Mark Ellen
{{Short description|British television presenter and journalist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2016}}
{{ Infobox writer
| name = Mark Ellen
| image = Mark Ellen at the Chiswick Book Festival (53178282385) (cropped).jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = Ellen at the 2023 Chiswick Book Festival
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|09|16|df=y}}
| birth_place = Hampshire, England
| occupation = Magazine editor, journalist
}}
Mark Ellen (born 16 September 1953) is a British magazine editor, journalist and broadcaster.
Early life
Ellen was born in Fleet, Hampshire,[https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/people/7-famous-people-from-fleet-in-hampshire-7273168 7 famous people from Fleet in Hampshire] Retrieved 3/5/21. England. While at Oxford University in the 1970s, he briefly played bass alongside Tony Blair in college band Ugly Rumours,{{cite news|author=Kamal Ahmed |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2003/apr/27/labour2001to2005.tonyblair2 |title=Twenties: Mark Ellen | Politics |newspaper=The Guardian |accessdate=2017-01-15}} a band that, according to Ellen, was created primarily to meet women.{{cite news|author=Neil Spencer |url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/artsandentertainment/0,,944041,00.html |title=Observer review: The Last Party by John Harris |newspaper=The Observer |date=27 April 2003 |accessdate=2017-01-15}}
Career
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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.radioawards.org/judges/?36|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417000817/http://www.radioawards.org/judges/?36|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2008|title=Sony Radio Academy Awards - Judges: Mark Ellen|date=17 April 2008}}
He also has a long broadcasting career which includes contributions to BBC Radio 1 as stand-ins for David "Kid" Jensen and John Peel.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/word-magazine-a-bunch-of-friends-and-a-record-player-439832.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219184555/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/word-magazine-a-bunch-of-friends-and-a-record-player-439832.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 February 2009 |title=News | UK and Worldwide News | Newspaper |newspaper=The Independent |accessdate=2017-01-15}}{{failed verification|date=March 2020}} He presented the BBC's The Old Grey Whistle Test{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/567211/ |title=BFI Screenonline: Old Grey Whistle Test, The / Whistle Test (1971-87) |website=Screenonline.org.uk |accessdate=2017-01-15}} from 1982 to 1987. He also co-presented the Live Aid TV broadcast in 1985.{{Cite web|url=http://liveaid.free.fr/rewind/complete/pages/markellen.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060117123743/http://liveaid.free.fr/rewind/complete/pages/markellen.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 January 2006|title=Live Aid (July 13th, 1985): Mark Ellen|date=17 January 2006}}
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 2003Ruth Addicott, [http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=22078§ioncode=1 "Word magazine cover unveiled"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517202640/http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=22078§ioncode=1 |date=17 May 2011 }}, Press Gazette, 31 January 2003 and the magazine celebrated its 50th issue in March 2007.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090219184555/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/word-magazine-a-bunch-of-friends-and-a-record-player-439832.html "Word magazine: A bunch of friends and a record player"], The Independent (UK), 12 March 2007 The closure of the magazine was announced in June 2012.{{Cite news|last=Cardew|first=Ben|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/29/magazine-word-to-close|title=The final Word: music magazine to close after nine years|date=2012-06-29|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-03-09|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}} 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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=32584§ioncode=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517202727/http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=32584§ioncode=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 May 2011|title=Mark Ellen wins top editors' award|date=17 May 2011}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/rejoice-readers-the-word|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113065505/http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/rejoice-readers-the-word|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 November 2011|title=Rejoice, readers of The Word!|date=13 November 2011}}
He now collaborates with Hepworth on Word In Your Ear, a series of music-themed live events and podcasts.{{Cite web|title=The Word Podcast – A Word In Your Ear|url=http://wordpodcast.co.uk/|access-date=2020-10-16|language=en-GB}}
In 2014, his memoir Rock Stars Stole My Life! was published by Coronet.{{cite web |url=https://www.hodder.co.uk/contributor/mark-ellen/|title=Mark Ellen|date=24 April 2019 |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton | accessdate=18 September 2019}}
Personal life
Ellen lives in West London. He is a keen diver and cyclist.{{Cite web|url=http://www.divernet.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?&id=6637§ion=2220&action=display|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302145938/http://www.divernet.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?&id=6637§ion=2220&action=display|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 March 2009|title=No desert underwater|date=2 March 2009}}{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/741152/Blessed-in-cyclists%27-heaven.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528223313/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/741152/Blessed-in-cyclists%27-heaven.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-05-28 |title=Blessed in cyclists' heaven |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=2007-05-19 |accessdate=2017-01-15}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellen, Mark}}
Category:Alumni of the University of Oxford
Category:BBC television presenters
Category:British male journalists
Category:British magazine editors
Category:British music critics
Category:British radio presenters
Category:British television presenters
Category:People from Fleet, Hampshire