Geoff Thompson (writer)
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Geoff Thompson | |
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Born | Coventry, England, UK | 26 January 1960
Occupation | Writer |
Language | English |
Nationality | British |
Period | 1989 - present |
Genre | Film, Stage, Spirituality, Self-Help, Autobiography |
Subject | Personal development, Depression, Addiction |
Notable works | Watch My Back |
Notable awards | BAFTA for Best Short Film |
Spouse | Sharon Thompson |
Geoff Thompson (born 26 January 1960 in Coventry, England) is a BAFTA-winning writer,[1] film-maker, spiritual teacher, and martial artist. He has written prolifically in a wide range of genres, including books on spirituality, self-help, self defence, and martial arts, and scripts for film and stage.[2]
Biography[edit]
Early life[edit]
Geoff Thompson was born on 26 January 1960 in Coventry, United Kingdom.
Thompson had been a student of martial arts since a child and gained a high rank in Karate. His fear of violent confrontation despite being a highly ranked martial artist encouraged Geoff to become a night club bouncer in order to confront his fear. His experiences on the night club door, combined with a life-long desire to be a writer, led to him writing the manuscript of his first book Bouncer. Thompson says this was written on the toilet of the factory in Coventry where he worked as a floor sweeper, and he was encouraged by workmates to write down the bouncer stories he shared during lunch breaks.
Nightclub Bouncer and First Book (1980s)[edit]
Thompson left his factory job and became a full-time martial arts instructor, teaching martial arts during the day and working as a bouncer at night. He eventually found a publisher for his first book Bouncer (later re-published as Watch My Back), and shortly afterwards quit working as a bouncer - partly due to his notoriety since publishing his book - to focus on martial arts and writing.
World Renowned Martial Artist (1990s)[edit]
Thompson became a world renowned martial artist specialising in 'reality' martial arts and self defence, based on his experience at the night club door, and co-founded the British Combat Association with Peter Considine. Geoff became famous as a self defence instructor and in particular for his concept of "The Wall". He taught seminars in the US for Chuck Norris.
Film Writing and Winning a BAFTA[edit]
Thompson began writing for film with his script for the short film Bouncer in 2003, which went on to star Ray Winstone and was nominated for a BAFTA award. He went on to write the script for a short film Brown Paper Bag, inspired by his own brother's problems with alcoholism that eventually led to his death, and this won Thompson a BAFTA award in 2004 for Best Short Film.[3]
Geoff went on to write the film script for the feature film Clubbed (2008), based on his autobiography Watch My Back, starring Colin Salmon.[4]
He wrote the screenplay for the feature film The Pyramid Texts (2015), starring James Cosmo.[5] Thompson made his directorial debut in 2015 with the short film The 20 Minute Film Pitch.[6]
His work Romans 12:20, directed by the Shammasian Brothers and starring Craig Conway, (2008), has been adapted into a feature film, Romans (2017), starring Orlando Bloom.
Writing for Stage[edit]
Thompson has written successfully for stage, including the play Fragile which is semi-autobiographical and showed in Coventry.
Spiritual Teacher, Podcast, TED talk[edit]
Alongside writing, for many years Thompson was a spiritual teacher and coach, drawing upon his own experiences as a martial artist and of personal problems that he had contended with, which inspired his self-help books.
Thompson produced a popular podcast on spiritual guidance and self-help for a number of years, and in 2016 he presented a TED talk entitled Conquering Fear.
Recent Years[edit]
In 2020 he released an autobiography, Notes from a Factory Floor and the spiritual self-help text The Divine CEO.
Filmography[edit]
Feature Films[edit]
- Clubbed (2008) – Writer, starring Colin Salmon[7]
- The Pyramid Texts (2015) – Writer, starring James Cosmo[8]
- Romans (2017) – Writer, starring Orlando Bloom.[9] Later renamed Retaliation.
Short Films[edit]
- Bouncer (2002) – Writer, starring Ray Winstone. BAFTA nominated.[10]
- Brown Paper Bag (2003) - Writer, starring Ronnie Fox. BAFTA winning.[11]
- Romans 12:20 (2008) – Writer[12]
- Pink (2009) – Writer[13]
- Counting Backwards (2014) – Writer[14]
- The 20 Minute Film Pitch (2015) – Writer and Director[15]
- Shadow (2017) – Writer[16]
Bibliography[edit]
Autobiography[edit]
- Notes from a Factory Floor (2020), Urbane Publications, ISBN 978-1912666713
- Watch My Back (2004), Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840247169[17] Originally published as "Bouncer" in two parts c. 1989.
Self-help / Spirituality[edit]
- The Divine CEO (2020), O-BOOKS, ISBN 978-1789044249
- The Caretaker (2014), Geoff Thompson Ltd, ISBN 978-0956921529[18]
- Hunting the Shadow – How to Turn Fear into Massive Success (2012), Geoff Thompson Ltd, ISBN 978-0956921536[19]
- The Beginner's Guide to Darkness (2011), Geoff Thompson Ltd, ISBN 978-0956921505[20]
- The Formula – The Secret to a Better Life (2011), Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840245103[21]
- Live Your Dreams – Ten Secrets to Loving Your Life (2010), Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840247749[22]
- Everything that Happens to Me is Fantastic (2008/9), Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840247688[23]
- Everything that Happens to Me is Good (2008/9), Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840245974[24]
- Everything that Happens to Me is Great (2008/9), Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840246841[25]
- Fear – the Friend of Exceptional People (2006), Geoff Thompson Ltd, ISBN 978-0956921550[26]
- Warrior – A Path to Self Sovereignty (2005), Geoff Thompson Ltd, ISBN 978-0956921512[27]
- Stress Buster – How to Stop Stress from Killing You (2005), Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840245097[28]
- Shape Shifter – Transform Your Life in 1 Day (2004), Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840244441[29]
- The Elephant and the Twig – The Art of Positive Thinking (2001), Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840242645
Screenplay[edit]
- Fragile, Geoff Thompson Ltd, ISBN 978-0956921543[30]
- The Pyramid Texts, Geoff Thompson Ltd, ISBN 978-0956921574[31]
Fiction[edit]
- Red Mist (2004), Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840244014[32]
Martial Arts and Self-Defence[edit]
- Dead or Alive: The Choice Is Yours – The Definitive Self-protection Handbook (2004), Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840242799[33]
- Animal Day – Pressure Testing the Martial Arts, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840241112[34]
- Arm Bars and Joint Locks, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840241761[35]
- The Art of Fighting without Fighting – Techniques in Personal Threat Evasion, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840240856[36]
- Chokes and Strangles, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840241723[37]
- The Escapes, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840241730[38]
- The Fence – The Art of Protection, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840240849[39]
- Fighting from Your Back, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840241747[40]
- Fighting from your Knees, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840241754[41]
- Pins – The Bedrock, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1873475829[42]
- Real Head, Knees and Elbows, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1873475775[43]
- Real Punching, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840240887[44]
- Real Kicking, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840240870[45]
- Three Second Fighter – Sniper Option, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840244595[46]
- The Throws and Takedowns of Freestyle Wrestling, Summersdale, ASIN: B0061MRQSU[47]
- The Throws and Takedowns of Greco-Roman Wrestling, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840240290[48]
- The Throws and Takedowns of Judo, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840240269[49]
- The Throws and Takedowns of Sombo, Summersdale, ISBN 978-1840240276[50]
- Weight Training for the Martial Artist, Summersdale, ASIN: B0061NWC8I[51]
Martial Arts[edit]
Thompson began his martial arts training in the Eastern arts including karate, aikido and kung-fu. However, during his time as a nightclub doorman, he found that what he had learned was inadequate for the reality of violence. Thompson came to realise that the techniques encouraged and practiced in touch-contact and semi-contact martial arts were not always suitable for self-defence. Though he utilises a small core of these techniques as part of his teachings, Thompson prefers full-contact martial arts and combat sports such as boxing, Muay Thai, judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Greco-Roman- and freestyle wrestling.
He holds the ABA Boxing Instructor certificate and high-level coaching awards for wrestling,[52] a 1st Dan in Judo (1997) under world champion Neil Adams,[53] and an 8th dan in Shotokan Karate.[54] Geoff is a Joint Chief Instructor of the British Combat Association.[55]
Geoff Thompson was also the first instructor to name and extensively teach "the fence", a technique in real-life defence involving keeping your hands in front of you in a non-threatening manner so as to protect yourself in case a situation escalates but without provoking violence.
In the 1990s, Thompson wrote and presented a wide range of martial arts and self-defence DVDs. In 1995, he and his self-defence school featured in the Channel 4 documentary Passengers.
Martial arts instructional DVDs[edit]
- The Escapes (2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B0007NLRT8[56]
- Ground Fighting – Chokes and Strangles (2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B0007NLRU2[57]
- Pins – The Bedrock (2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B0007NLRSY[58]
- The Pavement Arena Part One (2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B0007NLRWA,[59]
- The Pavement Arena Part Two – The Protection Pyramid (2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B01I05LPZ0[60]
- The Pavement Arena Part Three – Grappling, The Last Resort(2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B0007NLRWU[61]
- The Pavement Arena Part Four; Fit to Fight (2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B0007NLRX4,[62]
- Real Punching: The One Punch Kill (2005), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B0007NLRS4[63]
- The Ultimate Self Defence Seminar (2006), Summersdale Productions, ASIN: B000CR6X5C[64]
References[edit]
- ^ http://awards.bafta.org/award/2004/film/short-film
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1512935
- ^ http://awards.bafta.org/award/2004/film/short-film
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0856778
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4066512
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4017872
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0856778
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4066512
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5200368
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0342144
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0396515
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1189443
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2187031
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3597702
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4017872
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6262954
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840247169
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0956921523
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0956921531
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0956921507
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840245107
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/1840247746
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840247681
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/1840245972
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840246847
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0956921558
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/0956921515
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NPNMYAI
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840244445
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/095692154X
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0956921574
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840244011
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/1840242795
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/184024111X
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840241764
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840240857
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840241721
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0092GDTWE
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840240849
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/1840241748
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/1840241756
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840241713
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/1873475772
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840240881
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840240873
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840244593
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/B01K2JBCVO
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840240296
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840240261
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LP6KR5A
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840241837
- ^ Geoff Thompson web site. "wrestling". Archived from the original on 22 April 2008.
- ^ http://www.britishjudo.org.uk/member-search-src/dan-register-display.php?PageNo=1&txtSurname=Thompson&grade=&number=9763
- ^ The British Combat Association. "Welcome". Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ https://www.britishcombat.co.uk/about
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007NLRT8
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007NLRU2
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007NLRSY
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007NLRWA
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01I05LPZ0
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007NLRWU
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007NLRX4
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007NLRS4
- ^ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000CR6X5C
External links[edit]
- Geoff Thompson IMDB page [1]
- Interview with Geoff Thompson and SUBvert magazine