Chris Dancy Email & Phone Number

London, England, United Kingdom

My tasks include researching and creating comprehensive music metadata for a wide variety of new and recent released commercial releases to satisfy the needs of researchers, ensuring all metadata is compliant to the required standards, as well as maintaining and improving existing data quality. I am also tasked with proactively reviewing and addressing poor metadata standard issues, liaising with other staff members to ensure a consistent approach to metadata standards, and undertaking research across a wide range of music genres. These tasks require a high level of accuracy, attention to detail and extensive music knowledge.

London, United Kingdom

Based in Universal Music’s Global Classics & Jazz Department, I handled the tagging and creative metadata delivery of one of the world’s largest Music catalogues. This included music from such legendary Record Labels as Blue Note, Verve Records, Impulse!, Deutsche Grammophon, ECM and Decca Records. Using unique in-house software, including R2, Audition and Amplify, I applied descriptive, creative metadata to Pop, Jazz and Classical new and catalogue releases. These tasks required a high level of accuracy, attention to detail and extensive music knowledge. Creating metadata that describes the mood, emotion, meaning behind a song, instrumentation, genre and playlist themes ultimately improved the quality of metadata available for DSPs and Sync teams.I was also tasked with developing taxonomies and ontologies that accurately describe metadata, as well as data analysis and cleansing, which resulted in greater commercial use of UMG's catalogue. In addition to this, I analysed and tested numerous voice activation devices to see how they can provide creative access to Universal’s Music catalogue. I also successfully created music playlists for UMG territories that added value by using music with these improved metadata standards.

Broadcasting House, London

BBC Radio - Radio 3 Archive ProjectBuilding on the research work that I completed in 2015, I researched Music content held within the BBC Archive, with the purpose of making available online full performances of core classical works performed by BBC Performing Groups and New Generation Artists. These featured in-house conductors, and other musicians whose performance Rights are held by the BBC.This work required me to use my extensive experience of the Radio 3's Archive Radio output, combined with my knowledge of unique BBC archive retrieval and content publishing tools, such as Fabric, Proteus. iBroadcast2 and iSite2.Co-ordinating workflow from various production teams and departments, managing metadata and media assets, ingesting content as well as delivering this to coincide with broadcast deadlines, was a requisite for this role.

Broadcasting House

Radio 3 - Proms 2015I created one minute short form audio clips from 76 works featured in the Proms in 2015. This task required me to have an excellent knowledge of classical music, so that I could capture the essence of the work to summarise into a short audio clip. My audio editing experience was also invaluable in this task, as well as managing media assets, using the BBC's content management systems, co-ordinating workflows between colleagues and delivering content to match deadlines. Radio 3 - Discovering The Great ComposersI re-versioned over 550 online audio clips, using the BBC's iBroadcast system, so as to make the content compatible with mobiles & tablets, as well as Radio 3'​ s website. This has led to some 2000 archive composer programmes being made permanently available to listeners. This project required my knowledge and skills in managing media assets, co-ordinating workflows, liaising with programme teams, adding metadata and providing content with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.Radio 3 - Tagging ProjectUsing the BBC's Linked Data Platform (LDP), I added metadata to several hundred Radio 3 Composer pages. LDP associates creative works with the things that they are about, and to connect together the BBC's online content. My knowledge and interest in Classical Music metadata helped greatly with project.

Bbc Broadcasting House

BBC Radio - Music Data CleansingUsing the BBC's TUPAC database, I was tasked with cleaning and maintaining Music data, as part of an ongoing data maintenance project. This work involved checking thousands of Jazz, Rock, Pop, Soul & Classical music titles, to ascertain that correct metadata had been added to BBC Radio playout systems. A high degree of accuracy and attention to detail was required for this task, as well as a deeper understanding of the importance of accurate metadata within Broadcasting.Radio 3 - Re-use of Radio 3 Archive Content ReportUsing my extensive experience of the BBC's Archive, I was assigned the task of investigating the best way of accessing Radio 3’s Archive, to enable the audience to explore major works by the BBC’s Performing Groups. I researched how much re-usable content could be available, the best method of harvesting content, gathering appropriate metadata and publishing this online. I created a detailed report on my findings, and presented my recommendations to BBC radio management. This project required a considerable amount of negotiation and co-ordination with the Proteus team, liaising with other teams at management level and to gather suitable metadata for the project within the time and budget allowed.

Bbc Media Centre, London

I created nearly 30 pieces of Obituary content deemed high priority by the BBC, for Radio 4's website. This involved me sourcing, editing and publishing a rich archive of images, editing and publishing numerous media clips, seeking clearance from Independent Production companies, and providing accompanying editorial content. This task required a good knowledge of the BBC's iBroadcast content management systems, as well as managing Ingest processes.

Broadcasting House, London

I selected, edited and published over 150 BBC archive Short Form audio clips to Radio 3's Online Brand. These clips featured performances that illustrated many of the works featured in the BBC Proms. This project again required me to apply my music knowledge to select the most salient extract from longer musical performances to encapsulate a piece, utilising the BBC's iBroadcast content management system.Liaising with the Gram Library, managing physical media assets and juggling tasks simultaneously was an important part of this project. During BBC Radio 3's Spirit of Schubert season, I edited and published over 100 audio/video clips, featuring content from various BBC Radio 3 programmes.I was required to co-ordinate with programme teams for media assets, add metadata and media to iBroadcast and create content with a high degree of accuracy.During this year, I also took on sole responsibility for editing and planning the iPlayer output for BBC Radio 3. This project required me to work to a high degree of accuracy when ingesting content onto playout systems, and ensure that a quality audio experience was provided to the Radio 3 audience. I became prolific enough at this task to train over 20 Studio Managers to undertake this task as part of their duties.

Broadcasting House, London

I worked across various BBC radio networks and implemented key archive-based projects, including The Rock & Pop Years and Sold On Song (which I researched, wrote, edited and built) and Jazz Programming and Discovering Music Archive for Radio & Music. I was required in this role to bring an artistic judgement to my choice of Short Form audio clips and provided these sites with Radio & TV content that utilised my wide music knowledge. Knowing the systems for research in the BBC helped me to locate material quickly and efficiently, and the process of creating and digitising over 400 audio clips and over 300 video clips gave good grounding in using audio/video-editing tools. I was also tasked to write online features about music. Additionally, while at Radio 2, I interviewed music talent and took photographs during live radio sessions. My broadcast archive knowledge was also utilised during Radio 2’s 40th Anniversary programmes, where I helped to re-create the networks first day of transmission by utilising the BBC's Written Archives.I also provided all of the audio & video archive content for Radio 2’s Popmaster online quiz.All the projects I worked on as a Content Producer require a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail, as well as an ability to manage metadata and media assets, co-ordinate and work successfully with a large and diverse selection of programme teams. Delivering content to match programme deadlines and managing numerous tasks at the same time was also a requisite for the role.

Broadcasting House, London

During my time as a Media Manager, I was involved in archive-related processes within the Radio networks, managing the process of archiving full programmes from the playout system (Highlander) and ingesting content to the newly established Digital Archive. I also catalogued other material such as sessions and live programmes, and managing a local archive consisting of Recordings of Transmission (RoTs), pre-recorded shows and interviews held on CD and DAT, live music sessions, podcasts and non-linear material such as web based AV content. A significant part of my time was also spent curating a large collection of BBC Performing Group images that were stored locally, but required metadata and transferring to the BBC's main Photo Library.I also appraised other material (audio, video, and documents) for retention or destruction, and handles requests for material from all parts of the BBC and BBC Worldwide. Additionally, I liaised with production teams, network management and Information & Archives to ensure information flowed easily between areas and departments.

Broadcasting House, London. Tv Centre, London. Windmill Road, Brentford.

I worked as a Researcher for various parts of BBC Information & Archives, including Gram Library and Radio & TV Archives.My role demanded fast responses to requests from programme makers for content, and a quick turnaround of creative ideas within a pressurised environment. Database knowledge and a understanding of audio & video formats were also crucial for these roles.A musically creative mind was needed when producers required music that added value to radio packages, dramas and features. My time as an Archive Consultant included a large research project for BBC Worldwide, which involved creating a definitive list of Universal Music artists found in the Archives.My core skills that greatly added to my role, included the ability to successfully deliver programme material on time to meet broadcast deadlines and to juggle tasks simultaneously.

I was involved in assisting students and researchers with their enquiries, receiving and issuing library items, cataloguing non-book items and scanning newspapers for articles on education.

Savile Row, London

I was involved in creative picture research using in depth knowledge of the collection of over 10,000 images. Other responsibilities included liaising with clients and in-house photographers and cataloguing photographs.