David Russell

I am currently the Head of Client Services for Forward Planner, an online calendar of future events and news hooks that is used by thousands of journalists and marketing/communications professionals across the UK and US to plan their forthcoming editorial content and campaigns. With a background in editing, sub-editing, research and copy writing, prior to this I acted as the Entertainment Editor for the platform for over a decade. Having now taken this niche service into the global market with launches in Ireland and France, I am now looking for a new challenge

Founded in 1998, ForwardPlanner.com is a subscription-only calendar of forthcoming events and announcements, used by journalists and the PR, communications and marketing industries in the UK to plan editorial content and campaigns. In 2006 a U.S. version known as AP Planner was launched in association with The Associated Press, and in 2023 the product was launched in France and Ireland too.  

I joined the team as an Entertainment Researcher more than 15 years ago (in 2006), working my way up to the role of Entertainment Editor where I ran a team of four researchers responsible for the research and maintenance of all UK and US entertainment and lifestyle content. 

Around 2019, I started to transition into a more client-facing role, and since January 2022 have been the dedicated Head of Client Services for the product, responsible for the management and training of more than 2,000 users, including many high-profile enterprise, media and government clients, and acting as the primary point of contact for all internal and external queries. 

In addition to this, I have played a key role in the development of a new purpose-built multi-lingual platform over the past two years, working closely with beta users to gauge feedback and framework new functions. This new product was launched in the UK mid-2023, before being rolled out to new markets in Ireland and France, and at the start of 2024, the US. 

Prior to this role, I worked as Deputy Chief Sub-Editor on the TV pages of the Daily Express and Sunday Express; Sub-Editor for the TV listings pages of Satellite TV Europe and What Satellite & Digital TV; and took part in the Raven Fox Publishing graduate trainee programme, writing for Duty-Free News International and Travel Retailer International.

BA Hons English Literature from Lancaster University

Coursegate Copywriting Level 4 diploma