Rob Fennah

WRITER / PRODUCER / MUSICIAN

In the mid-70s at the age of 15, Rob joined his first band, Buster. Two years later the group signed to RCA and had hit records in Japan, Europe and Australia. By the age of 18, he had penned his first top 3 hit, received a gold album for ‘The Buster Live’ together with a clutch of best-seller awards. Rob has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious venues including: The Sydney Opera House, Australia and The Budokan, Tokyo. In 2014, The British Embassy in Tokyo published a list of the most successful top 25 UK bands in Japan since the Beatles. Rob’s band, Buster, was one of them.

In 1984 Rob teamed up with his brother Alan and formed a new band, Alternative Radio. They were the first artists to sign to EMI’s re-launched Parlophone record label. They recorded two ‘live’ sessions for BBC Radio 1, one of which was voted ‘Best Session Of The Year’ by Simon Mayo. The band is still going strong and will be performing two ‘live’ shows this December at the Floral Pavilion Theatre, New Brighton.

During the 90s, Rob was also writing for TV, Film and Theatre. This led to the setting up his own production company, Pulse Records Limited. In 2005, together with his brother, Alan, they won the Unisong International Song Contest with a track called’ Yesterday’s Man’. A chance meeting with best-selling author Helen Forrester resulted in Rob’s stage adaptations of Twopence To Cross The Mersey and By The Waters Of Liverpool. Rob and Helen remained firm friends until her death in 2011, aged 92.

In April 2018 Rob’s stage play, Lennon’s Banjo, premièred at Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre. It featured former-Beatles’ drummer, Pete Best, in a cameo role and made headlines around the world. The stage play, adapted from the novel Julia’s Banjo by Rob and Co- Author Helen A Jones, tells the story of a Beatles tour guide who unearths a clue to solving the greatest mystery in rock history - the whereabouts of John Lennon’s first musical instrument which has been missing for over 60 years. Lennon’s Banjo tours the UK in Autumn 2023. As an accomplished guitarist, Rob enjoys teaching from his very own Bluenote Guitar School on the Wirral. In 2020, he set up a free YouTube tutorial channel, Fennah Rob, which has over 8,000 subscribers.

www.lennonsbanjo.com
www.twopencetocrossthemersey.com
www.bythewatersofliverpool.com
www.bluenoteguitarschool.com


Bill Elms

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR / PRODUCER

Bill Elms has worked in the theatre industry both locally and nationally for over 35 years, including 20 years working with the UK’s biggest theatre companies in ticketing and marketing positions.

In 2008, Bill set up a Marketing and PR Company based in Liverpool city centre. Bill Elms Associates Ltd has grown from strength to strength into the region’s premier communications company specialising in the arts, live entertainment, and ticketed events, successfully managing the marketing and PR for many high-profile events, festivals and venues.

Clients include (past and present) ATG Theatres (Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Milton Keynes), The Lowry, Storyhouse Chester, Epstein Theatre, Capstone Theatre, St Helens Theatre Royal, Hope Mill Theatre, Liverpool Carnival Company, Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Pride, DaDaFest, Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, Physical Fest, Winter Wonderland Manchester, St George’s Hall and Scarborough Open Air Theatre to name but a few.

Bill Elms has also successfully entered the world of theatre producing with a growing portfolio of high-profile productions, collaborating with artists, directors, producers and theatre companies. Bill has produced successful productions of Epstein: The Man Who Made The Beatles, Jerry Springer - The Opera, Something About Simon, Something About George, Twopence to Cross the Mersey, By The Waters Of Liverpool, Lennon’s Banjo, The Ruby Slippers, Blood Runs Deep, Music Of The Night, Hurrah! For The Pirate King. Concert performances have included musical compositions of Frankenstein and Ghost Stories: A Night Opera, composed by Neil Campbell.

Bill is a director of Epstein Entertainments Ltd, Pulse Records Ltd, Northern Ricochet Ltd, Break A Leg Productions Ltd, Something About Productions Ltd and is Associate Producer with Regal Entertainments Ltd (touring). Bill also has also set-up his own theatrical production company Bill Elms Productions Ltd with productions such as Swan Song by Jonathan Harvey, 2Gorgeous4U by Mark Davies Markham and Judy & Liza Musical by Emma Dears. His brand-new production is an LGBTQ play, Masquerade which runs at the Epstein Theatre this Autumn.

He is founder and artistic director of the multi-award-winning, Liverpool Theatre Festival, created during the pandemic and is now in its third year. He is also artistic and communications director of the Epstein Theatre and director at Epstein Entertainments Ltd.
www.billelms.com





Lynn McDermott

PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR / PRODUCER

With over 42 years working in finance, 26 of those in Retail, International, Personal Financial Services and Commercial sectors for HSBC, Lynn oversees the day-to-day running of Pulse Records Limited. Lynn also works with writer, Rob Fennah, as researcher and script editor.

Lynn began working with the company in 1994 when the very first musical adaptation of Twopence To Cross The Mersey was premiered at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. She has subsequently worked on every show staged by Pulse, including By The Waters Of Liverpool and Lennon’s Banjo.

As Production Co-ordinator, Lynn is responsible for bringing all elements of the shows together and keeping communications flowing between members of the cast, crew, creative team and theatres.