I was born in London and moved to Los Angeles when I was 23, intending to travel across the country (sort of like Barry Newman from the movie Vanishing Point). After it went tits up, I spent most of 1991 living near Venice Beach doing very little and decided to stay.

As I'm not fond of the beach in any way, I moved to an apartment off Sunset, sandwiched between two landmarks: rock 'n roll Denny's and rock 'n roll Ralph's (one of which burned down). Still trying to figure out my journey, I worked various jobs: ad agency receptionist, PA for Showtime, and sales at a vintage clothing store on La Brea Avenue. 

During this time, I created and promoted an event in Hollywood called Sleazerama. It was built around a personal collection of vintage movie posters and capitalized on the burgeoning lounge music scene.

Through strange circumstances at my next job, I learned graphic design — the least likely avenue I would ever have chosen, but it would serve me well.

This website began over twenty years ago, a labor of love that started as a showcase for vintage advertising. As my collecting of vintage odds and sods escalated, the website became a way to make all that material available. The ongoing project is self-funded and includes many subject areas, focusing on Southern California's cultural heritage. 

The collection is comprised of photographs, negatives, postcards, newspapers, magazines, and stuff that tickles my fancy. The mission is to collect, organize, preserve, and make available materials with enduring historical value.