Simon M. Email & Phone Number

Collaborating with scientists and other experts to develop and deliver learning initiatives in fields such as advanced light microscopy, flow cytometry, biological data analysis, and much more.

Operated in a matrix structure to lead a small production team from storyboards to launch of 10 Digital Marketing and Digital Transformation 'ExpertTrack' courses, published to both The Open University and FutureLearn platforms.• Examples: Digital Transformation Design Thinking and Introduction to Digital Marketing with partners Target Internet.• Supported, advised and collaborated with subject matter experts, learning designers, marketers and other stakeholders.• Developed processes, guidance and reusable assets (eg a rights-cleared image pool) to raise standards and efficiency.• Undertook QA to ensure content met pedagogical and technical objectives, and actioned feedback from academic reviews.• Software: OU VLE (XML/Moodle), Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft Office 365 (inc Teams), Trello, Miro and 3Play.

Drove development and delivery on over 20 online short courses, microcredentials and ExpertTracks (many with over 100 pages) on the FL platform, and line-managed two assistant producers.• Examples: Safeguarding Adults (159K learners), Intro to Blockchain, Teach Like an Entrepreneur, Step into Digital Technologies.• Critically (and iteratively) reviewed all draft content to provide feedback and recommendations, and coordinated revisions.• Commissioned writers and voice actors, interviewed experts, scripted video and audio, assisted shoots and sourced images.• Proactively sought to raise editorial standards and consistency, eg by creating a ‘Producer’s Sandbox’ in FL Course Creator. • Software: FL Course Creator, Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Workspace, Audacity, Zoom, Trello, 3Play and markdown.

Tasked with creating digital products and experiences on new platforms for readers to connect with authors, books and the Penguin brand in stimulating and novel ways.• Devised and produced the brand’s first voice apps: The Penguin Quiz and The Penguin Podcast on Amazon Alexa.• Led in-house R&D on voice apps, scripted, sourced developers, tested, documented and forged fruitful Amazon relationship. • Designed and built a promotional site for The Penguin Classics Book with Shorthand (a storytelling tool) in two weeks.• Ran brainstorms for campaigns around science and nature writing; championed the Alexa projects to teams across PRH.

Point-of-contact responsible for liaising with TV teams and collaborating with third-parties to deliver engaging, relevant content that takes users on further learning journeys and meets the high quality expected by BBC audiences.• Long-term digital lead for Stargazing Live: grew website audience to 320K weekly visitors and Twitter following to 100K.• Filmed and edited daily social videos (plus photography) on-location at NASA New Horizons and ESA Rosetta mission controls. • Devised and championed Whispering Stars: augmented reality web-app that featured on Stargazing Live and The Sky at Night. • Social and web manager for Tim Peake campaign: collaborated with UK Space Agency, filmed Tim, crafted 400 social posts.• Produced live panel talks for BBC Academy, praised by host Danny Cohen (Head of TV) as “a superb job, expertly prepared”.

Responsible for raising the production values of all the department’s websites, teaching digital skills to TV producers and designing smarter working practices to maximise impact with limited resources.• Established and ran a Digital Editorial Team (of 5) to create engaging content to increase online reach for key TV shows.• Delivered over 50 websites including Watchdog, Our World War, Cat Watch, Film 2014, The Sky at Night, Stargazing Live. • Stargazing/Zooniverse citizen science collaboration won Best Content Partnership, Broadcasting Digital Awards 2014.• Awarded BBC Celebrating Success bonus for my ongoing “exemplary performance” for Stargazing Live.

Responsible for scoping, planning, developing and launching the website of BBC One’s flagship science show, leading small web teams with a substantial budget. Managed and updated this resource-packed website for all eight series.• Embedded with TV production team to deliver what became the BBC Science Unit’s case study in ‘360’ integration.• Webby Awards science nomination for rich content offer, including video explainers, quizzes, guides, Q&As and Twitter.• Briefed designers and developers, built long-term stakeholder relationships with The Open University and BBC Learning.

Core duties included editing the Science & Nature homepage and Prehistoric Life section, and writing the weekly newsletter. I also worked on projects with the Natural History Unit and other TV teams, on location in the UK, Spain and Kenya.• Big Cat Live: devised and produced an innovative Twitter-like platform for near-live updates from film crews in the Masai Mara. • Timewatch: wrote daily blog while literally ‘in the field’ with archaeologists at the first dig inside Stonehenge for 25 years.• Planet Earth the movie: devised and managed a near-live tracking site (whales, elephants, polar bears) using Google Maps.• Springwatch: produced mobile version of the Springwatch Survey; devised and wrote SuperGoose Text Message Club.

Joined this famous design agency as a creative artworker, then managed a small team as senior artworker before requesting to retrain as the company’s first web developer. Worked in Yorkshire, London and New York studios.• Developed and built client websites, eg for Swiss Re’s ‘Gherkin’ skyscraper, plus Attik’s own website and intranet.• Created print-ready artwork for advertising, brochures and packaging for clients including First Direct and Nike.• Software: HTML, CSS, Dreamweaver, Flash, QuarkXPress, Photoshop, Illustrator and FreeHand.