Photo by Jamie Isbel
M. G. Leonard
Author
M. G. Leonard is an award-winning, bestselling, writer of children’s books. Her books have been translated into over forty languages.
Best known for her Beetle Trilogy books, which are being adapted for TV. Maya and her beetles have appeared on Blue Peter, Springwatch Unsprung, Countryfile, Meet the Author with James Naughtie, Sky News, and featured in the BBC documentary, The Bug Couple.
Maya lives in Brighton with her husband, two sons and pet beetles. She spent her early career in the music industry running Setanta Records, an independent record label and managing bands, most notably The Divine Comedy. After leaving the music industry, she trained as an actor, dabbling in directing and producing as well as performing, before becoming a digital producer for Shakespeare’s Globe, the Royal Opera House, the National Theatre and Harry Potter West End.
Photo by Jamie Isbel
Sam Sedgman
Author
Sam Sedgman is a novelist, playwright and an award-winning digital producer. He has a first class honours degree from the University of Warwick in English and Creative Writing, and holds a Master’s in Text and Performance from RADA and King’s College London.
He works as a digital consultant for the National Theatre’s On Demand In Schools project, as well as hosting and co-producing their podcast. He has previously worked as a freelance digital producer for arts and literature organisations across the country, and founded a company creating bespoke murder mystery treasure hunts for adventurous Londoners.
His plays have been performed in three countries, and his work has been shortlisted for The Courtyard Theatre Award. He has written articles on culture, technology and free speech for The Guardian, Complex UK and The Space.