Marjacq

About this Agency

Marjacq was founded in 1974. It takes its unusual name from combining those of its founders, George Markstein and Jacqui Lyons. Jacqui first became a literary agent in 1971, working for Peters Fraser & Dunlop. George (who died in 1987) was a highly successful screenwriter, author and TV executive. The original small client list included the late R.D. Wingfield, popular for his radio thrillers and his Inspector Frost books, James Follett (‘Earthsearch’ saga among other popular works of sci-fi), Chris Boucher (‘Blake's 7’) and George, whose espionage thrillers are classics of the Cold War. We now represent dozens of writers, handling both screenplays and books. When home computers first appeared, Jacqui was quick to spot the opportunities in electronic authorship and the new entertainment medium. She founded Marjacq Micro Ltd specifically to represent computer games developers in 1983. Jacqui was the first agent ever to represent the young creators in the new medium and protect their rights. Clients included Ian Bell and David Braben (‘Elite’), the Oliver Twins (founders of Blitz Studios) and Chris Sawyer (‘RollerCoaster Tycoon’). Marjacq Micro launched the international careers of some of the UK's most creative software development teams, and can claim a significant part in establishing what is now the largest entertainment sector. Marjacq Micro clients worked on videogame projects with the largest game publishers in the market (such as Microsoft, Atari, Sony, Sega, Activision, and EA) and we can bring some of the experience of those complicated projects to bear on film, TV and publishing deals. Jacqui Lyons has now retired from the agency business but remains the ultimate owner of Marjacq Scripts Ltd and Marjacq Micro Ltd.