Who do you think you are? - Introducing Tongue in Cheek
So, who do I think I am?
- Scooby. Dooby. Doo.
- Running around stealing hearts
- Some kind of superstar
- Ronnie Pickering
It’s a complicated question, really. I’m a lot of things. For the purposes of this (belated) introduction, I’ll start from the beginning.
My name is Josh. I’m a script writer and editor based in Cardiff. No, I’m not Welsh, but after a decade of living here I think everyone’s forgiven me for being English. This website, and the ‘Tongue in Cheek’ identity is my opportunity to showcase what I’m made of and, hopefully, start actually getting paid to write. But it’s not enough to just fling stuff at the wall and hope something sticks. If I’m going to make a name for myself, I need to pick the stuff carefully and aim it at the right walls.
So, the ‘Tongue in Cheek’ identity is made up of four main camps.
FIRST CAMP – TRANSMEDIA
Anyone who read my old website (RIP (it’s still live)) will know I’m something of a transmedia fiend. The issue is, the word is boring as all hell and nobody gives two hoots to read academic mumbo jumbo. So I’ve streamlined this branch of storytelling into something people might actually want to read:
The Cinematic New-niverse.
Using various techniques which I’ll outline in social media posts and articles, I’ll create new ‘cinematic universes’ for new and existing material. Transmedia storytelling is a potentially revolutionary new way to look at storytelling, and everybody is doing it wrong! Only I, an unpaid amateur in South Wales, know the truth.
SECOND CAMP – Script Reports
I want to be a script editor. I love writing, generating new ideas and combining them on the page to create the miraculous and impossible. I’m also an empath.
In all seriousness, the mechanics of writing are one of my greatest interests. Structure, character, and voice are the triumvirate of creative genius, and helping that genius realise their potential is exciting.
Without a lucky break or using University to network, it’s near impossible to break into the role, so I’ll force an opening myself. Using scripts that already exist and are publicly available, I’ll be writing script reports from the varying commissioning perspectives of different studios. What if Big Boys landed on the desk of BBC3? What if Skins wound up at Disney? Every studio and production house has guidelines and a distinct voice. Writing these reports isn’t a critique of an existing script, it’s a showcase of my editorial ability.
As time goes on and I build a back catalogue, I will also be offering my services to writers, writing reports and offering feedback. So, watch this space!
third Camp - My Writing
Ever since I was a wee lad I’ve dreamed of being hunched over my desk, exercising my mind while my body rots away. As much as I want to work as a script editor, and work long hours to help someone else create their magnum opus, I’d also like to produce my own.
Those degrees weren’t for nothing. I love writing. I love creating worlds, characters to populate them, and finding new ways to torture my creations. I’ll be using this prong of the website to give updates on my ‘writing life’ and showcase examples of ongoing or abandoned projects. Writing this in February 2025, I’m about to take the largest career leap of my life to date, and I’ll be updating the website and socials as soon as I can with how it all goes.
fourth CAMP – Being Human
Good God, I’ve got so many opinions my head could burst. I just want to shout them at everyone I see. If you know me IRL, yes, I know I do that already. But when it comes to internet discourse, there’s a distinctly negative, destructive view that pervades every ‘opinion’. Nobody seems to offer insightful solutions beyond “do it better, do it like this other thing I like.”
It's not helpful, and it’s quite frankly boring. There’s a way to engage with this kind of thing without resorting to mudslinging. Enter me (he says in parenthesis). As much as I joke about my degrees (TWO, by the way), they did actually provide me with an education in this stuff. Commercial storytelling, individual art, and self-expression as a professional outlet are exactly my areas of expertise.
The front page of my website is, at the moment, headed with “Tabloid tone, textbook accuracy”, and that’s what I’m going for. Education isn’t shouted through a keyboard, regardless of the topic. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it the only way I know how:
With my tongue firmly in my cheek.
So, welcome to Tongue in Cheek. I hope you enjoy your stay. As the website develops, I’ll be pushing into new mediums and methods of kidnapping your eyeballs, so don’t think you can get away!
