About the author

Robbie found himself in advertising aged 23 after realising he was never going to make a living as a drummer. A successful copy test and a slice of good fortune landed him a copywriting job at WWAV Rapp Collins – then, Europe’s largest direct marketing agency. He was instinctively drawn towards the agency’s fundraising accounts which, at the time, included NSPCC, Oxfam, Cancer Research UK and RSPCA. After beating a few long-standing controls, he made group head at 26 and creative director at 32 before being fired for ‘insubordination’ soon after. Suitably chastened, he’s since worked at a number of leading fundraising, healthcare and integrated agencies in London and Bristol – including two years working with Simon at Arthur.

Through work, Robbie has spent time with orphans in the slums of Nairobi, met with expectant mothers in rural Nepal, interviewed adult survivors of child abuse, spoken with the parents of life-limited children, worked with disabled teenagers, listened to people coping with chronic illness and talked to the world-class scientists trying to find the cures. And he's written about them all.

About the author