Who is this ?
Born in rural north-Northumberland in 1978, I should really be a farmer, an electrician or a fisherman – many of my former classmates are.
I left the north to study a degree in Media and Visual Arts at Plymouth University at the age of 18.
Here I was introduced to chemical photography, stop-frame animation, acrylic paint, linear VHS editing suites and eventually computers and the internet.
Since then, I have spent my time working in digital and multimedia projects of huge range and diversity.
Websites, CD-ROMs, print, video, interactive, elearning, art/installation, vj/performance/live events.
My professional career has centred specifically around elearning and education.
My first agency role was with Websight.co.uk, developing large paper-based learning material into web-delivered elearning multimedia for the likes of Notel Networks, Boots and Lloyds of London.
I ran web design and digital multimedia night-classes at the Phoneix Media Centre in Exeter, for three years, working with all ages and abilities from 6 year olds to sixty year olds.
After leaving Websight, I went to work at the University of Plymouth, maintaining a suite of Apple editing and design machines, and running workshops on digital design, web-design, non-linear digital video editing and desktop publishing.
At the same time, I began to freelance for advertising and design agencies to keep busy. This work involved an array of clients and jobs across multimedia, web and video.
A close relationship with Seahouses Middle School (my former primary school) has also seen me working with the staff and students there. The school is one of the leaders in IT for the county of Northumberland, and are actively involved in helping other schools to implement technology to aid learning in the classroom.
I now work on contracts in London, usually building large government projects to aid and develop training across the national teaching network as part of the larger national programmes.
It is a key focus for the future to be working in the education sector implementing hardware and software solution to promote learning.
When not in professional mode, I focus on helping and promoting arts and charity projects, working with friends and exploring the world. Photography, videography and documentary are main time-fillers.
Travelling widely in the name of many projects and pastimes, I plan to continue visiting new places as I am permitted.
In between the glamourous and interesting jobs, I have served much time in the service industry, cooking, cleaning and pouring drinks to those that needed. I acquired my license to serve alcohol at age 19 and ran bars before getting into computers more seriously.
I have a long-standing passion for sliding sideways, this includes skate/surf/snow-boarding and wakeboaring. I also enjoy downhill mountain biking, diving and walking/hiking in the open countryside.
The great-outdoors is held in great esteem. Beaches, forests and mountains reign supreme.
