Writer | Performer | Creative Producer
I am a highly experienced writer, author, stand-up comedian, improvisor, actor, voiceover, podcaster, presenter, facilitator and educator.
For twenty five years I have created, developed, written and performed for the world’s biggest brands. And also for me. Take a look around.
Adrian Mackinder
Experience
I have been lucky enough to collaborate with the most talented people across a wide range of industries, from broadcast, animation and gaming to pharmaceuticals, healthcare and the British Government.
My work has been shared across all platforms, including broadcast, print, outdoor, online, streaming and social.
My key professional skills include:
Narrative Design | Storytelling
Brand Identity | Creative Strategy
Campaign Positioning | Commercial Alignment
Technical B2B translation | Research Synthesis
Podcast production | On-mic Communication
Tone of voice | AI implementation
Happy clients include:
Selected Portfolio
CLIENT: Sealy Posturepedic
ROLE: creative development/writer
THE TASK: Create a new brand identity for America’s #1 mattress brand.
THE IDEA: “Bed-Aches”, little monsters that cause poor sleep, and Sealy is the solution.
THE RESULT: nationwide launch across US and Canada in TV, print, in store, digital and social.
CLIENT: Novo Nordisk
ROLE: script writer/performer
THE TASK: Create a memorable internal on-boarding for new invoice management tool
THE IDEA: “Mr Coupa” -doesn’t hide the fact that this is very boring but also important.
THE RESULT: Implemented across all global market, seen and used by every employee.
CLIENT: Visit Denmark
ROLE: script editor/presenter
THE TASK: Promoting Denmark as a sustainable country for tourism
THE PROJECT: B2B film taking you on a tour of this forward thinking green destination.
THE RESULT: Final film showcased at travel trade events in Frankfurt and Barcelona.
CLIENT: DC Thomson
ROLE: brand consultant
THE TASK: Create and implement brand tone of voice for BEANO Studios
THE IDEA: Internal workshop to involve team, highlighting the need for strong tone of voice, with examples and exercises.
THE RESULT: adoption of new tonality across all comms on all platforms.
CLIENT: Eaglemoss Publications
ROLE: senior copywriter
THE TASK: Research and write character/ comics bios for Marvel Fact Files publication
THE RESULT: delivery and publication of over 100 articles for global audience. Examples:
CLIENT: Comedy Central UK
ROLE: head writer
THE TASK: Create attention-grabbing on-air messaging to strengthen brand identity.
THE IDEA: Writing subliminal funny messages for audiences to discover, pause and read in between commercial breaks.
THE RESULT: Viewers would film and upload onto YouTube and discuss meaning. Proof longform copy works on air. Examples:
Published Books
Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed the World
(White Owl Books, 2021)
Stan Lee is one of the most important creative forces of the twentieth century. He helped shape pop culture as we know it. He helped spawn the most successful film franchise of all time.
This book places Stan Lee as the hero in his own adventure as the epitome of the American Dream: an aspirational success story, but not without its dark side. Amongst his many triumphs lie personal tragedy, financial ruin, ugly legal disputes and public scandal.
Stan Lee: How Marvel Changed the World shows that, just like the vibrant panels of the comics he wrote, Stan’s life is never black and white. More than this, it a bold celebration of the power of storytelling. Excelsior!
Death and the Victorians
(Pen and Sword Books, 2024)
From horror films and ghost stories to TV shows and podcasts about notorious serial killers, we take great pleasure in the spectacle of death. We are grim voyeurs, and we owe much of this morbid obsession to the Victorian Age.
My second book, Death and the Victorians, takes you on a journey into the darker side of the nineteenth century.
From London's festering graveyards and the Victorian tabloids feeding our taste for true crime, to the grandiose Paris Morgue which became a tourist trap for thousands every single day, this book lifts the veil on how the Victorians truly regarded their dead.
I examine how the rise of spiritualism transformed death into family entertainment and how Victorian science and technology was applied to provide concrete proof in life after death.
Death and the Victorians exposes a unique time in history when everyone was inventing new ways to build a bridge between this realm and the next.
I have been a professional performer for over twenty years, from stand-up comedy and improv to acting and presenting.
I have performed live on stages in major cities, including New York, London, Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Stockholm, Gothenburg and Oslo.
I am a proud member of Inconspicuous Comedy improv ensemble in Copenhagen, where we perform regularly and run workshops in applied improv for businesses.
I am fifty percent of internationally acclaimed and award-winning improv duo If These Walls Could Talk alongside Sarah McGillion. Together we have performed at international improv festivals and recorded improvised comedy podcasts.
I am also a different fifty percent of spoof history comedy podcast History For You With Douglas and Hugh, with my co-creator, writing partner and fellow performer James Devonshire.
Poking fun at the pomposity of the patriarchy, History for You has been recommended by the Guardian as “Properly, sneakily funny”
Performance
STAND UP SPECIAL: “JUST ADD HYGGE”
STAND UP: LIVE AT TOP SECRET, LONDON
ACTING: SHOWREEL
ACTING/WRITING: SIR LESLIE QUINT
IMPROV: ITWCT - RICE COOKER
IMPROV: ITWCT - PLASTIC FROG
SKETCH: THE PLOTTERS
SKETCH: A BIT OF HISTORY
PRESENTING: NOVOZYMES
PRESENTING: IMPLEMENT CONSULTING
WRITING/PRESENTING: NOVO NORDISK
PRESENTING: GOING GREEN IN DENMARK
VOICEOVER: DETTOL UK
COMMERCIAL WORK: CHANNEL 5
VOICEOVER: COMEDY CENTRAL UK
Contact
I am based in Copenhagen and divide my time between Denmark and London. I am more than happy to work on site, remotely or hybrid.
If you think I’d be a good fit for your projects, please get in touch.
Thanks for reading.
