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DAMIAN KELLEHER


MEDIA & EVENTS TRAINER

Damian is a freelance journalist, author, publishing consultant and project manager specialising in the field of children’s media. After completing a BA hons degree in English at the University of East Anglia and a post-graduate diploma in film-making, he worked as an advertising copywriter at Lonsdale Advertising Services before becoming head of copy at the Conran Design Group. He began his career in children’s journalism at Young Telegraph, the Daily Telegraph’s award-winning supplement for children (1990-1998), and edited the title between 1993 and 1997, before becoming editorial director in 1998. Damian set up his own contract publishing business in 1999, offering design, writing, and consultancy services with the emphasis on the youth market.

Damian has always had a special interest in books for the youth market. He was book editor for Young Telegraph and T2, the Telegraph’s teenage supplement launched in April 1999, and has reviewed regularly for the teen press, Nat Geographic Kids magazine, The Sunday Times, The Financial Times and the TES. He wrote and edited Metro Life’s family pages for three years, and has reviewed and discussed children’s books and films on Radio 4’s Front Row, Woman’s Hour, and Radio London.

He has sat on the panel for both the Nestlé Children’s Book Prize, and the Costa, and regularly chairs events on the book festival circuit including The Cheltenham, Bath and Hay Festivals. He works as a consultant for The Reading Agency on the UK’s largest reading initiative for children, The Summer Reading Challenge, and Every Second Counts, a TV and corporate video production company. Since 2004, Damian has also undertaken media training for publishers, specialising in helping new authors prepare for the media launch of their books. He covers all aspects of the media including print, radio and television, and tailors each session to the needs of the individual author. Clients include Puffin, HarperCollins, Hodder, Templar Publishing, Scholastic, Hamish Hamilton, Simon and Schuster, and Michael Joseph.

As an author of children’s fiction, Damian co-wrote the Black Hole Primary series with Brough Girling for HarperCollins. He has also published So You Want to Make a Film?, a children’s guide to home movie-making, (Bloomsbury) and a picture book, Selfish Sophie (Watts).

Damian’s first novel for young adults Life, Interrupted was published in 2009 by Piccadilly Press. It was long-listed for the Waterstone’s Children Book Award and shortlisted for the Branford Boase. Life, Interrupted was runner-up in the Tower Hamlets Book Award, commended by the Sheffield Children’s Book Award (longer novel category), and shortlisted for the Leeds, Southern Schools, Warwickshire, and North-Eastern Teenage Book Awards in 2009/2010.

GROUP TRAINING

Damian will team up with a second AuthorProfile trainer to deliver focused guidance over a full day on topics ranging from understanding the importance and scope of the mainstream media to preparing for print, television and radio interviews, as well as creating coherent event content. Group training provides an opportunity for your authors to share their experiences and to learn from each other as well as from the trainers.

1:2:1 COACHING

Damian is able to deliver individual coaching sessions that are tailored to match the needs of a particular author and are perfect for when you need fast response training.

I just wanted to say THANK YOU so much for both the brilliant media training session, and for your incredibly helpful notes!

— LUCY MANN