I’m a former Sun staff journalist who went freelance in May 2007 and in my decade or more of journalism I’ve gained experience across a wealth of editorial genres and subject areas.

Ten14 Media is the result of more than 10 years in journalism, working in a range of fields including technology, gaming, hard news, consumer stories, showbiz, lifestyle, men’s/women’s interest and sport.

I have extensive online and digital publishing experience and was a founding member of The Sun Online, playing a key role in its development and continued success. I was the site’s founding writer, I launched and adapted many of its current sections and spent nearly five years as Features Editor and TV Editor.

My Gizmo section continues to date and is widely-regarded as one of the leading sources on technology in the national mainstream media.

I pride myself on producing informative, engaging and easy-to-understand copy and that ethos runs through the whole of our work and focus with Ten14.

I’ll still continue as a hack for hire writing for nationals such as the Mirror, Daily Mail, The Times, Sunday Times, News of the World and Sunday Mirror.

But Ten14 Media is my new challenge and it’s one I’m looking forward to working with you on.

At Ten14 I look after the TNA Wrestling account while devising our Training workshops for PRs, delivered alongside Jonathan.

That’s me above, pictured second from the right, with Westlife – just in case you were wondering who their good-looking new member was.

During my time at The Sun I performed every task imaginable: writing, subbing, editing, optimising for the web, creating podcasts and videos and continually developing new ideas, concepts and formats.

I regularly secured exclusive stories and features throughout the paper, including on the front page, as well as taking charge of the website when the Online Editor was away.

I launched our range of Podcasts – the first guest was then-Prime Minister Tony Blair – as well as Apps for iPhone and iPad and the hugely successful Biz Sessions.

I also indulged my passion for professional wrestling a little too much.

In the past, I have also worked for The Guardian, had a show on TalkSPORT radio and I’ve had articles published everywhere from Press Gazette to the Jewish Chronicle.

The new site was then launched in the summer with a renewed messaging focus on the company’s Agents and simplified details about the services being offered and the ways in which customers can obtain them.

The existing Geek Zone section was also transformed to take in a daily news feed of technology and gaming stories, written by Ten14, along with regular How To, Explained and Coming Soon features.

By creating content about the services that was easier to understand, Ten14’s re-write now allows potential customers to see at a glance what their technology problem is, why they need help and how they can call upon assistance.

Bringing to life the personality of its Agents both in the field, instore and over the phone, was also a key element identified by Ten14 to build interest and trust between consumer and the brand.

* If you would like Ten14 Media to rewrite your website, either in full or partially, please Contact Us with details.

The account is managed by Simon Rothstein, former Online Showbiz Editor for The Sun and the UK’s leading wrestling journalist.

TNA’s wrestlers have been interviewed by The Sun, Daily Star, FHM, Bizarre Magazine, Fighting Fit Magazine, Kerrang, Wales on Sunday, TalkSPORT, AOL, Yahoo, Digital Spy and many more publications and websites.

We have also handled media visits to the UK by wrestling legend ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair and TNA’s top British star Desmond Wolfe.

Currently we are gearing up for TNA’s annual tour, taking place in January 2011, and visiting London, Manchester and Glasgow.

This unique and insightful half-day workshop is aimed at helping in-house PRs and agency staff achieve successful popular press coverage.

It is delivered by Jonathan Weinberg and Simon Rothstein, who between them have more than 20 years of tabloid experience as Senior Editors, Journalists and Freelancers.

Packed full of advice, tips and tricks, it explores everything from why coverage did not appear to the dark arts of booze and bribery.

Our unique experience means we are well-placed to cover both print and online, along with apps and multimedia.

For full course details and the latest scheduled dates, see our Training section. We can also deliver the same course, or one tailored to your specific needs, in-house.

Having trained up its internal copywriters, Ten14 now assists with writing articles for internal use to educate staff as well as pieces for the main Carphone Warehouse website.

We also advise on marketing material, test phones to identify the key points of reference for customer editorial and write each of the video scripts for the product review films, now used on www.carphonewarehouse.com

We also look after the content on the company’s BeGadgets page, found on the Bebo social network, designed to engage a younger audience with technology.

The legendary Nature Boy came over to the UK in May for a media tour to launch the TNA Wrestling Maximum iMPACT Tour 2011.

And when his first words to me were “Do you drink?”, I knew this would be two days like no other.

Ric certainly worked hard, doing every bit of media I could throw at him – even phone interviews on car journeys between other interviews, while signing pictures with his spare hand.

He spoke to everyone from Maxim and Bizarre to Kerrang and Big Cheese, with stops at The Sun, Daily Star and TalkSPORT in between.

But it was the nights that were really special – as we drank and partied until dawn with selected guests from the UK media.

Sadly, in true wrestling style, what goes on tour stays on tour. But I hope the picture on the left gives you some idea. Click the thumbnail to see what we got up to.

Simon Rothstein

And that means lots of hot dogs, plenty of gadgets and just a bit of shopping in the American winter sales..

As well as scouring the halls for the latest and greatest technology to write about for various existing cliens, I’ll be on the lookout for any new content opportunities with brands large and small.

But most importantly, I’ll be sizing up which stand has the best booth babes for my Sun column. There might even be a picture or two posted here as well as news from the show floor before I fly back to the snowy UK.

Not even a flood of biblical proportions, an emergency trip to the vet, a bout of flu - it was a real swine - and some crazy internet hosting shenanigans could stop us.

Some of you may have dealt with Ten14 Media before, possibly without realising it. It’s the company I founded back in April 2007 when I left The Sun after seven years to freelance.

In that time I’ve written for numerous national newspapers, edited blogs and websites, consulted with PRs to make their media relations easier, and developed a plethora of ideas on a daily basis – many of which are still in my notebook for a rainy day.

Ten14 Media was named after my birthday, which is today (no need to send a card), and I am celebrating with a new website, new direction and crucially new team members. It’s the same ethos, though, summed up by our tagline: Simple Words, Clear Ideas, Honest Conversations.

The power of words is often forgotten. Whether printed in the pages of a newspaper, posted on a blog, displayed in a booklet or spoken on a video, what you say, and how you say it, matters very much.

All change please

As the media landscape begins to change, journalists face a stark crossroads. But our skills are still in demand, more so than ever. Simple communication anyone can understand will never go out of fashion.

We’re trained to cut to the facts in the most entertaining, informative and engaging way. We strive to cut through confusion and allow the reader to form an opinion.

Brands now have the perfect opportunity to capitalise on that experience to reach their customers and users through real words they want to read. Not boring bland copywriting written by someone churning out buzzwords and marketing speak but engaging editorial in a myriad of ways through a range of mediums.

So that’s what we’ll be doing. It doesn’t matter whether you use old, new or social media – if the words aren’t right and relevant then you will just be talking AT the people you should be talking WITH.

Experts, experience and editing

At Ten14 Media, I’m creating a hub of talented writers, all experts in their own fields from technology to health and men’s lifestyle to food. Their strong background in newspapers, magazines and digital, alongside my editorship, will allow us to help brands make their words work harder.

It is the credit crunch, after all. We can’t afford to waste any words, and neither can you.

Whether commissioned directly from staff in-house or via PR and marketing agencies, we’ll use our experience to produce words and ideas that give the reader reason to sit up, take notice and engage.

We don’t spin, we don’t bullsh*t and we don’t use confusing terms. We simply help tell real stories through our writing, idea generation and consultancy.

They don’t start “Once upon a time…” either. We’re not into fairy tales. Our stories create trustworthy relationships between brands and consumers that this new age of media demands.

This is who we are

On our Services page you can read some ways in which we can do this. Our About page and the Ten14 Commandments give reasons why we exist. The Client pages show people who have benefitted from our work and then there’s the Team. They’re waiting by their keyboards with twitchy fingers. They might even use a pen and paper if I ask nicely.

And if you still need convincing, check out the Praise. Then maybe you’ll get in Contact for a chat about what we could do for you.

We’ll be blogging here regularly about our values, plans, the media and anything interesting involving words, plus adding more clients, team members and work examples to the site soon.

In the meantime, I’m off to revel in three words for the rest of the day: HAPPY, BIRTHDAY and CAKE.

PS: If you spot any dead links, bad words or browser compatibility issues on the site, please let me know.

1. We only use highly-skilled professional journalists working to editors who have senior experience.

2. We have specialists in all fields producing high quality copy on everything from technology to travel, gaming to gossip and music to movies.

3. We work like a paper newsroom meaning every single story is subbed, edited and then checked again.

4. We never rehash copy – every client gets their own bespoke team creating unique content for them.

5. The reader is at the heart of all we do, to build direct trustworthy relationships that deliver a return.

6. We are always on top of the current trends in media, technology and communication.

7. Our plain-speaking and honest approach is key. We don’t use management speak, we simply tell it like it is.

8. We keep you informed at every step of the production process – to make sure our work matches your vision.

9. If you need us, we’ll be available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. That’s what our newspaper experience has taught us. We’ll even work Christmas Day if you provide the mince pies and crackers.

10. We only ever charge a fair and clear price for the job we do.