Who am I?

I’m an entrepreneur, historical ironwork restoration blacksmith and lecturer with a lifelong passion for historical weapons and their use. I discovered and began practising Olympic fencing in the late 1980’s and have focused exclusively on historical combat and fencing since 1994.

I grew up in Washington DC, studied film in Paris, and learned metal smithing and forge work in both the United States and France. I have founded and run businesses in the USA, France and the Middle East.

Since 2009 I have been living, working and smithing in the Auvergne region of central France.

I currently run Black Armoury SAS, which I cofounded in 2015. The company is specialised in designing, producing and distributing equipment and weapons for the Historical Martial Arts.

Today, Black Armoury is a globally recognised brand in the Historical European Martial Arts community, not only for our complete catalogue and innovative equipment designs, but also for our passionate support for the development of HEMA and Historical Combat, in France and world-wide through official partnerships with clubs, schools and Federations.

In parallel to my responsibilities at Black Armoury, I continue to research and lecture on how historical weapons were made and used, to practice European Martial Arts and to work at the forge in the hope of contributing to “correct the myths” that persist around ancient weapons.