About me.
Who is Jack J. Shepherd?
I am a freelance culture journalist, specialising in film, television, gaming and music. I have written for publications including Total Fim, The Independent, SFX, IGN, Den of Geek, Yahoo! Entertainment, and more!
My first full-time position was on the culture desk at The Independent, which I started in April 2015. After four and a half years as a reporter there, I took a job as Entertainment Editor for GamesRadar+, serving as the online editor for Total Film and SFX magazines. I wrote multiple cover features for the magazines, interviewed some of the world's biggest stars, and greatly expanded our online presence (unique page views went from 25m per year to over 100m per year). I started with only one freelance reporter and, by the end, I had five full-time reporters in the UK and one based in the US. It was a privilege to lead the team's expansion and to manage such an interesting and thriving section.
In January 2023, I left my position at GamesRadar+, Total Film, and SFX to go freelance and seek out new opportunities, as well as serve as channel manager for the YouTuber @finzar.
I am currently available for interviews, features, reviews, junkets, podcast appearances, Q&As, panels, production notes, and more.
For enquiries, drop me a message at hellojackshepherd@gmail.com and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
FAQ
Favourite movies?
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Wayne's World, Phantom Thread, Tokyo Story, Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars, Sherlock Jr... I'll stop there or we'll be here all day.
Favourite TV shows?
The Sopranos, The Leftovers, Bojack Horseman, The Simpsons.
The piece of work you're most proud of?
My Total Film cover feature on The Rings of Power.
Favourite interview?
To keep with the Tolkien theme, my interview with Peter Jackson while I was at The Independent. It's definitely up there with talking for a over an hour with The Boy Who Lived.
Can I just email you to say hello?
Of course.
What else are you working on?
I'm currently writing a book (because all journalists are) and helping Finzar run his YouTube channel. I've even appeared in a few videos...