Mark Ellen | |
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![]() Ellen at the 2023 Chiswick Book Festival | |
Born | Hampshire, England | 16 September 1953
Occupation | Magazine editor, journalist |
Mark Ellen (born 16 September 1953) is a British magazine editor, journalist and broadcaster.
Ellen was born in Fleet, Hampshire, [1] England. While at Oxford University in the 1970s, he briefly played bass alongside Tony Blair in college band Ugly Rumours, [2] a band that, according to Ellen, was created primarily to meet women. [3]
After graduating, he wrote for Record Mirror , NME and Time Out before signing up as Features Editor of Smash Hits in 1981, where he became the editor in 1983. He was the launch editor of Q , the re-launch editor of Select and the launch managing editor of Mojo . He later became the editor-in-chief of EMAP Metro, overseeing 14 consumer magazines, but he left Emap after 16 years to join the independent publishing company Development Hell in 2002. [4]
He also has a long broadcasting career which includes contributions to BBC Radio 1 as stand-ins for David "Kid" Jensen and John Peel. [5] [ failed verification ] He presented the BBC's The Old Grey Whistle Test [6] from 1982 to 1987. He also co-presented the Live Aid TV broadcast in 1985. [7]
Ellen was the editor of The Word , a music magazine which he started with long-time colleague, business partner and The Old Grey Whistle Test co-presenter David Hepworth. The first issue was published in February 2003 [8] and the magazine celebrated its 50th issue in March 2007. [9] The closure of the magazine was announced in June 2012. [10] His awards include the PPA's Magazine Of The Year for Q and the British Society Of Magazine Editors' Mark Boxer Award in 2003. He won also the BSME's Editor's Editor Award in 2005 and again in 2011. [11] [12]
He now collaborates with Hepworth on Word In Your Ear, a series of music-themed live events and podcasts. [13]
In 2014, his memoir Rock Stars Stole My Life! was published by Coronet. [14]
Ellen lives in West London. He is a keen diver and cyclist. [15] [16]