|
Old Ignatians in the ARTS - Authors, Playwrights and Screenwriters
Saturday, 6 September 2025
|
|
This month we feature three Old Ignatians whose careers span film, publishing, and journalism. Having worked across communications, film, and media, James Burke (OR87) is author of 'The Book of Bravery' and is currently a sub-editor in Bangkok. Mark Lamprell (OR76) is an acclaimed film director, screenwriter, and novelist, with works published in sixteen countries and children's books co-authored with his wife, Klay. Matt Thompson (OR87) is Deputy Editor of the relaunched SPIN magazine in the US, a nonfiction author, and a screenwriter adapting his own work. Together, they share insights on the changing creative landscape — from AI to the dominance of blockbuster franchises — and how Riverview shaped their journeys as storytellers. Matt Thompson (OR87) 1. Tell us a bit about your current role and the part of the Authors, Playwrights and Screenwriters Industry you're in. Right now, I'm Deputy Editor at the recently resurrected print edition of SPIN, the freewheeling music magazine started 40 years ago by Bob Guccione Jr. This means I commission, write, and edit stories, and do whatever else is needed. The job has taken me from tracking down and interviewing fugitive anti-government veterans in remote parts of Idaho and Nevada, to sparking outrage among fan bases by suggesting their rock heroes are playing more for the money than the music (only to then be asked out for a beer by a band member who couldn't agree more), and to writing about the tragic impact drugs had on my best friend here in Oregon. Alongside this, I'm working on a screenplay adaptation of MAYHEM, one of three nonfiction books I wrote (from Dungog) in Australia before returning home to Oregon, where I was born. 2. What do you find most exciting (or challenging) about working in this industry right now? What excites me is that, while it's common to hear journalism and publishing are in decline, the world still offers endless stories — ripe, alive, unpredictable, and ready to be brought to life on the page or screen. 3. How has the industry evolved since you started your career? Any trends you're watching closely? I started as a trainee reporter at the Sydney Morning Herald in 2002, when the industry in Australia already felt like it was collapsing. Everyone said the glory days were over and the internet was killing everything. I wasn't much interested in sitting around lamenting, so I left the SMH to chase stories — in the southern Philippines, Colombia, Iran, and Serbia. It was reckless at times, but it gave me a front-row seat to the world in all its extremes. The internet has certainly transformed publishing, but nonfiction is still about the same thing: learning to listen. That's what's kept me going. 4. How did your time at Riverview shape your career or outlook? Riverview gave me both a sense of distance from everyday life and a connection to a wider tradition — perspectives that continue to inform how I see the world. 5. If you could sit down for dinner with any person, past or present, who would it be – and why? I would sit down for dinner with Plato, because Nietzsche is away hiking. Leaving Year: 1987 House at Riverview: Southwell Link: matthewthompsonwriting.com Mark Lamprell (OR76) Mark Lamprell is an acclaimed film director, screenwriter, novelist, and children's book author. His movie credits include 'Babe Pig in the City', 'My Mother Frank', 'Goddess', 'A Few Less Men' and 'Never Too Late.' His novels, published in sixteen countries and twelve different languages, include 'The Full Ridiculous', 'The Lover's Guide to Rome', 'The Secret Wife' and 'Things I Need You to Know'. Children's books, co-authored with his wife Dr Klay Lamprell, include 'Otto the True Blue Aussie Dog' 'Frankie and Finn' and 'Huberta's Big Surprise'. Mark is a board member of the UK-based charity, Refugee Support (Europe), dedicated to aiding displaced people. 1. Tell us a bit about your current role and the part of the Authors, Playwrights and Screenwriters Industry you're in. I'm currently writing a screenplay adaptation of my novel, 'The Full Ridiculous.' 2. What do you find most exciting (or challenging) about working in this industry right now? The advent of AI is the most exciting and challenging aspect of our industry right now. It's an ethical minefield with both wonderful and terrible potentials. 3. How has the industry evolved since you started your career? Any trends you're watching closely? I think the most significant trends in the movie business over the last forty years have been the sidelining of many smaller genres (like romcoms) by the dominance of high-budget high-action franchise films, the shift from cinema to home viewing, and the rise of binge-watching multi-series productions. Leaving Year: 1976 James Burke (OR1987) 1. Tell us a bit about your current role and the part of the Authors, Playwrights and Screenwriters Industry you're in. My current day job is a sub-editor for a daily English-language newspaper in Bangkok, Thailand. I've been in the communications and media industries for the past couple of decades, which also includes time in film and TV, primarily working in production while writing feature-length screenplays in my downtime. None of these were produced or did much, but one was later published as a novel 'The Book of Bravery' a few years ago. 2. What do you find most exciting (or challenging) about working in this industry right now? Actual creative writing – screenplays and novels – is presently on the back burner. I might get to write a second novel in retirement, based on a past screenplay set in the Congo during the Simba rebellion, mid-1960s. Making a living through any form of creative writing is probably the most challenging thing for any writer. My screenplay writing led me to working in my paid job as a news editor, as their writing styles are similar in that they aim to convey as much information as possible in the shortest number of well-structured words. 3. How has the industry evolved since you started your career? Any trends you're watching closely? I wrote my first feature screenplay by hand in the early 1990s and got someone to type it up. Since then, we have the internet, everything going digital, and now AI, all of which have had enormous implications. For today's writers and editors, AI can be a handy tool for editing, proofreading, and research, but there are understandable concerns about its impact on creative industries in general as its capabilities improve. We're in very odd but transformative times. 4. How did your time at Riverview shape your career or outlook? The traditional values instilled in us at school helped provide a foundation for the decisions made later in adult life, including career choices. The older I get, the more I realize how important those values are. 5. If you could sit down for dinner with any person, past or present, who would it be – and why? Good question, but too hard for me to pin down just one person. Leaving Year: 1987 House at Riverview: More Link: https://www.amazon.com.au/Book-Bravery-Novel-Years-Making-ebook/dp/B08795DX9Y Next Month: Visual Artists and Sculptors If you know someone who creates art, sculpture, or other works and has a gallery or website showcasing their pieces — and they'd be happy to answer a few quick questions — please send their details through to news@oiu.org.au PICTURED: MATTHEW THOMPSON (OR867) |