THE FIFTH APE’s editing, writing and copywriting services are provided by Ian Bongso-Seldrup, who has been involved in publishing for 20 years. Ian holds a Bachelor’s in Astrophysics from Sheffield University, England, and a Master’s in Information Technology (Artificial Intelligence: Natural Language Processing) from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Drawing on his scientific background, Ian began his career in publishing at one of Asia’s largest and most accomplished publishers of scientific, technical and medical books and journals. He joined Singapore-based World Scientific Publishing Company as an editor and became a senior editor after three years.
Ian was involved in all stages of book acquisition and production: commissioning projects; liaising with graphic designers, marketing executives and salespeople; editing and proofreading; and conducting presentations and book launches. He also managed several of the company’s most prestigious academic journals.
Since going freelance in 2007, Ian has worked with diverse clients and contributed to a wide range of projects in various subject areas. He has worked with Singapore-headquartered Asian Geographic Magazines/Underwater 360 Group for 16 years, serving, for various periods, as the editor of the travel publication Passport and the scuba-diving magazine Scuba Diver AustralAsia and Ocean Planet. Ian is currently the Editor of Asian Geographic, as well as a contributing editor to Asian Diver and Scuba Diver AustralAsia and Ocean Planet.
In 2014, Ian became Managing Editor of DivePhotoGuide, an underwater photography and videography resource and award-winning website headquartered in New York City. He handles production schedules, commissions and manages contributors, edits and proofreads copy, posts photo and dive news, sends out weekly e-newsletters, and works with advertisers. In 2015, Ian became Chief Operations Officer of DivePhotoGuide.
Ian is currently based in Melbourne, Australia.