Birmingham born and bred, with a background in public administration, Jean relocated to Kent in 1999 to take up a film degree as a mature student at the University of Kent.  Whilst there, besides helping set up the Film Society and being the founding editor of its magazine 'Big Lens', Jean spent three years as the press officer for the Kent International Film Festival and was House Manager and acting Operations Manager for Cinema 3, the Bfi's then regional cinema, based at the university.

On graduating in 2002, she set up Close-Up Film, initially a small regional print magazine for Kent but which, within three years, had morphed into a well-known and respected online publication, www.close-upfilm.com, receiving 15,000 unique visits per month with a 50-strong team of writers, which Jean continues to manage and edit. She has a passion for the written word, the moving image and people, and in bringing them together to make amazing things happen. Freelancing as a film, media & pr consultant, her clients include Screen South, South East Media Network, Sandwich Technology School and the Summerscreen Film Festival for Young People.

She also conducted the regional press campaign for Dartford-born director Andrea Arnold's Oscar win for 'Wasp'. Jean is currently the founding Editor-in-Chief of www.digitaldeli.co.uk, an online community marketplace and network for digital creatives.

Jean co-Founded the 2 Days Laughter Short Film Competition in 2007, alongside her long-standing friends and colleagues, Mick and Chris at Beeping Bush. Her key roles were press, promotion and sponsorship, and maintaining communications with the 2DL and online communities. Jean thrived on the buzz of the fast-paced event and relished turning it into a fully-fledged film festival.