Martin Poole

Martin is a former actor turned TV producer who worked in TV design, branding and promotion for over 20 years, the last four of which he ran his own marketing strategy consultancy, Sway Media.

Martin trained to be a priest full time at St John’s College, Nottingham and was ordained as a non-stipendiary priest in 1988 and spent 10 years working with John Sentamu (now Archbishop of York) in Tulse Hill, South London. He and his family moved to Hove in 1999 where he worked at St Andrews (Old Church) Hove for a while before setting up the experimental arts and spirituality group BEYOND.

Highlights in his professional career have included creating the last set of BBC2 “Two’s”, helping to launch Al Jazeera, arguing with Rupert Murdoch’s right hand man about the rebranding of SKY, relaunching the main commercial TV channel in Russia to a live audience of 75 million people one New Year’s Eve and working alongside Spike Lee to launch a major public service initiative in South Africa.

His work with BEYOND has ended up with him installing a ton and a half ice sculpture at the Greenbelt Christian arts and music festival, persuading Brighton shopkeepers to take part in a Lent themed shop window art event, showcasing jazz and opera on Hove Lawns for Midsummer and organizing the worlds first Beach Hut Advent Calendar featuring huts opening their doors every night in December to reveal a home grown art/performance on a Christmas theme.

He is an experienced broadcaster, art curator, marketer, strategist and priest with a passion for finding new ways to make Jesus relevant in the 21st century. He occasionally plays golf and is a self-confessed gadget fan.

In May 2010 Martin became priest-in-charge at St. Luke’s Prestonville just north of Brighton station and is learning what it means to be a parish priest while still continuing his creative and artistic activities.