Monday 15th of February 2010
Every starving writer dreams of creating a page-turner their audiences will be hungry for. But that elusive bestseller list can often seem like a long-distant dream, with so many aspiring novelists seeing the fruits of their labours sink without trace. Not so for storyteller Matt Jameson, whose dream of retiring to the country to pen children's tales has more than paid off.
Admittedly the advertising executive was hardly starving to start with, but if the venture had come to nothing, his wife Victoria joked that they would be eating Pot Noodles for the rest of their lives.
And Mr Jameson is finally on the cusp of launching his Bush Tales series, dreamt up while he visited family in Zimbabwe and surely set to leapfrog from one success to another.
The series is a complete entertainment package for children which follows the madcap adventures of a menagerie of exotic animals. There are 12 separate children’s books illustrated by Disney academy artists, which can be bought in various assortments.
But Mr Jameson believes children are clever enough to want to experience their literature in other forms, and keen to enthuse a generation of music-lovers, he has teamed up with orchestras and choirs to provide CDs and interactive DVDs to go with the books.
The CD features songs and symphonic pieces in a dozen different musical styles including R’n’B and jazz recorded by musicians from West End shows, choristers from Wells Cathedral School, and the Royal Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra and BBC Symphony Orchestra.
But the Bush Tales series also has its own website, iPod application, soft toys, portfolio of oil paintings by artist Kirsten Harris and plans are afoot for an animated TV series and a West End show.
The project has been a labour of love for Mr Jameson, of Leigh-on-Mendip, Somerset – as well as a considerable artistic and financial challenge.
Bush Tales is a visual and musical spectacular aimed at children of all ages. The collection of stories is rooted in the legends and folklore of Africa.
He told the Western Daily Press: “Children are incredibly smart at learning about products and we always wanted this to be supported by a strong visual and audio aspect."
“We are due to work on getting a classical suite to accompany some of the tales which I’m really looking forward to, especially if it inspires children to like classical music."
“The idea for this came back in 2000 but it has been five years in the making."
“I’m really pleased with the results so far, some of the musicians are just brilliant and there are plans for more tales.”
In the first series of 12 tales, Bush Tales introduces a lively family of characters such as Hustler the Meerkat, Masavi the Lion and Bont the Baboon.
Every tale has been crafted in lyric form and set to an original musical score to create a powerful and innovative way of telling the secrets of creature-kind.
The album is proving to be a groundbreaking soundtrack, working with the top West End and Broadway musical director Chris Walker and Pippa Ailion, who is casting director for Disney and shows such as Wicked.
Mr Jameson has enjoyed a varied career in civil engineering, advertising and as managing director of a UK media agency. By the time he was 27 he was appointed one of the youngest ever managing directors of a UK top ten media agency.
By the time he left the industry in 2009 he was running Omnicom Media Group’s flagship international operation, OMD International London.
Away from work, one of his passions was music but it was not until his early 20s he was able to re-embrace his passion to study music composition and writing.
He studied with private tutors and took his theory exams through the Royal Schools of Music syllabus.
For the past 10 years he has been studying and honing his craft as a composer and writing the music for Bush Tales while juggling his media career.
Bush Tales will be Matt’s first work to come to into the public domain – but has been thoroughly road-tested by Matt and Victoria’s children and their friends.
Recordings for the series were made at St Thomas’ Church in Wells and at Angel Studios in London.
More information at http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/news/Somerset-children-s-writer-world-sensation/article-1834048-detail/article.html