My name is Rupert Davies-Cooke. I currently work as a fencing coach at UCL in London, but I have had a varied career.
My first job was as a photographer’s assistant to Sir Geoffrey Shakerley in his company ‘Photographic Records.’
Then, I took a job in film production and worked at ‘Lewin and Matthews’, a film production company in Soho.
My next job was as an Assistant TV producer with a fledgling advertising agency called Horner Collis and Kirvan, working on Peugeot, Citroen, Sony, Cadbury, and P&G commercials.
Then, in 1994, I set up a small independent production company called Acorn Films, which I wound up in 2016.
Supplementary Projects
1988 Winner 10th Study tour of Japan
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs organised the 1988 Study Tour of Japan, for which participants were chosen through an essay competition. I was one of fifty winners from EC countries to be offered the opportunity to visit Japan to study Japanese politics, economics, society, and culture. Former Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda initiated the scheme after he visited the EC in 1978 to contribute to mutual understanding between Japan and the EC.
1990 Telebi Asahi Tokyo
In 1988, a Japanese Goodwill Association called the Nippon Seiyu Kai advertised an essay competition. They asked us to propose projects to be completed in thirty days in Japan. The only condition was that the participant had already been to Japan. I offered to conduct research for a potential documentary about the Heisei Era.
They chose fifteen prize winners from around the world, and on 12 January 1990, I was in Tokyo, meeting my fellow prize winners. While in Japan, I wrote and filmed two short documentaries for Telebi Asahi. One was about ‘Salarymen’, and the second was about Politicians campaigning in the Japanese election.
1994 to 2013 Acorn Films
I founded Acorn Films in 1994. Filming has taken me to fascinating places, from working with prisoners at Wandsworth and Ashwell prisons to producing work for the Royal Opera’s ‘Tempest’ and ‘Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk’ at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.
2004 Royal Opera – The Tempest
The Tempest is an opera by English composer Thomas Adès, with a libretto in English by Meredith Oakes, based on William Shakespeare’s play. Its world premiere was held to critical acclaim at the Royal Opera House in London on 10 February 2004. The opera received the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.
My work involved the creation of a backdrop of waves that was projected onto the stage.
2006 The Original Writers Group
I set up the group to meet writers. It was a simple objective, and as luck would have it, it has worked. I look back to all these evenings since that first meeting in May 2006. Over the past seventeen years, many talented writers from all walks of life, including poets, scriptwriters, historians and novelists, have been part of the Original Writers. Thank you to everyone who has been part of the group. You are all Originals. Click here to go to the group website.
pdcooke.com 