I started my career as a trainee reporter on a local paper and since then, life has been one adventure after another.
I’ve learned a lot along the way and am now delighted to be able to share some of that with others who are equally passionate about creativity, storytelling and the world we live in today.
My journey, which has taken me from Leigh-on-Sea to London, then Los Angeles (and back again), has been anything but ordinary, encompassing magazine editing, celebrity journalism, production, screenwriting, artist liaison, PR and podcasting.
After leaving the Southend Evening Echo newspaper [see my first front page, right], I moved to London and dove headfirst into the world of showbiz journalism, where I went on to hold prominent roles on various publications, including a rather fun gig as launch showbiz editor on Now magazine, commissioning editor on the Mirror‘s TV magazine, freelance reporter for Media Guardian and editor of the Coronation Street Christmas Special!
In 2007, I relocated to Los Angeles where I solidified my reputation as a cultural correspondent for The Guardian, penning the popular LA Diary and covering the movie business. I wrote A-list profiles for Red, Grazia, Marie Claire, The Scotsman, the Sydney Sunday Herald and other glossy publications.
In 2020, languishing in lockdown, I published my celebrity journalism memoir, Ryan is Ready for You Now, which details my extensive career. I’m proud to say that the book is now in many university libraries and has even been read by a celebrity or two. In a full circle moment, I appeared on the front page of the paper I used to write for as a wide-eyed trainee (see right).
My creative writing career has also been a wonderful adventure. I sold my first screenplay to the DJ Chris Evans’s production company, story-lined on Coronation Street, and have had a couple of other screenplays optioned by major studios.
During my years in Los Angeles, I honed my screenwriting skills at Writers Boot Camp, in Santa Monica. I wrote, produced and directed three short films; two of my screenplays are Nicholl Fellowship quarter-finalists (run by AMPAS, who hand out the Oscars), one was a Scriptapalooza semi-finalist and another a Beverly Hills Film Festival Finalist. My short film, Maconie’s List, was a Duke City Shootout finalist, and was screened at the Santa Fe Film Festival (where I rather surreally ended up on a panel with Alan Cumming), and was later invited to join the BAFTA LA Newcomer Programme.
There was a thrilling moment when a well-known actress attached herself to my feature-length screenplay Best Woman, and another feature, Jeannie Miller, was under consideration at Scott Free Productions, where I directed a table-read for executives [see left]. If you’re a fan of The Morning Show, you’ll recognise a pre-fame Desean Terry, who appears in the series. A half hour comedy script is currently being shopped around the networks, so watch this space.
I’m also very proud to have nurtured a thriving creative community, founding my first writers group in Hollywood, which met every Monday evening for two very productive years.
The first writers group I ever attended was held at the Billy Wilder Library, at the offices of the Writer’s Guild West, so I had a lot to live up to. If you want to read more about those early days, as I looked to find my place as a writer in a town where everyone is trying to find a way in, click here.
My diverse talents have led to freelance roles across various sectors in media, including working with an LA-based esports company and as an Artist Liaison for Save the Children, where I was privileged to be invited to visit Tanzania, with one of their high-profile ambassadors.
I have also worked as a celebrity booker/showbiz producer on the lunchtime talk show, Loose Women, where I’m proud to say that my finest hour was reuniting Cagney and Lacey! Tyne Daly turned up in her pajamas – it was amazing.
During lockdown, I rebranded Lisa Marks Media, offering a range of services from copywriting to ghostwriting. This evolved into a creative consultancy.
Today, I run a thriving network of magnificent writers groups in Leigh on Sea, and beyond. In 2026, I launched my first online memoir writing course, officially kick-starting my third (fourth?) act as a writing mentor, editor and all round creative cheerleader. Since then, I have been asked to run storytelling workshops, give talks about creativity, memoir writing and storytelling to business networks and invited to talk on podcasts.
My goal is to continue to inspire and guide writers; I strongly feel that writing is a great connector, and very necessary in this digital world. We thrive as humans when we share our stories, and our worlds grow when we sit with other people and expose our vulnerabilities. This may sound lofty but I can see within my own network of writers groups, and from the bonds that people make on my courses, how important it is that we share our experiences and connect in truly authentic ways.
Recently, I completed a TQUK Level 2 Certificate in Awareness of Mental Health Problems, as a way to gain a clearer understanding of some of the issues my memoir-writing clients have faced, or are currently living with.
Around all of that, I perform improvised comedy, do the odd stand-up gig and am currently writing my first novel. I also love to swim in the sea during the summer months only – I have no idea how anyone gets into the Thames Estuary before June! Occasionally, I do a little travel writing; recent trips have included Croatia, the Maldives, the Seychelles and Botswana. It’s a wonderful perk of a long career and I don’t take any of that for granted.
If any of this intrigues you, if you’re thinking about writing your memoir, or need a cheerleader and you want to learn more about my services, please feel free to get in touch with me at lisamarksmedia@gmail.com.
For weekly motivational musings, subscribe to my Substack newsletter, The TEN, which is full of terrible puns (I make no apology for this), wry observations and writing inspiration.
No go forth, and create!
Lisa
There is literally nothing like a Dame, especially when it’s Dame Julie Andrews!
WRITER EDITOR MENTOR 