Dave Sparks Email & Phone Number

Level 6, 16-22 Anzac Ave, Auckland 1010

Sparks Interactive is a full service digital agency delivering modern, responsive mobile-first CMS websites for some of New Zealand’s best-loved brands and leaders in the public sector. We offer full service solutions from brand and digital strategy, creative and user experience design, interface design, CMS development and support, end-to-end project management, and technically sophisticated digital campaigns for our clients.Established in 2005, Sparks are NZ leaders in Drupal – an enterprise-grade open source content management system. Our clients span business, government, charitable and not-for-profit, environment, education, tourism, retail, automotive, and brand agencies.Sparks Interactive has offices in Wellington, Auckland and a senior producer based in the Bay of Plenty. We work across New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific.Learn more at https://www.sparksinteractive.co.nz/

The DrupalSouth Steering Committee is a standing sub-committee of Linux Australia, formed primarily for the purpose of selection and mentoring of local organising teams for the annual DrupalSouth conference. It supports local event teams with established processes and tools, spreading the responsibilities of organising community initiatives across a wider group of volunteers. In 2021 I worked with the Committee as Events Lead to run a series of online DrupalSouth 'Shorts' half-day events. These successfully bridged the gap between in-person conferences as Covid-19 restricted travel and attendance. In November 2022 I assumed the Committee Chair role to support the team through 2022 to 2024 including leading the team to deliver the DrupalSouth Brisbane 2022, Wellington 2023 and Sydney 2024 Conferences.Learn more about Drupal and DrupalSouth at https://drupalsouth.org/

Auckland, New Zealand

In 2003 I returned to the Dunham Bremmer offices after Blue Star Print Group bought out their operations to create a vertically integrated full service offer including digital under the Techniche brand. I built a team to service a portfolio of clients including Sony PlayStation NZ and grow the digital business alongside traditional print offerings. Our main client was www.sorted.org.nz providing CMS development and banner ad campaigns. In 2004 we won the pitch for the wider redevelopment of the Sorted site, including UX and UI design. Alongside Mike Pethig, one of NZ's online advertising's pioneers, we designed and built a range of interactive "calculator" banner ads and for a number of years Sorted was consistently a "Top 5" online advertiser in terms of overall spend, and one of NZ's most trusted brands.In 2005 I was offered the opportunity to buy out the digital business from BSPG as they broke up the business units to focus on their core print service, and start Sparks Interactive.

San Francisco Bay Area

Shortly after starting as Production/Studio Manager for Auckland-based company Webmedia we won a substantial contract to provide a web-based training application for Well Fargo Bank Private Client Services.I was sent to SF to establish an office to service this client, and we initiated a partnership with a local company to deliver Macromedia Flash based design and build services to their clients as well. The application for Wells Fargo was built using Flash and content management database developed by Webmedia staff which pre-dated Macromedia's own efforts towards CMS content. We were invited to Macromedia headquarters to demonstrate/discuss this development. The Wells Fargo engagement was completed on time and on budget with revenues to Webmedia of over US$175k. This and several international awards for the webmedia.com website lead to VC investment in Webmedia and expansion of offices into Melbourne and Hong Kong.

Auckland, New Zealand

In '95 I moved to Auckland and started a series of contract roles, initially in CD-Rom production but quickly moving into managing web development projects. From 96-97 I was the digital studio manager for Twist Intermedia as part of the Dunham Bremmer group. Working with Twist founder Scott Judson, this included the initial concept development and specification for the groundbreaking www.sony.co.nz site that used PHP to dynamically generate product pages from a database of images and copy, one of the earliest CMS sites in NZ. For 1998-99 I worked as a freelance digital producer and writer, selling a short series of treatments to XTRA for some "online properties" to support their content play - just before restructuring and cost-cutting removed their online content team. As a writer I completed a feature film screenplay and wrote for magazines and online publications, most notably Gamefreaks - at the time New Zealand's premier console and computer gaming publication. Also as a freelance writer I worked as a security guard, commercial furniture removalist, digital video editor, and as production assistant/driver for the location scouting on MTV Road Rules: All Stars episodes filmed in New Zealand.

Dunedin

I was hired away from University of Otago to work at Megalomedia, a local venture-backed new media company working with primarily digital technologies, producing a proof-of-concept CD-Rom for the TVNZ Natural History Unit. This was a funded venture to assess the market potential and feasibility of authoring the extensive wildlife and nature documentary back catalog into CD-Rom titles for the home and education markets. I used Macromedia Director to author the CD-Rom and Avid Media Composer to edit the clips into material suitable for a CD-Rom. We achieved funding with a simple proof of concept, written proposal and hand-drawn wireframes. Realising we needed more specific skills to push the Director scripting, and a proper design, I hired a programmer and a graphic designer and moved into a project management and product lead role. As well as managing budgets and timelines I focused on developing the structure and screens for the CD-Rom, and the implications for what is now termed IA and UX. As this was early days in the industry I learned a lot from the internet and books throughout this period.

Dunedin, New Zealand

After graduating from University of Otago I remained in Dunedin working casually and pursuing interests in electronic music production, DJing, studio engineering and video production. Based on these interests and demos recorded for local bands, I was able to secure a full time role with the University of Otago which at the time maintained an Audio Visual Production Section attached to the Higher Education Development Centre and based in the Medical School building.For two years I video-taped lectures, including most visiting speakers, and worked as an assistant to the production crew making training films for the various University departments including significant work for the Medical School. Duties expanded to cover sound recording, camera work, including studio cameras and live switching in multi-camera environments, video editing including on Sony Betacam SP suites, and evaluating and training on new technologies with the Media 100 and Avid digital video editing suites.As a University employee I had an email address from 1992, and access to the internet via Telnet, Gopher and Usenet - and eventually Mosaic. From Usenet I learned about Macromind (Macromedia) Director and was able to get a copy and teach myself how to develop for CD-Rom.

Bachelor Of Arts, Politics

Activities and Societies: Radio OneDid my final year at Otago. Stayed and got a job, with 6 months off in between to learn how to ice.

Bachelor Of Arts, Politics

Activities and Societies: Radio Active