Rob Garratt

Hi! I’m a freelance writer and editor with 15 years of media experience working across print and digital platforms. I've regularly had bylines in leading national newspapers including the South China Morning Post, The National, The London Standard, China Daily, Gulf News and Arab News.

I write a lot about arts and lifestyle topics – especially music – and have also regularly contributed to a range of specialist culture publications including Travel Weekly, Zolima CityMag, Photography is Art, All About Jazz and We Jazz. I’ve also penned formal programme notes for organisations including the Hong Kong Arts Festival and Hong Kong Philharmonic, and academic institutions including UMS at the University of Michigan and The Arts Center at NYUAD.

Before moving to Hong Kong to join SCMP, I worked as an arts writer and critic at the UAE’s The National, and online editor of four Time Out titles in the Middle East. As well as reviewing hundreds of gigs, films and restaurants, these roles gave me the opportunity to interview Hollywood heavyweights including Liam Neeson, Martin Sheen and Werner Herzog, and music legends Quincy Jones, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock and Noel Gallagher, among hundreds of others.

I’ve also written for glossy magazines (SCMP’s PostMag, Global Citizen, Curiosity, The National’s Weekend, Jumeirah Magazine) and inflight titles (Cathay, Atlas by Etihad, P&O Moments), and penned marketing material for household brands including Philips and Bang & Olufsen. I once hosted a weekly radio slot on Dubai Eye and am currently co-host of the music podcast Your Brother Should Know. Off mic, I’m on a mission to raise funds for SSDRC, the first specialist school for autistic children in Nepal.