This is a two part guest blog by Alex Wade. This is part one.
Alex is a writer and his principal interests are law, sport (especially football, surfing and boxing), literature and travel, as well as general features, football and poker match reports and book reviews. Many years ago, when he was a media lawyer, Alex worked for leading libel firm Carter-Ruck before becoming now-Express Group proprietor Richard Desmond’s first Head of Legal Affairs. Subsequently Alex’s unreconstructed tendencies got the better of him. His life went off the rails but boxing played a large part in his rehabilitation. This story is chronicled in Wrecking Machine, a Sunday Times sports book of the week. Alex has travelled extensively and written about New York, Albania and Kazakhstan; Barbados, Ireland and Andalucía; Captain Cook country, Mexico and Francis Ford Coppola’s retreats in Belize and Guatemala. He lives in west Cornwall with his partner Caroline and his two sons.
The rest of this blog is in Alex’s own words.
What are the components of your portfolio career e.g. study, paid freelance work, part time job, volunteering etc.)
It’s pretty much all paid freelance work, with a bit of volunteering. I work as a lawyer, freelance journalist, writer, occasional guest lecturer – and try and find time to be one of the trustees of environmental action charity Surfers Against Sewage.
How did your portfolio career come about?
By accident! I’m 50 now but back in my early 30s went off the rails for a year or so. Let’s just say that the conventional practice of law wasn’t for me. I also had a few demons to exorcise. Fortunately, they leave me alone these days.
How has your portfolio career changed over time?
Back in my early 30s, I made a decision to do what I’d always wanted to do – write for a living. I kept my hand in with the law, working as a night lawyer for the UK broadsheets, and banged on editors’ doors – luckily loud enough for a few of them to give me work. Back then I also wrote law reports – difficult, complex and not well paid – and wrote a lot for the legal trade press (more fun and better paid). I don’t do either of these things anymore. I’m also no longer involved in selling sports TV rights. I used to do this on behalf of someone in the industry, very much on a wing and a prayer. I’d travel to Eastern Europe and Central Asia, find the main broadcaster and try and sell in the rights to the FA Premier League, F1, boxing matches etc. Sometimes I’d be successful. Whether I was or not, I’d also go and travel wherever I was. This enabled me to get travel pieces away in the nationals, about places few people were visiting. It was a great way of building up by-line visibility. I don’t work in sports rights anymore, and don’t do so much travel writing these days either – it’s a loss leader.
When people ask you ‘what do you do?’ – what do you reply?
Good question! Depends who’s asking. Usually I say ‘writer’ first – that’s what means the most to me.
To what extent did your portfolio career happen by chance/luck and to what extent was it planned?
By accident/chance!
More about Alex Wade
Personal web site:
Alex Wade’s first novel, Flack’s Last Shift, is published by Blue Mark Books (£14.99).
Alex’s Editorial Services business:
LinkedIn profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-wade-5322724
Follow Alex Wade on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/surfnation1
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Ruth Farenga’s portfolio career part 2