About me
I enjoy working as part of a team and collaborating with people from other departments and organisations. During my time at Anglia Television, I worked with editors on a regular basis, provided services for producers and liaised with the graphics department and production crews. In my current position I work with students and staff from different degrees and departments, as well as visitors to the university. When creating promotional material or prepping for an event, I might be juggling the needs of the board of governors, the marketing department and the Students’ Union.
I’ve always sought to be a helpful and positive team player. I’ve experienced the pleasure of working with those who are generous with their knowledge and their time. I like to solve problems as positively and simply as possible, employing more creative approaches when appropriate. I always try to be as flexible as possible.
In my current position I work closely with my line manager to make sure procedures are being followed and to look at ways to make improvements. Recently we needed to look at strategies to increase student awareness of saving their work and creating backups.
I’m engaged in constant research as the media sector is so dynamic. To stay up-to-date with technical innovation and creative industry practises, I regularly communicate with fellow professionals via online forums and newsletters. I attend exhibitions where new equipment is presented and discussed in detail. Technologies and procedures are constantly changing and I’m happy in this environment.
I have a huge amount of experience with a broad range of creative technologies. Mostly self-trained, I learn new skills quickly and methodically. I thoroughly enjoy planning and delivering training courses. I’m very keen to share my knowledge and experience and in a way that is clear, concise and engaging.
I keep up-to-date with relevant regulations, such as the European Broadcasting Union’s guidelines regarding loudness and the Civil Aviation Authority’s rules covering the use of camera drones.
In my current position, it has been my privilege to work with people from diverse backgrounds. People from all corners of the world. Those who have overcome disabilities and other challenges to achieve success on their own terms. Working with students has taught me to be extremely well organised. I am constantly managing digital projects that count towards their marks and ultimately their degree.
I am very interested in the creative industries, the arts, literature, movies, television and music. I also enjoy cooking and keeping fit.
Work history
Various
Undertaken with the approval of my current employer…
I worked with regional writers who were interested in developing a structured and reliable approach to screenwriting. This involved researching the screenwriting process and breaking it down into a number of exercises that start from a concept and build into a finished script. The long-term aim was to produce online training material. Although the project was not fully realised, I have worked as a story consultant for a couple of screenwriters as a result.
Working on short form audiovisual projects in a number of roles including writer, director, editor, compositor and colourist.
Consultancy work for a nature reserve wanting a number of remote cameras providing live feeds to a touch-screen in their visitors’ centre. I provided a detailed breakdown of equipment required, costings and methodology.
Researched and specified equipment for a local, independent TV studio.
Training provision for a number of businesses in the North East, including Northern Film and Media, Boro TV and Opto Media. Mentoring for graduate start-up businesses at DigitalCity, Teesside.
Media Practice Tutor
Full-time position writing and delivering practical media training from beginner level to advance for our stakeholders: undergraduates, postgraduates, staff and external commercial clients. With an emphasis on professional practice, storytelling skills, media standards and safety. The degrees I work with are TV and Film Production, Journalism, Graphic Design, Fine Art and Performing Arts. External clients have included staff from Endemol UK, journalists from the Trinity Mirror Group, the marketing team from Nissan Motors UK and many local businesses.
I deliver training in the following disciplines:
Video and audio production / postproduction.
Managing projects with a centralised storage system.
Colour grading.
Visual effects / motion graphics.
Exporting video and audio projects for various distribution routes: broadcast, digital cinema package, online hosting and optical disc.
Photography.
Web design and SEO.
Social media and blogging.
Page layout for print and digital publications.
As well as communicating face-to-face, I create written guides for students and colleagues. This is highly detailed technical writing that involves breaking down a complex subject into easy to understand explanations and exercises.
As the most senior member of staff after the school’s technical director, I delegate tasks to other members of the team and assess the results of their activity. I play to the strengths of team members while identifying areas where training and development is required.
I spend a great deal of time mentoring students in groups and individually. Advising them on the best approaches for telling a visual story, troubleshooting technical issues and resolving conflicts that can develop within a team. I’m used to working with people from different countries and from various ethic and social backgrounds.
I research professional practice, industry standard technologies, future trends and techniques. I communicate my findings to colleagues, students and alumni via social media.
Recommend equipment for purchase and provide quotes. Constantly looking for ways to make savings and to be more efficient. Recommend text books for purchase by the university library.
Participating in video production, postproduction and distribution for internal and external clients.
Support for hardware, software and the studio areas in all relevant buildings. I maintain and optimise the student and staff Macs in the Media Centre, managing regular up-dates, file sharing, content management, re-imaging and energy saving processes.
Managing EditShare, a centralised media storage system.
Responsible for preparing and archiving exam material for the National Council of the Training of Journalists. Supervision during exams.
Achievements:
Researched and developed methods for production with the new generation of single-sensor cameras. Using professional quality prime and zoom lenses. Recording and syncing dual-system media. Working with Raw files and associated metadata. Shooting, editing and grading with high dynamic range formats and colour profiles.
I am part of the team that teaches the Multimedia Journalism degree. This degree it ranked top in the region and sits at 8th place in the Guardian university league tables. I has also achieved 100% satisfaction from students who participated in the National Student Survey.
I initiated, created and currently maintain the Media Centre support module in an online learning environment. It includes: equipment and booking information, guides and tutorials and information about submitting work to cultural events and links for creative jobs.
I was instrumental in the university achieving Apple Authorised Training Centre status. This resulted in the school obtaining funding and training income by running professional courses delivered by me.
Written and delivered media training for staff and pupils from local schools and colleges, resulting in very positive feedback and contributing to the recruitment of school leavers to the university.
Developed tapeless workflow and archiving solutions for High Definition video. This led to long-term savings in equipment purchases.
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Skills
- Film
- TV
- Web Design
- Technical Writing
- Motion Graphics
- Story Development
- Teaching Facilitation
- Visual Effects Compositing
- Future Trends
- Final Cut Pro Avid Premier Pro
- Reseach
- Davinci Resolve Colour Grading