About Iain Ballantyne
Iain Ballantyne is an established defence journalist, author of naval history books and scriptwriter with deep knowledge of the modern Royal Navy.
He is currently Editor of the globally renowned naval affairs news magazine, ‘WARSHIPS International Fleet Review’.
In 2007, Iain’s work in the maritime arena was saluted with a Special Recognition Award from the British Maritime Charitable Foundation (BMCF), for making ‘a consistent and unwavering contribution to raising maritime awareness over the years’.
This summer (2009) the fruit of Iain’s labours in a new arena has been produced, with his fledgling venture, 112 Productions, joining forces with Seafarer Books (www.seafarerbooks.com) to create a DVD telling the story behind the search for the lost warship HMAS Sydney II.
Iain has also worked as a scriptwriter on corporate communications projects for a number of clients, via London-based Grosvenor TV.
Iain was the co-deviser of the six-part ‘Wine Hunt’ programme, made by Chatsworth Television and broadcast on Channel 4. Prior to that he was the editor of the ‘diary for the Porsche driver 1998’ a lifestyle yearbook for drivers of Porsche cars in the UK. With a successful career as a newspaper journalist prior to going freelance in the mid-1990s, Iain was also at one time a movie reviewer for the Somerset-based Orchard FM radio station, and co-hosted a weekly comedy slot in which he impersonated both the then Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin.
HIGHLIGHTS
Author of naval history books.
Editor, WARSHIPS IFR magazine, for HPC Publishing,
Drury Lane,
St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex.
Published monthly since 2003.
Key ancillary works as co-author and Editor (all for HPC):
Assignments to cover naval forces on front line for WARSHIPS IFR have included: Counter-terrorism patrols aboard the frigate HMS Chatham in the Northern Arabian Gulf and with a NATO force in the eastern Mediterranean (both 2008); with the Royal Marines in Oman, as the US-led campaign against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban was launched (2001); aboard the carrier HMS Invincible in the northern Gulf (1999) as Sea Harriers flew Combat Air Patrols in the face of Saddam’s SAMs.
Scriptwriter for Grosvenor TV, 22 Golden Square, London.
2000 – Present Day. Key role not only in writing scripts, but also in
conceptualization for pitches, as part of competitive tendering process.
Some key projects:
Co-deviser of Wine Hunt (for Chatsworth Television, broadcast on Channel 4 1998 and 2000).
Defence & Diplomatic Correspondent, UK News London Bureau 1995/96.
Responsible for covering MoD and Foreign Office in Whitehall.
Defence Reporter/Chief Reporter/News Desk Editor, Evening Herald,
Plymouth 1990 - 1995.
Key Assignments/Tasks:
© 2006 Iain Ballantyne