A life less ordinary

As a kid, I felt destined to achieve nothing. Despite being born in a suburb of London, my mother and father decided to move to a seaside town in search of a better life when I was just 3 years old. My father had been made redundant from his job and allegedly struggled to find work where we lived. Instead, he found a job 120 miles away, uprooting everything we knew. Even at 3 years old, I knew I wanted a life less ordinary. My dream was to be a solicitor at that stage - a strange request, perhaps, but my mother watched a TV show called Crown Court every afternoon, and the solicitors on the show fascinated me. They seemed clever and powerful, knowing it all and winning cases every day. I wanted to be like them.

The path from aspiration to reality turned out to be quite different. We had moved to a port town where the options for our future after school were limited: further education requiring a move away, jobs in hospitality, retail, fishing, or joining the military. For many of the boys (and a few girls) I went to school with, joining the military seemed like the obvious choice. It was a life less ordinary, but it still tied them to the mundane nature of our new home. As for the girls, many of them aspired to marry, have children, and keep house - a path chosen by at least 60% of the girls I knew. And for many of them, the dream was to marry someone in the forces, living in a world reminiscent of "An Officer And A Gentleman," where they could proudly call their husbands soldiers.

My life took a different turn when I became a father at 14, having a child with an older woman. My life less ordinary had already begun. I had to lie about everything to keep my secrets safe, creating a different world for myself. By 18, I had become somewhat of a legendary figure, although not in a positive way. There were various stories about me, some true and some false. People speculated that I was in prison, a sex offender, or that I had moved away and become a loser or homeless. None of these were true. I was right under their noses, two years ahead of them in the workplace, where I had tried my hand at several jobs but failed miserably. Eventually, I found myself in retail, where I had a passion for things, likely because I had grown up with hand-me-downs. Being ahead of my peers mentally due to my early start in the workforce, I made significant strides in the retail industry by the age of 19.

However, as time passed, my thirst for more and the passage of time itself worked against me, leading to a period of drifting for two years and trying my hand at various kitchen sink businesses. I didn't want to be out there, unfulfilled. Eventually, a change of mindset and several geographical moves brought me back on top, successful once again. But it was only at 40 that true success and a life less ordinary truly came into focus.

Throughout my life, I had been obsessed with movies and the parallel worlds they offered, where anything could happen, from the mundane to the magical. I had always loved all types of films. Building on my success as a film reviewer with millions of readers, I decided to make a film, challenging myself to do it for free. However, my foray into filmmaking was short-lived, as I discovered that I was much better at reviewing and watching films than making them. I trusted someone too much and ended up being ripped off, which broke me mentally, physically, and financially. I vowed never to make a film again.

Nevertheless, this experience led me to realize that my place in the film industry was different now. I had made excellent connections, and filmmakers appreciated my reviews, even the bad ones, for focusing on the positive aspects of their work. The thought of creating a film festival came to me, one that would make a difference and support filmmakers. A guy approached me one day, wanting to create a film festival in my local town and seeking my help and guidance. He turned out to be someone who wanted everything but didn't want to put in the work. His festival was a disaster, and my girlfriend and I stepped in to save it. That's when I realized that this was where I wanted to be. We turned his shambles into a growing, wonderful film festival, which may not make money but holds a place of value in the film festival diaries. It's a place where filmmakers know they won't be abused like in other festivals. We prioritize the importance of filmmakers, regardless of where they are on their journey, and our festival is now considered one of the world's "important" film festivals. We travel the world, growing our name and brand. We are sometimes asked to represent UK film as a whole, and I've had the honor of appearing on panels with some of the greatest names in cinema and even addressing a nation. In 2021, one of the biggest studios in the world asked for my guidance on editing a film they had invested £121 million in. I took a chainsaw to it, and the version you see today is a mere shadow of what it was.

Against all odds, I created a life less ordinary. Growing up in a town where even today, a £20k wage is considered great, I proved that anyone can achieve their dreams. You just have to be willing to make the necessary changes and move forward.