Here are some testimonials from people I have worked with:
“I can vouch for this guy. He’s a real media pro.”
Gerry Sammon, News Associate law lecturer, journalism lecturer and former group editor of the Rochdale Observer.
"The English language editor is one of the most important people in an international book. It has been an absolute privilege working with you. You know how to work with texts, you have been so patient, polite and durable. It is true what they said about you: you work like a machine, a super-auto, like a Mercedes, you always reply within a minute, you never disappear. You did an excellent job."
Professor Maija Kule, director; the Riga School of Philosophy at the University of Latvia
"With all his experience and know-how Vince is the ideal person to offer these services."
Patrick Howse, Former BBC foreign producer and journalist.
"Even though we have a native English speaker in our team, no-one comes close to the excellent job you did editing our book The Emigrant Communities of Latvia'.
Associate professor Inta Mierina, director of the Centre for Diaspora and Migration Research, University of Latvia.
“I can vouch for this guy. He’s a real media pro.”
Gerry Sammon, News Associate law lecturer, journalism lecturer and former group editor of the Rochdale Observer.
"The English language editor is one of the most important people in an international book. It has been an absolute privilege working with you. You know how to work with texts, you have been so patient, polite and durable. It is true what they said about you: you work like a machine, a super-auto, like a Mercedes, you always reply within a minute, you never disappear. You did an excellent job."
Professor Maija Kule, director; the Riga School of Philosophy at the University of Latvia
"With all his experience and know-how Vince is the ideal person to offer these services."
Patrick Howse, Former BBC foreign producer and journalist.
"Even though we have a native English speaker in our team, no-one comes close to the excellent job you did editing our book The Emigrant Communities of Latvia'.
Associate professor Inta Mierina, director of the Centre for Diaspora and Migration Research, University of Latvia.
Oxbridge media training and mentoring - some feedback
This is what some of the PhD students I've worked with have said....
"Working with Vince was the best preparation for public engagement I could have hoped for. He went above and beyond to tailor our sessions to my upcoming presentations, and always extended our work with other great ideas and suggestions beyond the remit of what we were preparing for. He offered positive critical feedback and taught me easy tricks to make sure that my messages were on target and were delivered successfully and succinctly. I would absolutely recommend him to anyone who wants to develop their skills for effective presentation and public engagement."
Sabilah Eboo Alwani, PhD researcher at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge
"Highly recommended for anyone who needs any media training."
John Robb, music and culture journalist and pundit; contributor to many documentary programmes
"I still remember the session you gave back in 2017, and it was excellent!"
Makoto Takahashi, science & technology policy lecturer at TU Munich and former Cambridge PhD researcher
"I thoroughly enjoyed the session a couple of months back. I also picked up some invaluable tips. Thanks for your assistance!"
Mary Ononokpono, award-winning writer, multidisciplinary artist and AHRC-funded doctoral scholar at University of Cambridge
"Thanks for such a brilliant and enjoyable session on Monday. Feel quite annoyed only to have made use of it now as I'm entering the 4th year of my PhD!"
Mark Seow, Historical musicologist at King’s College, Cambridge, Baroque violinist and radio producer.
"You are an excellent teacher! I found your supervision very helpful. I hope I can continue to work with you." (Ed: she is..)
Xi Zhang, researching the music and tone songs of Chaozhou, southern China. Faculty of Music, University of Cambridge
This is really positive feedback to get and very encouraging, as was this heartfelt insight into the sometimes-lonely world of those studying for PhDs.
"After three years of a PhD, I feel sometimes like I have forgotten how to talk. It’s weird. Even though I’m dealing with words every day, I’ve noticed that I find it harder and harder to talk to real people – even family and friends.
Sessions like this make my tongue loose again. They make me feel not so stuck in a box. They give me space to play with words, characters and storytelling. Flexing those kinds of muscles feels really good after a long time just with books and a computer. I would recommend a course like this for those reasons."
Here's more from another client I worked with:
"The session was really enjoyable, and helped me think about my research in a new light. It was helpful to think about how to communicate my research more effectively, and to a wider audience. It was also very useful for interviews and thinking about how to communicate my research effectively there.
I really found it very useful to think about my research in a new way, one that is translatable to non-specialist audiences. I feel that the different discussions we had (individually, and as a radio-interview) really helped there too."
I work in a friendly, confidential environment so trying things out can happen in a safe and positive way and we can build confidence..
"Even if I knew some of this stuff already, it always helps to hear it again, in particular from someone as clear and experienced as Vince. I used the session to try out more storytelling ways to describe my research. The session felt like a really comfortable and safe space to try out new things."
I see your research as a story, or series of stories, so we can structure your messages to fit a variety of media formats.
"I really enjoy these sessions as they make me feel like I’m sharpening my skills – and sometimes this kind of sharpening can only take place if there’s a sense of competition or judgement from an audience. As a musician, I’ve learned that those are the spaces in which I feel most alive."
With my combination of broadcasting experience (30 years), showbusiness skills (15 years in music radio and live shows) and academic understanding (6 years as a journalism lecturer and also current PhD researcher) I have a unique set of talents to help me understand, maximise and focus the presentation of your work.
I can help you get your message to the widest possible audience to generate the maximum impact.
"Working with Vince was the best preparation for public engagement I could have hoped for. He went above and beyond to tailor our sessions to my upcoming presentations, and always extended our work with other great ideas and suggestions beyond the remit of what we were preparing for. He offered positive critical feedback and taught me easy tricks to make sure that my messages were on target and were delivered successfully and succinctly. I would absolutely recommend him to anyone who wants to develop their skills for effective presentation and public engagement."
Sabilah Eboo Alwani, PhD researcher at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge
"Highly recommended for anyone who needs any media training."
John Robb, music and culture journalist and pundit; contributor to many documentary programmes
"I still remember the session you gave back in 2017, and it was excellent!"
Makoto Takahashi, science & technology policy lecturer at TU Munich and former Cambridge PhD researcher
"I thoroughly enjoyed the session a couple of months back. I also picked up some invaluable tips. Thanks for your assistance!"
Mary Ononokpono, award-winning writer, multidisciplinary artist and AHRC-funded doctoral scholar at University of Cambridge
"Thanks for such a brilliant and enjoyable session on Monday. Feel quite annoyed only to have made use of it now as I'm entering the 4th year of my PhD!"
Mark Seow, Historical musicologist at King’s College, Cambridge, Baroque violinist and radio producer.
"You are an excellent teacher! I found your supervision very helpful. I hope I can continue to work with you." (Ed: she is..)
Xi Zhang, researching the music and tone songs of Chaozhou, southern China. Faculty of Music, University of Cambridge
This is really positive feedback to get and very encouraging, as was this heartfelt insight into the sometimes-lonely world of those studying for PhDs.
"After three years of a PhD, I feel sometimes like I have forgotten how to talk. It’s weird. Even though I’m dealing with words every day, I’ve noticed that I find it harder and harder to talk to real people – even family and friends.
Sessions like this make my tongue loose again. They make me feel not so stuck in a box. They give me space to play with words, characters and storytelling. Flexing those kinds of muscles feels really good after a long time just with books and a computer. I would recommend a course like this for those reasons."
Here's more from another client I worked with:
"The session was really enjoyable, and helped me think about my research in a new light. It was helpful to think about how to communicate my research more effectively, and to a wider audience. It was also very useful for interviews and thinking about how to communicate my research effectively there.
I really found it very useful to think about my research in a new way, one that is translatable to non-specialist audiences. I feel that the different discussions we had (individually, and as a radio-interview) really helped there too."
I work in a friendly, confidential environment so trying things out can happen in a safe and positive way and we can build confidence..
"Even if I knew some of this stuff already, it always helps to hear it again, in particular from someone as clear and experienced as Vince. I used the session to try out more storytelling ways to describe my research. The session felt like a really comfortable and safe space to try out new things."
I see your research as a story, or series of stories, so we can structure your messages to fit a variety of media formats.
"I really enjoy these sessions as they make me feel like I’m sharpening my skills – and sometimes this kind of sharpening can only take place if there’s a sense of competition or judgement from an audience. As a musician, I’ve learned that those are the spaces in which I feel most alive."
With my combination of broadcasting experience (30 years), showbusiness skills (15 years in music radio and live shows) and academic understanding (6 years as a journalism lecturer and also current PhD researcher) I have a unique set of talents to help me understand, maximise and focus the presentation of your work.
I can help you get your message to the widest possible audience to generate the maximum impact.