Short stories.
🔸 Aged 10, I made my first (unknowing) foray into copywriting by coming up with (to me) a more apt choice of words for a local building firm's strapline.
🔹 Home is Northampton. A town the size of a city, it has a long and surprisingly rich history. Designated a 'New Town' in 1968, it's since doubled in size and is still expanding with ever more new neighbourhoods. Today, over 260,000 Northamptonians call it home.
🔸 My first proper job was in publishing. I then spent 12 fabulous years working in direct mail marketing.
🔹 Followed by something very different - freelance commercial landscape and location photography with a spot of magazine article writing alongside.
🔸 Becoming a copywriter was never part of a grand plan. Instead, it was more of an enforced adventure, one I very much wish I'd started out on sooner.
🔹 Webinars, books, and courses are always adding to my copywriting skills. I also stay up to date on all things AEC with an Architects Journal subscription as well as from other relevant industry sources.
and on a lighter note...
🔸 I love custard. And, yes, there are more puds you can have it with than you might think. Custard and ice cream, anyone? No? just me, then.
🔹 Inconceivable for many, I know, but I hate cheese. The only exception is a Dairylea triangle. Although I'm not entirely sure that counts as cheese.
🔸 I do like a good book, though. A whodunnit or a gripping spy thriller, a spot of modern military history, or something laugh-out-loud-funny all make up the kind of books you'll find me reading the most.
🔹 Oh, and I also quite like tackling a crossword puzzle. Even cryptic crosswords, so long as they're not tooooo cryptic.
🔸 My interest in military history comes from my dad. Along with a mate, time is often spent wandering around disused WW2 airfields and Cold War sites. Their unique designs and historical context are what make these old concrete defences, bunkers, and buildings such fascinating places to explore.
🔹 Finally, why did I switch from photography to copywriting in 2018? Well, as bizarre as it may sound, my first (and last) attempts at doing Long Jump when I was 12 is at the root of it. Fast-forward to late 2017, and it was painfully obvious – in every sense - I needed to find something new.
Copywriting ticked a lot of boxes. So here I am!
Working with a whole range of new clients...
My varied portfolio includes copywriting projects for...
♦ Architects
♦ Luxury outdoor clothing and country lifestyle brands
♦ £1m+ contemporary and period design properties
♦ Garden (placemaking) design
♦ PropTech 3D Smart City modelling for sustainable urban planning and design
♦ Photographers
♦ Photographic studio
♦ Leading name in the world of DIY and commercial paints
♦ Marketing and PR agencies
♦ Upmarket online gardening retail brand
♦ Local authority planning officers
♦ Independent housebuilding and construction
♦ Building restoration and renovation
♦ Cyber-security specialist
♦ Independent Real Estate and property agent
♦ Business Resilience services
♦ Designer watch, glass, and jewellery engraver
♦ Commercial and Industrial fire safety products and fire protection systems
♦ Wellbeing in nature
♦ Security systems, monitoring, and CCTV
♦ Photography-focused holidays, tours, and workshops, and...
♦ Heritage tourism
Thank you for your collaboration, Andrew, your work has been invaluable to us.
Christian Tagliavini, award-winning Swiss photographer.
Some extra (reassuring) bits you might like to know about...
🎯 I'm professionally trained and qualified with a Diploma (Distinction) in Copywriting. And a Diploma (Distinction) in Google SEO.
Both are Level 4 accredited courses through the College of Media & Publishing.
🎯 Alongside my photography work, I also wrote (and often illustrated) in-depth articles and short features for various UK consumer and trade magazine titles.
🎯 One title was The Countryman, where I was commissioned to write and illustrate ten multi-page articles for their Best of British Gardens series. The articles covered evolving garden designs through history, their designers, and how visitors can enjoy these gardens today.
🎯 Besides gardens, I've also written on various other topics. These include photography (naturally), where I've written articles aimed at both professionals and amateurs. Plus, travel, architecture, business, and history.
🎯 I'm a proud member of The Alliance of Commercial Writers (ProCopywriters' Network), the UK's largest membership organisation for 800+ commercial writers.
🎯 Plus, for your peace of mind (and mine) I'm fully insured with Professional Indemnity cover for £1,000,000 through Policy Bee.
🎯 And finally, my copywriting day rate is just £390. According to the ProCopywriters' 2025 survey of the UK's copywriting industry, the average day rate has risen to £480.
Here's a more detailed look at my copywriting rates.
My College of Media & Publishing diplomas.
Copywriting
Google SEO
...with such a complex message, clarity was essential. You have succeeded where we had struggled, and the brochures and proposal documents you've written are pitched perfectly.
Gordana Mandic, Tyler Mandic Architects, Chelsea, London.
I'm a member of... Insured with... and Qualified too!
