Natalie Kate Blenford...

...grew up in London in the 1980s and 90s – think double denim, dreams of being a pop star and a life led according to the rules taught by teenage magazines. Aged 16, she left JFS in Camden Town to go to Woodhouse College, where she gained A-Levels in English Literature, Sociology, Geography and Business Studies. Determined to become a magazine journalist, Natalie then gained her BA (Hons) in English and Communication Studies at The University of Liverpool.

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After graduating, armed with two cuttings from The Liverpool Student, Natalie tried - and failed - to get a job in magazine journalism. Eventually, after 100s of rejection letters, she was hired by the Virgin Group to be a Jobs & Money Editor on a new website for students. She quickly became Editor-In-Chief – but after two years, armed with more cuttings than before, she pitched an idea to CosmoGIRL! magazine and was commissioned. This opened the door to her dream career as a features writer for Cosmopolitan, LOOK, Marie Claire, Glamour, New Woman and many other titles. At one point Natalie even wrote a fitness book called "Dance Your Way to Fitness", which was published by Collins + Brown in association with Zest magazine, which went on international release in several European languages.

 

Yet much as Natalie loved writing, her parallel love of singing just wouldn't go away. After playing lead roles in amateur productions of Bat Boy and Anything Goes, she decided to apply to drama school.

 

She was accepted to the MA Acting (Music Theatre) course at the prestigious Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and after graduating Natalie was cast in the UK No.1 tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down The Wind. After this, she appeared as Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music in Malaysia, before playing Maria Von Trapp in a professional UK production, to great acclaim. 

 

Natalie's TV commercial credits between 2010 and 2016 began to stack up. She appeared in spots for Jacob's Creek, Waitrose, KFC, Barclaycard, Google as well as the launch commercial for easyproperty.com. ​Then, ten years ago, a one week vacation to Tel Aviv changed everything.

 

While on holiday with her mum, Natalie fell in love with the city (and an Israeli man called Asaf). She subsequently returned to Israel in 2016 to explore the possibilities of life under the warm glare of the Mediterranean sun. The transition wasn't easy: Asaf ghosted her; her new boyfriend was a lifeguard of questionable morals, and being alone in the mad Middle-East was a culture-shock. But it was worth it: the events of that summer provided the inspiration for Natalie's first script THE LIFEGUARD DIARIES, which is currently in development for TV. And above all,  something about Tel Aviv felt like home. in 2017, she packed her bags and moved here full-time. 

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Now, almost a decade, one pandemic and a multi-front war later, Natalie has built an eclectic creative life for herself in Tel Aviv, where she lives close to the Shuk HaCarmel in an amazing old house with a bath on the balcony. Yes, you read that right. 

 

Her career in Tel Aviv combines her love of both writing and performing. She has worked as a travel, lifestyle and news writer for global publications; been a Royal Correspondent / UK Culture Expert for i24 NEWS, and corresponded live for GB News, Talk TV, BBC News and BBC World Service Radio. There's even a video of her running to a bomb shelter in the middle of a live report in October 2023 that went viral on TikTok. 

 

Acting-wise, she continues to build her reputation as Israel's go-to British actress. In 2021, Natalie was cast as Margaret  in Shalom Assayag's "The-90s/שנות התשעים" – a role which was reprised in 2024 for season two, and which inspired her to put pen to paper to develop her own TV project. Commercial wise, she has appeared in dozens of TV campaigns and internet ads for high-tech companies. Credits include spots for Payoneer, Playtika, Partner, Amdocs, Delta and Dan Design Center. 

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On stage, Natalie has performed as a soloist in the multi-faith Christmas Concert at the YMCA in Jerusalem; launched a stand-up comedy career in Tel Aviv, and opened a vocal coaching studio, where she works one-on-one with singers, helping them unlock their mix-belt, and improve their skills in acting through song. She has also transitioned into directing, most recently workshopping her own script with small groups of professional actors, and directing music videos and social media campaigns for select brands and musicians in Tel Aviv. Her one-woman-play (and searingly honest non-fiction, narrative memoir) about dating in Tel Aviv and being single well past the deadline that society sets for us, is being written as we speak. All in all, there is a lot going on, and Natalie wouldn't have it any other way. 

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For more information, to access the Pilot script of THE LIFEGUARD DIARIES or to discuss a creative collaboration with Natalie, please drop her a line.

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Thanks for stopping by!

 

Natalie x

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