully I’ll be able to record with some of them in future!.

How about a quick introduction? Hi! I’m Joe, I’m 19 and I’m currently studying Geography at Newcastle University. I just love playing games and making videos in my spare time. Where did the name The Turkey Dinosaur come from, is there a story behind it? Honestly, I can’t remember. I made my channel back in 2009 but I didn’t upload a single video until last year. I imagine I was probably eating them at the time though!

Was Nethermined your first convention or have you been a convention guest before? I’ve never even been to a convention before, never mind as a guest, so it was a completely new experience for me. I didn’t know what to expect! Hopefully there’ll be more opportunities in future for me to get to other conventions across the country.

So what made you want to become a Youtuber? I’ve watched gaming commentaries on YouTube for years, particularly The Yogscast and Syndicate. Playing games was always something I enjoyed doing and it just seemed the right time to try and produce some good content.

You work closely with JacksucksatMinecraft, have you known each other long and what is your funniest video, in your opinion of the two of you? We met in college almost three years ago. I remember, we used to sit on the bus home and talk about new builds or ideas we could use in the small survival server we played on back then. As for the funniest videos, my favourites to record are definitely the Sci-Fi Factions series we have going on at the minute. We throw in some many pop-culture references, sing cheesy 80’s songs and talk absolute rubbish for hours; it’s great fun to pick out highlights and edit it down! What do you think makes someone a good youtuber? I think the most important

thing is that they’re having fun while recording. It’s so much easier to enjoy a video if the person is really enthusiastic and into what they’re doing. What advice would you give to anyone wanting to become a youtuber themselves? Go for it! If it’s something you’re passionate about and enjoy doing then you have

nothing to lose. It’s difficult when you first start and need to get your videos out there, but you’ve got to stick with it and not give up. It’s also nice to have friends in the community with similar sized channels – you can help each other along the way and have some friendly competition! If you could do a video with anyone at all, who would it be and why? I’m a massive fan of Sips from the Yogscast – he’s just so funny! But at the same time I met a lot of lovely YouTubers at Nethermined and it’d be really awesome to collaborate with some of them one day. Tell us 3 random facts about yourself? -I’m a massive Newcastle fan and look forward to going to the game all week – regardless of how bad we are! -I once saw a real zebra and it was quite possibly the highlight of my life.

-I love classic rock music; I can play guitar, bass and drums. Where can people follow you and keep up to date with everything JacksucksatMinecraft? (youtube obviously lol, facebook, twitter, websites etc) youtube.com/ TheTurkeyDinosaur twitter.com/TheTurkeyDino Minecraft username – Turkey_Dinosaur [find us playing on play.evopvp.net!]

STEFFEN PEDDIE 99 Problems And The Chips Aren’t One Sunday 7th June 3.00pm Tickets £5 - 16+ 99 problems and the way to solve them! Are there everyday problems or questions you need answered? Let Steffen Peddie, a man who has multiple problems every day, show you the way to either: Leave them all behind you Get revenge Sort them out Whichever, it will bring some laughs along the way! This show is guided by your Questions and Problems, so it’s a different show every time! Bring a problem and possibly leave with a solution, or at least with a smile on your face. For info on Jesterval visit www.jesterval.co.uk BOOK TICKETS T. 07983 389 793 E. tickets@jesterval.com For more info on Steffen Peddie and his upcoming tour visit his website http://steffenpeddie.com

STU ARMSTRONG

Stu Armstrong is a wellknown face around the North East, though over the past few years he has swopped the doors of Newcastle to become a bit of a celebrity as he is now an Author and a Radio and TV Presenter. Visit www.stuarmstrong.com Best known for the successful ‘The Diaries of a Doorman’ series of books that he has written, he has went on to write several other books now as well, with a few

that may even surprise you. You can order his books on Amazon http://www.amazon. co.uk/Stu-Armstrong /e/ B00IAS03OC/ref=dp_byline_ cont_book_1. ‘The Diaries of a Doorman - A Collection of True Short Stories’ released in December 2013 was his first book but he has since added another 2 volumes to this popular series and is currently working on a TV Mini Series of his first book. He is also a Radio Show host with his weekly show ‘The

Stu Armstrong Interviews’ as well as a presenter for Peep Magazine video interviews. Stu also has various interests in the world of Boxing and BKB (Bare Knuckle Boxing) including presenting the BBAD televised show from “Rumble in the Forest Nottingham”, which you can download from www.mercurysportnetwork. tv for £9.99. Stu is also the patron of the charity ‘Choose Lives not Knives’ www. livesnotknives.co.uk

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Emerging young talent Jake Quickenden has burst onto the entertainment scene, having already appeared in two of the countries biggest reality shows, and has been tipped by the public and media to achieve big things. The Scunthorpe-born singer has come a long way since he was first seen as a contestant on ninth series of The X Factor in 2012, closely losing out at Judge Nicole Scherzinger’s House. Not one to give up easily, the determined and driven star decided to reaudition this year, which saw him go onto making the Live Shows on the eleventh series in 2014. The Xfactor was the start of an exciting new chapter for the twenty six year old as he was asked to appear on ITV hit show I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! After a whirlwind two weeks, Jake won the hearts of the nation with his natural charm and cheeky personality and finished runner-up in the fourteenth series of ITV hit reality show. After a few tough years, Jake is embarking on a brand new chapter, with an impressive schedule already lined up, 2015 is set to be a busy and exciting year and he took time out to speak to NE ahead of his gig at O2 Academy Necastle on 23rd July! Hi Jake and welcome to NE, thanks for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to talk to us. So how are things going for you after a very crazy 2014, after your stint in the X-Factor and then in the “I’m a Celebrity Jungle”? Things have been really great. I have been lucky enough to have loyal fans that have stood by me and they continue to stand by me. It was the public who enabled me to live my dream and to make those promises I made to some important people in my life. Without people voting on the X Factor and on ‘I’m a Celebrity’, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I’m extremely grateful. July sees you touring the UK with you appearing at O2 Academy in

antly surprised with what I am bringing to the tour. Those coming along will have first listen to those songs that will be on my EP. I’ll be doing a mix of covers but I’m extremely excited to introduce myself to fans as the artist that I want to be. I’ve taken inspiration from Nile Rogers, Bruno Mars and media compared me to Nick Jonas last week at my showcase! Newcastle on the 23rd of July, will this be your first visit to the North East? It won’t be my first time. I’ve always had a great night out in Newcastle. This will be your first solo tour, what can your fans expect from you? I’m hoping people will be pleas-

Will you be showcasing your own material or will it be mainly covers? I will. I’m very excited to share with the fans what I’ve been working so hard on. I’ve written the tracks myself and have been heavily involved throughout the entire process. It’s important for me to showcase the artist I want to be.

corner. Is there any of the judges that you really did not like? They were all really nice to be honest. You have to respect all of them. They’ve been in the business a long time and know what they’re talking about. Not a lot of people can have that opportunity and I know I made the most of the opportunity whilst I was on the show. What advice would you give to anyone that is thinking of applying for the X-Factor or wanting to become a singer? Be willing to listen, to work hard and to take constructive critism. I’d tell anyone to do it, a brilliant opportunity and one that can lead to amazing things.

What are you looking forward to the most about your upcoming tour? To share with the fans what they have enabled me to do. I want to make sure the fans know how much their support has meant to me, how they have enabled me to live my dream. It’s all down to them. You have been on the X-Factor twice now, with you making it onto the live shows the 2nd time, how did you find the whole X-Factor experience?

It was a great experience and one that has led to many an amazing new door being opened. I will always cherish my time on the show. I learnt a lot and it was a great life experience. Were you happy with the mentors you had or was there any judge in particular that you would have preferred to have been with? Mel B was brilliant. She truly believed in her contestants. It was great having her in my

After the X-Factor you found yourself straight in at the deep end as a contestant on “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!” how did you find life in the jungle with a group of strangers and a whole host of crazy bush tucker trials? I thought all those actual celebrities would think I was an imposter. Every morning I woke up and thought that security was going to come and escort me out of the jungle. It was the most amazing time for me, I made some great friends and to come runner up was just such a surprise - I thought I’d be out as soon as I stepped into camp. What would you say was the biggest highlight of your time in the jungle? Meeting the friends I made. It was such a blast. The whole experience was just amazing.

Have you watched any of the shows back afterwards to see how you did? I’ve seen clips. Mum filled me in on quite a lot and I still get grief from some of my pals about some of my antics. Were there any of the trials that you didn’t get to do but really wish you could have? I’d have done every single one if I could have. I wanted to prove myself whilst I was in there.

whole experience feels like fate. I’m still as close with him as I was in the jungle. Your good looks and cheeky personality have really made you quite a household name, how has this changed your life? Do you get stopped in the street a lot or has it stopped you from being able to do certain things? I wake up everyday and pinch myself. I don’t take any day for

granted and live everyday as if it’s the last. Life is about creating memories. It has changed my life and the public have enabled me to live my dream. I’ll always be grateful for that. Well thank you so much for talking to us Jake, we hope you have an amazing time on tour and we wish you and Danielle all the best for your future together.

You were quite the flirt when you were there, but since coming out of the jungle a romance has blossomed between you and Danielle, the daughter of fellow camp mate Carl Fogarty. How has that affected your friendship with Carl? Did it feel strange getting together with his daughter? I respect Carl massively. The

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JAKE QUICKENDEN DEBUT TRACK “I WANT YOU” Jake Quickenden teases fans ahead of his tour this July with the release of debut track “I Want You”. Following his rollercoaster year, the 2014 I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here runner-up Jake Quickenden won a deserved place in the hearts of the British public. Now, the 26-year-old heartthrob from Scunthorpe is delighted to unveil his debut track “I Want You” ahead of his hotly anticipated ‘Laid Bare’ UK tour, kicking off at the end of July. The self confessed career chameleon is the people’s success story, having abandoned previous lives as a lifeguard and semi-pro footballer to follow his dream of being a pop star. Jake was born with music in his soul and despite his ever-growing CV, music has always remained his first love. With the help and support of the British public, Jake has gone from strength-to-strength and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. His debut track “I Want You” is an infusion of classic disco with modern pop sensibility – an unexpected but welcomed new sound from the young and upcoming star. The summer sizzler showcases the musical direction that the independent artist is taking, and he wants people to know that he wants the ‘music to do the talking’. Taking inspiration from Nile Rodgers and Bruno Mars, the new track is leaps away from what we’re used to hearing from this emerging talent. It marks what is set to be an exciting new chapter for Jake.

Jake Quickenden, is embarking on his debut tour ‘Laid Bare’ this July 2015. The UK tour will span eleven dates across the country, featuring a collection of original tracks from his new EP as well as a handful of heart-melting covers. Jake says: “What I love the most is that throughout the last two years it has been the public who have fuelled a career for me. They voted on the X Factor and they voted for me on I’m a Celebrity.

Now they are still in my corner. They’ve enabled me to live the dream, to make those promises I made to those important people in my life come true and I am so grateful. I’ve had near to one hundred jobs, sacked from most, but the love has always been music. From McDonalds, to Footballer and then Lifeguard, I’ve never neglected my first love. This is my chance to show people the artist that I want to be, the music is on my terms.”

“I Want You” is available to download for free here: https://soundcloud.com/jake-quickenden-1 81

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.