Brit Pack Interviews
DAVE KING
Name: Dave King
Profession: TV & Radio content producer
Current Residence: Santa Monica, Los Angeles
Previous residence: Hoxton, East London
Left UK in: 2007
If you find yourself strolling along Malibu beach one afternoon you may well bump into a tall Englishman stretching impressively. Yoga on the beach is something Dave King would have never done in London.
Dave is a multi-media producer who's been providing content for the BBC (British Broadcasting Corp.) ever since he moved to LA five years ago. If he’s not covering the red carpet at the Oscars, he’s producing music shows for BBC radio or interviewing politicians. And while Dave works towards his dream job as a soccer commentator on ESPN he spends his spare time producing music and loving life with his beautiful wife, Michelle.
Profession: TV & Radio content producer
Current Residence: Santa Monica, Los Angeles
Previous residence: Hoxton, East London
Left UK in: 2007
If you find yourself strolling along Malibu beach one afternoon you may well bump into a tall Englishman stretching impressively. Yoga on the beach is something Dave King would have never done in London.
Dave is a multi-media producer who's been providing content for the BBC (British Broadcasting Corp.) ever since he moved to LA five years ago. If he’s not covering the red carpet at the Oscars, he’s producing music shows for BBC radio or interviewing politicians. And while Dave works towards his dream job as a soccer commentator on ESPN he spends his spare time producing music and loving life with his beautiful wife, Michelle.
What made you move here?
My wife is American, she’s from LA. I’ve been coming out here since the late 80’s and really fell in love with Californian living. The economy in London was about to go into a bit of a slump so I was looking to move out of London at the time anyway. I thought I’d catch a piece of the American dream before it changed or disappeared!
Were you planning the move for a while?
We got married in August 2006. The original plan was for my wife to move to London. We came to visit her mother, who lives in LA, in October that year and that’s when we flipped the script. My brother has been in the US since the late 80’s also. I got a journalist visa via the BBC to come out here so I was at least ensured 5 years out here. It was more like months in the planning and weeks in the operation.
What was the reaction of your family and friends when you moved?
My family wasn’t surprised. I had a history of moving from city to city in England. My brother is in America, my sister is in Germany. My parents are somewhat resigned to the fact that their children were all following their dreams. I think my mum was a little surprised about me moving out here with my wife because up to that point I’d been a single guy, living a single guy’s life and she was surprised by that sudden turnabout.
My wife is American, she’s from LA. I’ve been coming out here since the late 80’s and really fell in love with Californian living. The economy in London was about to go into a bit of a slump so I was looking to move out of London at the time anyway. I thought I’d catch a piece of the American dream before it changed or disappeared!
Were you planning the move for a while?
We got married in August 2006. The original plan was for my wife to move to London. We came to visit her mother, who lives in LA, in October that year and that’s when we flipped the script. My brother has been in the US since the late 80’s also. I got a journalist visa via the BBC to come out here so I was at least ensured 5 years out here. It was more like months in the planning and weeks in the operation.
What was the reaction of your family and friends when you moved?
My family wasn’t surprised. I had a history of moving from city to city in England. My brother is in America, my sister is in Germany. My parents are somewhat resigned to the fact that their children were all following their dreams. I think my mum was a little surprised about me moving out here with my wife because up to that point I’d been a single guy, living a single guy’s life and she was surprised by that sudden turnabout.
What do you miss most about the UK?
Digestive biscuits and twiglets! Also, I had a great group of friends back in London. If I could bring all my family and friends out to LA I’d be having the best time in my life, ever. I could say to a friend from London some comment and they’d get it straight away. Over here you have to judge whether it’s the right comment to say at the right time.
Has your accent changed?
I do say things like ‘trunk’ instead of the ‘boot’ of my car. I don’t want to spend 5 minutes speaking with someone in a store about my accent because I just want to get in my car and go. A lot of times my wife does a lot of the interaction. She tends to step to the counter first because I’ve got into confusion with people.
What advice would you give someone planning to move here?
Don’t pack any clothes when you come over here, you won’t need them. Unless you have some really favourite items! You’ll get a whole new wardrobe, you’re basically here to reinvent yourself nine times out of ten anyway. I packed two or three boxes of clothes and nearly all of them have gone to Goodwill.
What have you managed to achieve here that you don’t think you could have in the UK, if anything?
I currently work closely with colleagues back in the UK at the BBC, recording audio and vision. I’ve interviewed everyone from Oliver Stone to the mayor of
Los Angeles. Whether that’s something I would have been able to do in London, I don’t know. Setting up as a freelance person in one of the biggest, hardest cities; densely populated with people like me is the biggest test of my career. The fact that I’m still here and doing it, I’m proud of that. The difficulty I face is transferring my output from UK networks to US networks. I’d like to be providing for ABC or CNN or whoever, rather than always looking back across the pond.
How do you feel when you go back home?
I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world but I’m a city guy and I sometimes say to my wife that I feel like I live in the country. When I go back
to London I enjoy the hustle and bustle because I know I’m not going to be there all the time. It’s a great place to visit but it’s not somewhere I’d want to
live right now. When you go back you’ve got to put your game face on and remind yourself what you have achieved and that I am still here and making it happen. I have a better lifestyle in the US than I would ever have in the UK. I’d rather be stuck in my car on the busy freeways of LA than commute on the busy subway in London.
For more info on Dave check out his website: www.davekingproduction.com
Digestive biscuits and twiglets! Also, I had a great group of friends back in London. If I could bring all my family and friends out to LA I’d be having the best time in my life, ever. I could say to a friend from London some comment and they’d get it straight away. Over here you have to judge whether it’s the right comment to say at the right time.
Has your accent changed?
I do say things like ‘trunk’ instead of the ‘boot’ of my car. I don’t want to spend 5 minutes speaking with someone in a store about my accent because I just want to get in my car and go. A lot of times my wife does a lot of the interaction. She tends to step to the counter first because I’ve got into confusion with people.
What advice would you give someone planning to move here?
Don’t pack any clothes when you come over here, you won’t need them. Unless you have some really favourite items! You’ll get a whole new wardrobe, you’re basically here to reinvent yourself nine times out of ten anyway. I packed two or three boxes of clothes and nearly all of them have gone to Goodwill.
What have you managed to achieve here that you don’t think you could have in the UK, if anything?
I currently work closely with colleagues back in the UK at the BBC, recording audio and vision. I’ve interviewed everyone from Oliver Stone to the mayor of
Los Angeles. Whether that’s something I would have been able to do in London, I don’t know. Setting up as a freelance person in one of the biggest, hardest cities; densely populated with people like me is the biggest test of my career. The fact that I’m still here and doing it, I’m proud of that. The difficulty I face is transferring my output from UK networks to US networks. I’d like to be providing for ABC or CNN or whoever, rather than always looking back across the pond.
How do you feel when you go back home?
I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world but I’m a city guy and I sometimes say to my wife that I feel like I live in the country. When I go back
to London I enjoy the hustle and bustle because I know I’m not going to be there all the time. It’s a great place to visit but it’s not somewhere I’d want to
live right now. When you go back you’ve got to put your game face on and remind yourself what you have achieved and that I am still here and making it happen. I have a better lifestyle in the US than I would ever have in the UK. I’d rather be stuck in my car on the busy freeways of LA than commute on the busy subway in London.
For more info on Dave check out his website: www.davekingproduction.com
