Neil Atkinson

{{Short description|British journalist (born 1981)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}

Neil Atkinson (born 21 January 1981) is a Liverpool-based writer, broadcaster and film producer.LibreOffice For Starters, First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18{{cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mTEWfnwaSS0|title=Neil Atkinson acceptance speech at The FSF Awards|last=Conor McNamara|date=7 December 2015|via=YouTube}} He is the host,{{cite web|url=https://www.theanfieldwrap.com/taw-contributors/|title=Contributors – The Anfield Wrap}} Content Manager,{{Cite web|url=https://onlinejournalismblog.com/2016/03/11/this-uk-podcast-is-making-money-and-employs-4-people/|title=This UK podcast is making money – and employs 4 people|date=11 March 2016}} and one of the main writers and business developers{{cite web|url=https://walksoflifepodcast.podbean.com/|title=Walks Of Life Podcast|first=PodBean|last=Development}} behind online football and culture magazine The Anfield Wrap{{cite web|url=https://www.theanfieldwrap.com/about/|title=About The Anfield Wrap – The Anfield Wrap}} which has had more than 28 million podcast downloads worldwide. Atkinson has presented sell-out shows of The Anfield Wrap in London, New York, Toronto, Melbourne, Ireland and Scandinavia, as well as on stage at the Sound City Festival in Liverpool.[https://www./onlinejournalismblog.com/2016/03/11/this-uk-podcast-is-making-money-and-employs-4-people/]{{dead link|date=April 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2013/04/taw-down-under/|title=TAW DOWN UNDER – The Anfield Wrap|date=11 April 2013}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2013/06/taw_down-under_new_dates/|title=THE ANFIELD WRAP DOWN UNDER – NEW DATES ADDED – The Anfield Wrap|date=19 June 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://jmu-journalism.org.uk/anfield-wrap-stage-set-for-sound-city/|title=Anfield Wrap stage set for Sound City|website=jmu-journalism.org.uk|date=22 March 2013 }}

Atkinson co-wrote and co-produced{{cite web|url=https://m.imdb.com/name/nm5227109/|title=Neil Atkinson|website=IMDb}} the film Native, which had a theatrical release in the UK in 2018 and won the feature film award at the 2016 Boston science fiction festival.{{cite web|url=https://m.imdb.com/title/tt4443922/awards?ref_=m_tt_awd|title=Native (2016)|website=IMDb}} Described as "smart" and "elegant" by Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/22/native-review-rupert-graves-ellie-kendrick|title=Native review – an elegant and weird sci-fi adventure|first=Peter|last=Bradshaw|date=22 February 2018|website=The Guardian}} Kim Newman in Empire magazine described it as "ambitious, unusual and thought-provoking".{{cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/native/review/|title=Native|first=Kim|last=Newman|website=Empire|date=23 February 2018}} In The Times, Ed Potton wrote that it was a "script full of promise, with provocative things to say about empathy, obedience and individualism".{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/film-review-native-v8n0jzgfg|title=Film review: Native|first=Ed|last=Potton|date=23 February 2018|via=www.thetimes.co.uk}}

Atkinson is a regular Radio City Talk presenter and won the Football Supporters Federation 2016 national radio show award.{{cite web|url=http://www.fsf.org.uk/latest-news/view/philippe-coutinho-wins-fsf-player-of-the-year-award-2016|title=Philippe Coutinho wins FSF Player of the Year Award – Football Supporters' Federation|website=www.fsf.org.uk|access-date=2018-03-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830235329/http://www.fsf.org.uk/latest-news/view/philippe-coutinho-wins-fsf-player-of-the-year-award-2016|archive-date=2017-08-30|url-status=dead}} He runs his own Liverpool-based production company, Film1st, and hosts music podcast The Rider.{{cite web|url=http://www.kin2kin.co.uk/neil-atkinson/|title=Kin – Neil Atkinson}} Atkinson has guested as a punter on The Totally Football Show discussing Liverpool Football Club's 2019–20 Premier League title triumph,{{Cite web|url=https://audioboom.com/posts/7616779-and-now-it-s-there|title=And now it's there}} and Liverpool's 5–0 win at Old Trafford over Manchester United on 24 October 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/three-handles/id1267958765?i=1000539635654|title = The Totally Football Show with James Richardson: Three handles on Apple Podcasts}}

Formerly a chairman for Spirit of Shankly,{{cite web|url=http://www.fourfourtwoarabia.com/liverpool-dubai-anfield-wrap-became-global-success-story/|title=From Liverpool to Dubai: How The Anfield Wrap became a global success story – FourFourTwo Arabia|website=www.fourfourtwoarabia.com}} he has contributed to New Statesman discussing the social impact of tragedies{{cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/sport/2018/04/29-years-hillsborough-disaster-grenfell-shows-how-little-we-ve-learnt|title=29 years on from the Hillsborough disaster, Grenfell shows how little we've learnt|website=www.newstatesman.com|date=9 June 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/sport/2016/04/hillsborough-verdict-isn-t-about-football-disaster-was-national-disgrace|title=The Hillsborough verdict isn't about football – the disaster was a national disgrace|website=www.newstatesman.com|date=26 April 2016}} and has appeared on BBC Breakfast, Football Focus, BBC Radio 5 Live, BT Sport and Sky Sports, during which former Manchester United defender Gary Neville described Atkinson as "a better pundit than me".{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/theanfieldwrap/status/1076182531047858177|title="I've kidded myself for years that we can win the league, this time we actually can." Pre-match with @Carra23 and @GNev2 |first=The Anfield|last=Wrap|date=21 December 2018}}

He co-wrote the 2014 book Make Us Dream with John Gibbons about the 2013–14 Liverpool F.C. season{{cite web|url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/make-dream-book-review-story-7622214|title=Make Us Dream book review: story of Liverpool's 2013/14 season|first=David|last=Prentice|date=15 August 2014}} as well as Numero 6 in 2019, about Liverpool’s 2018–19 season culminating in their 2019 UEFA Champions League Final victory, their sixth European Cup triumph.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportsjournalists.co.uk/books-and-reviews/avalanche-of-f-words-spoil-all-thats-good-in-fans-site-the-anfield-wrap/|title=Avalanche of f-words take away from all that's good in fans' site, The Anfield Wrap – Sports Journalists' Association|date=16 August 2019 }} In August 2019 with Michael MacCambridge Atkinson began Red Letters, a weekly correspondence about the Liverpool Football Club for the Liverpool Echo’s American website, which is being edited into a book.{{cite web|url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-fc-red-letters-madrid-16690221 |title=Red Letters/2 August 2019: Madrid Afterglow, Going Again and Carpooling with Gary Gillespie |last=Atkinson |first=Neil|author2=Michael MacCambridge |date=2 August 2019 |work=Liverpool Echo }}

Atkinson has also written for newspapers such as newspapers such as The Guardian, The Independent the Liverpool Echo on Liverpool FC related topics.{{fact|date=December 2022}}

In 2024, he authored the book Transformer: Klopp, the Revolution of a Club and Culture.{{cite web|url=https://onefootball.com/fr/news/winning-helps-how-klopps-leadership-revolutionised-liverpool-fc-and-beyond-40122422|website=One Football|accessdate=4 October 2024|date= October 3, 2024|title=

'Winning helps' – How Klopp's leadership revolutionized Liverpool FC and Beyond}}