My Profile

Hi, I’m Gem King — an experienced freelance writer who combines science with storytelling.

I have a degree in Zoology (please ask me about it), and over a decade of experience writing content for medical charities, start-ups, EdTech companies and — of course — myself.

I originally trained as a Medical Editor, so I’ve got a sharp eye for detail. I can spot a double space in font size 8 from across the room.

My backstory

Before going fully freelance, I worked in internal comms, technical authoring, and editing for life sciences. I especially loved the variety that came from producing content for a medical charity. I then spent five years running a successful solo business — and most recently, I was Head of Publishing/Content at Pip Decks, a fast-growing EdTech startup.

I copyedited and quality controlled the content that went into each of the printed decks at Pip Decks, used by 200,000+ customers. I also oversaw multiple writers, freelance translators, designers… and built the internal systems to keep it all moving. 

My final move before redundancy was working with my team to produce the content for the Stories That Sell sales funnel, including a bunch of ‘how to’ guides, direct response emails and landing pages. So… I know a thing or two about storytelling.

If you’re after someone who can combine writing, editing, planning and leadership, that’s me.

“Okay, how do we get started?”

Simple! Just get in touch.

Highlights

Content Planning

I’ve project managed newsletters, content calendars and website information architecture. I also planned and wrote 10+ charity annual reports:

Writing

I’ve written about everything from infectious diseases to sustainability (and more). Here are some of my favourite samples.

Proofing

I’m a trained medical editor and have proofread tens of research manuscripts for publication in world-leading medical journals and ebooks. Most of this work is under NDA, but I can share some limited detail by email.

Examples of my work

  • Eco-tech app content

    A high-level overview of a content project I managed for a sustainability start-up (anonymised due to NDA).

    Read the case study
  • A staged photo of the Negotiation Tactics deck of info cards.

    Negotiation Tactics

    I project managed and copyedited this deck from scratch, alongside the Author (a world-renowned hostage negotiator). I also scripted and co-directed the 50 videos, and produced multiple blogs, emails and Miro boards to accompany the launch.

    View product details
  • A photo of an empty hospital bed

    How to write about ill health with tact

    An article inspired by time working with medical charities, where I could directly contrast how they spoke about health and illness with the way that the medcomms agency I worked for approached it.

    Read it
  • A white woman with long brown hair (me!) presenting a video for the CF Trust

    CF News

    A video of a (much younger) me presenting the CF News video series, which I planned, scripted and presented/directed for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

    Watch now
  • The cover of an Impact Report featuring a boy underwater with his hand stretched out

    Cystic Fibrosis Trust

    I project managed and wrote the Impact Reports for the CF Trust, managing the use of imagery, expert reviews, finance data, as well as producing the text and collaborating on infographics.

    Read it (PDF)

Other interests

Let’s go slightly off-piste! I have a deep knowledge of canine behaviour and an encyclopaedic knowledge of British wildlife (especially birds). You can check out my free Substack newsletter about the nature on my doorstep, Wild This Week, which also features some of my photography.

I’ve also written extensively about sustainability, innovation, facilitation, and mental and physical health. I care deeply about accessibility, inclusivity and social justice. And I once wrote 2,000 words about a device that cleans cows’ udders (yes, really).

A small grey bird on a branch

Contact me

I’d love to hear from you.