Some of our Team

Jason Pelta

director and typography pedant

Likes
Cheese, typography, lists, plinky plonky electronica, bikes (oh and cycling – a bit), bingeing TV, wine and more cheese.

Dislikes
Writing these things, rude drivers, loud sneezes, bad grammar and relentless influencer nonsense on socials.

Guiltiest pleasure
Bad reality TV… anyone for Married at First Sight UK S9?

What do you dislike about your appearance?
My baggy chin and that my shorts seem tighter day by day.

Who would be at your dream dinner party?
John Lennon, Lily Allen, Stephen Fry, Alain De Botton, Michelle Obama, AA Gill, Larry David, Jesus (he’d bring the wine) and Ricky Gervais.

Mark Lawrence

director and teasmaid

Most often mistaken for
Channel 5 cricket presenter Mark Nicholas and (according to a rather short-sighted employee at Paddington station) Simon Cowell. Great start to the day that was…

Dislikes
The use of the word journey unless it relates to travel, limp handshakes, misused apostrophes, Coldplay (sound and fury, signifying nothing).

Likes
Cycling, Northampton Town Football Club — both involve long, uphill struggles and lots of suffering — and music, anything from The Smiths to Mozart (except Coldplay).

Things I do that make me realise I am turning into my dad
Gardening, commenting on petrol prices as I drive past the stations, getting angry when I watch the news.

Most embarrassing professional moments
A dead heat between an excruciating interview with former Labour politician Denis Healey “I believe your wife has a local connection?” “No” “Do you have a local connection?” “No”; and starting an interview with athlete Steve Cram with the words “So Steve, I understand you are a mad Middlesbrough fan.” Cram supports arch-rivals Sunderland.

Julian Pike

IT guru and Apple wizz

Your idea of heaven?
Skis and a steep slope.

What irritates you?
Slow walkers.

What would you save from destruction if the bomb was about to drop?
Medieval churches.

What turns you on?
The inviting glow of an Apple Mac computer.

Where would you rather be right now?
Watching Hitchcock’s The Birds.

Hannah Gill

editorial manager

Likes
Chocolate, cheese, coffee shops, the ‘ding’ sound when I tick items off a to-do list, the smell of winter mornings, and the Oxford comma (which I’m not supposed to use here!)

Most re-read books?
Ernest Hemingway’s short stories — I don’t like re-reading books but Hemingway’s an exception to the rule.

Favourite place to visit?
Rome — full of history and beautiful architecture, but most importantly, the best pasta in the world.

Aside from necessities, what could you not go a day without?
Music and coffee.

Ben Hutchings

Jack of all tech, master of none

Most likey to bore you with…
…the virtues of film cameras and the analogue photographic process.

Most likely to be listening to…
…something by Kieran Hebden, Underworld, or some Intelligent D&B.

Most likely to cook…
…Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts or cheese on toast (drenched in Lea & Perrins).

Most likely wishing I was…
…tinkering with some ancient tech in a workshop.

Most likely to die…
…writing this thing.

Jason Ashworth

writer and detail freak

Guilty pleasures?
Chocolate, GTA 5, instant noodles

Dream dinner party guests?
Updike, Woolf, Kerouac, my dad

Comfort food?
Macaroni cheese

What’s on your bedside table?
Goldfinger and a pile of Observers and Guardians

Longest trip?
Hitch-hiking in Japan, where thumbing is rare — a lot of walking and waiting

Life challenge?
Still trying to weigh less than my car

Lin Shaw

company administrator and xword queen

Favourite meal?
Anything cooked by someone else – I haven’t felt the need to rustle up a meal since I passed my O-level domestic science.



Prize moment? 
I once won the Daily Mail cryptic crossword competition.

Pet hates? 
Drivers who ignore the Keep Clear sign in front of the office.

Guilty secret? 
I queued up all night to get a ticket for the Beatles – and told my mum I was staying with a friend.

Which singer do you listen to most?
I’m a shuffler.

Ged Lennox

graphic designer

Ged not Gerard – veg not meat – cranks not cars – beginner not expert – people not things – left not right – peace not quiet – ancient not modern – film not movie – rock not hard – wild not urban – girls not boys – horse not camel — but dogs and cats and rabbits and bees and hedgehogs and pigs and guinea pigs and chickens and goats and alpaca…

James Denley-Dufton

creative

Loves?
Mountains (for biking and snowboarding), Metal music, Corona with a slice of lime, rare steak and mouldy cheese.

Hates?
Trash TV, football, waiting, non-Apple computers, answering survey questions.

Favourite holiday destination?
For complete relaxation, The Maldives. For fun and adventure, West Coast USA.

Best TV show ever?
Breaking Bad.

Favourite possession?
My YT Tues Downhill Mountainbike.

Andy Teakle

designer and HTML maestro

Most often mistaken for?
I was once mistaken for Edward Snowden while queuing in a fish and chip shop. I thought to myself: “A chippy is a pretty odd place for a wanted man to hide out” but thought I would just smile and let that one go.

Likes
House music, travelling, puns, clever adverts, Tarantino movies, Nutella.

Dislikes
Comic Sans, Comic Sans, Comic Sans.

Best meal?
I would make a horrendous food critic as I love pretty much everything I eat, but my best meal award would go to paella.

Most used saying
“Do you know what I mean”, quite often at the start of a sentence. How can anyone possibly know what you mean before you start speaking! I’m trying to rehabilitate myself from habit but it’s a long recovery!

Megan Pelta-Lennox

assistant tea maker and photo editor

Most re-read book?
Thud by Terry Pratchett.

Comfort food?
Spaghetti with tomato ketchup. No judgement.

Likes?
Tea, Earl Grey, hot. Turkish delight. Bad horror films. NASA astronomy picture of the day. Trilobites.

Dislikes?
Loud noises. Social media. Spilled sugar. Leaving the lids off pens.

Extra-curricular activities?
Warhammer miniatures. Archery tag in the woods. Playing the lyre. Painting gigantic pictures of space. Gaming.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A dinosaur.

Becky Menzies

Creative and screen print nerd

Likes
Dogs, typography, screen printing, battenberg, baby Guinness, vintage volkswagens, made in chelsea (don’t come for me), the 90s, food chat and sarcasm.

Dislikes
Being too hot and full stops at the end of texts/messages.

Favourite place
My bed or St Ives, Cornwall.

Comfort food
Heinz spaghetti bolognese on really buttery toast.

Proudest design moment
Winning a Twirl easter egg for my boiled egg sailor!

Ben McCormick

writer

Guilty pleasures?
Takeaway curry, cheese shops, expensive Belgian beer.

Most re-read books?
Bluff Your Way In… Journalism.

Favourite place to visit?
Barcelona – an amazing city by the sea that’s home to good friends, fine architecture and a burgeoning beer scene.

Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?
Coffee, though I consider it a necessity. I tried tea instead once – colossal blunder. Never again.

Kip Katesmark

Copywriter

Loves
Friends. Family. Really easy Sudoku.

Hates
Ignorance. Inhumanity. Prawn cocktail flavour crisps.
(And pencils that just WON’T sharpen.)

Luxury on a desert island?
Mini Magnums.

Believes in
Blue sky thinking. Silver linings.