The Burrow - Gordon Houghton's Zzap! - Where are they = now? page

HEAD: First things first, = click=20 here to skip this guff. For anyone who's still reading, this page = tells you=20 what happened to all those ex-Zzap! staffers you might have vaguely = wondered=20 about in the past few years when you had nothing better to do.
TAIL: It's only partly our own work, and we're = deeply=20 indebted to the enthusiasts who post on Iain Black's Zzap! Rrap message board, and to Maff Rignall's = 'Where are=20 they now?' site, which (before its demise) included excellent interviews = with=20 many of those named below. The rest of the detective work is down to = us—though=20 frankly, that's not saying much.
HEAD: = If you want=20 to get out of here before that idiot starts droning on again, click on = my face=20 to return to the Zzap! Index, my neck to visit the C64 page, and my = shoulders to=20 visit The Burrow.
TAIL: Meanwhile, if = you can help=20 fill in some of the gaps in this table, or you just like writing emails, = or=20 you're simply curious about what will happen when you click this icon, = go=20 ahead:. We'll reply. Honest.
HEAD: = Speak=20 for yourself, Tail. He's so boring, isn't he? Oh yes he is. And so = difficult to=20 work with, too. Few people understand what it's like having someone you = hate=20 poke his head up your backside all day, all the while being forced to = listen to=20 his sarcastic comments and feeling his nails jabbing into your calves. = Someone=20 who's far removed from my first colleague, a genuinely kind and decent = man; at=20 least until that fateful night when he backed up too far and fell ten = feet into=20 the front row—
TAIL: That's = enough, Head. Let them=20 read the stuff they came here for... And by the way, no one = really=20 believes his death was an accident, you know.

So: where=20 are they now?

Wayne=20 Allen	'Art Director' = Allen—the man=20 responsible for Chuck Vomit—moved to Future, then emigrated = to Australia,=20 and was until very recently working for Imagine in San Francisco, = in the=20 building next to Julian Rignall. He's now moved back to Sydney, = where he=20 can be found in the custom magazines department at ACP.
Chris=20 Anderson	The original Zzap! = exile, Chris=20 left when the mag shifted base to Ludlow. He set up the mildly = successful=20 ;o) Future=20 Publishing, sold it, then moved to the US where he now runs = the entire=20 universe (or the Imagine=20 part of it, at any rate).
Ciaran = Brennan=20	Like Gary Penn, Ciaran = was part of=20 the EMAP team that created the ground-breaking 16-bit magazine, = The One.=20 He's now an executive at the PR company Bastion, = and describes=20 himself as "a father of two boys, living a fairly normal, boring = (but=20 highly enjoyable) suburban life..."
Richard=20 Eddy	Larger-than-life = Richard=20 metamorphosed into a kind of roving ambassador at Newsfield long = before he=20 actually left and did the same job (successfully) for Codemasters. He's=20 now created his own PR firm called Rocket Media.
Maff = Evans	Culled in the 'Night = of the Long=20 Knives', Maff enjoyed a brief spell as a wildebeast before turning = his=20 hooves to writing music articles and reviews for Future.
Oli = Frey	Following the collapse = of=20 Newsfield, Oli and a whole bunch of former staff left to form = Prima=20 Creative Services. However, he can now be found at Thalamus = Books.=20 There's not much on that website, but the email address is easy = enough to=20 work out...
Paul=20 Glancey	Paul worked for many = major=20 software and magazine companies after leaving Zzap!, among them = Eidos and=20 EMAP. He is currently creative manager at Criterion=20 Studios.
Miles=20 Guttery	Post-CF, staffer and = tipster Miles=20 joined Devon-based outfit, Computerfacts. When they fell apart he = joined=20 Gameplay. When they fell apart, he joined a TV production = company=20 in London. They haven't fallen apart (yet).
Kati = Hamza	Briefly worked at = Oxford=20 University Press before becoming a freelance editor, designer and = project=20 manager. She had her first child in 2000.
The=20 Harlequin	a.k.a. Nik Wilde. = Moved to Zzap!'s=20 sister magazine, The Games Machine when Chuck Vomit arrived; = rejoined=20 Zzap! briefly in late 1990. Ol' Harley then moved on to Psygnosis = for a=20 few years, but was last seen wearing the mask at International = Sports=20 Multimedia.
Chris=20 Hayward	Commodore Force's ace = tipster now=20 works with Steve Shields at Mayfair, and reputedly performs = stand-up=20 comedy.
Lucy=20 Hickman	Moved from Zzap! to = Impact's=20 colourfully cheesy N-Force; after that she joined EMAP and briefly = worked=20 as deputy editor of Mean Machines Sega; and after that she=20 temporarily gave up the wonderful world of fun in order to study = law.=20 However, she now exercises her gaming muscles for the Scottish = newspaper,=20 The Sunday Post.
Robin = Hogg	One of the few = sensible people in=20 this list, Robin abandoned computing altogether to be an = environmental=20 engineer on aerospace products. He and his wife Sam have also just = had=20 their first child (and he's a cutie).
Gordon=20 Houghton	After spending many = years=20 underground—all too literally—Gordon is currently = writing novels. But slice him however you like, a fat = man is=20 always a fat man, and Gordo's hobbies still include eating too = much cake,=20 crisps, Coke, and other foodstuffs beginning with the letter 'C'. = Except=20 cockroaches.
Steve = Jarratt=20	After a brief spell = freelancing=20 for EMAP, Steve left Ludlow to join Future.=20 He's now responsible for launching their leading edge magazines, = and is=20 generally enjoying life as a head honcho. And, by the way, he's = one of the=20 funniest guys I've ever met.
Roger = Kean	Following the collapse = of=20 Newsfield, Roger and a whole bunch of former staff... Well, this = is the=20 same as Oli Frey's entry, above—basically Roger is at Thalamus=20 Books.
Mark=20 Kendrick	Arguably Zzap!'s = craziest art=20 director, and the best impersonator of Michael Jackson this side = of the=20 Atlantic, Markie is working for Paragon and the Total Games Network.
Phil = King	The ex-ed is now = Numero Uno at the=20 online games mag, PowerStation, and can also be found lurking in = the=20 labyrinthine halls of the Total Games Network.
Warren=20 Lapworth	After a brief spell as = Paul=20 Sumner, Warren joined Newsfield's multi-format magazine, The Games = Machine. Briefly returned as an authentic Zzap! staff writer = before the=20 shit hit the fan. Now works with Oli and Roger at Thalamus=20 Books.
Gary=20 Liddon	Gary Liddon is still = crazy after=20 all these years (allegedly) at the software house, Climax, = where he is an=20 MD. He's also been known to turn up at the Back In=20 Time retro events.
Lloyd=20 Mangram	Rumours are rife = concerning=20 Lloyd's whereabouts, and some even question his very existence. = It's=20 claimed that he's enjoyed a variety of careers since quitting = Newsfield,=20 including chicken sexer, thresher mechanic, bowling ball polisher, = and=20 writing a piece for The Edge's 100th anniversary issue. Will the = truth=20 ever be revealed? Does anyone care?
Sean=20 Masterson	Quite simply, Sean now = croaks with=20 with Bullfrog.
Gary = Penn	Left Newsfield for = EMAP, where he=20 ultimately edited the best 16-bit magazine of its time (and my = favourite=20 computer magazine of all time), The One. He then worked for DMA = Design in=20 Scotland, but now smiles his lovely smile at Denki.
Adrian=20 Pitt	The former Pet Shop = Boys fan is=20 now a marketing manager in his hometown of Wolverhampton, = UK.
James=20 Price	Here's something = unusual: James=20 left Ludlow to join... wait for it... Future.=20 But for the past three years he's been freelancing his way around = the=20 games press, and has made occasional (disguised) visits to the Zzap! Rrap message board.
Paul = Rand	Paul edited C&VG = for a while,=20 then joined the Press Association in Yorkshire, and is now working = back in=20 his native North East.
Julian=20 Rignall	Jaz left Newsfield to = freelance=20 for EMAP, before taking a permanent post as editor of C&VG. He = then=20 moved to the US, where he worked for Virgin Interactive and = (later)=20 Imagine, first at IGN then=20 Snowball. = The latest=20 info I have is that Jaz is now a freelance writer and part-time=20 DJ.
The=20 Scorelord	Little was heard of = The Dark One=20 after the magazine folded, but he's recently been dragged away = from=20 bleach-drinking oblivion to host the Scorelord page on this site.
Steve=20 Shields	Worked in Ludlow for = sixteen=20 issues, and was editor for all of them—surely some kind of = record?=20 Post-shit-hitting-fan, Steve got involved in soft porn, and is now = editor=20 of Mayfair.
Paul=20 Sumner	a.k.a. Dominic Handy. = Though many=20 have written under the PS pseudonym, Dom was the guy on whom the = portrait=20 was based. After leaving Zzap! he eventually rose to the = editorship of=20 CRASH!, and post-Newsfield he continued to contribute to a variety = of=20 magazines. He now runs his own design firm, Creative=20 Hand.
Bob Wade =	Like Chris Anderson = (and many=20 others listed above), Bob left Zzap! to join Future. He then = established=20 the software company, Binary Asylum, before moving on to Game = Campaign, an=20 internet product monitoring service.
The White=20 Wizard	a.k.a. Steve Cooke... = Steve worked=20 in a rather depressing basement office at EMAP for a while, as = well as=20 engaging himself in many an interesting freelance project. He's = currently=20 waving his magic wand for Hotgen.
Stuart=20 Wynne	Until recently, = Zzap!'s=20 longest-serving editor strutted his funky stuff for Paragon, = and was also=20 involved in the Total=20 Games Network. But... where is he=20 now?

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