While my role at Varoosh Sports Partnerships (previously SMINT Sports) could, in some ways, seem to be a deviation from my predominantly music industry past, looked at from another point of view, it actually represents a culmination of these previous years of work.I get the chance to bring my multidisciplinary skill set to my work and I am responsible for creating and executing high-level design concepts for Varoosh clients. These will usually include visual and written elements but… Show more While my role at Varoosh Sports Partnerships (previously SMINT Sports) could, in some ways, seem to be a deviation from my predominantly music industry past, looked at from another point of view, it actually represents a culmination of these previous years of work.I get the chance to bring my multidisciplinary skill set to my work and I am responsible for creating and executing high-level design concepts for Varoosh clients. These will usually include visual and written elements but often also incorporate video and audio elements as well. One of the key components of any sports partnership/sponsorship is the creation of a meaningful, authentic relationship between sponsor/brand, team/athlete and target audience. By filling the role of the "creative storyteller", I take the ideas and concepts from conversations with clients and the other members of the Varoosh team and mould them together, build on them and refine them into an engaging story which captures the attention of clients and customers alike. Each client has different needs and goals which need to be met in a unique way. As a result, every story is different and will require a different blend of techniques, concepts and media types. One of the most enjoyable aspects of my work is getting to incorporate different creative elements in the magical alchemy of the story telling process.Aside from working on client campaigns, I am also responsible for researching potential new clients, creating sponsorship proposal documents, PR and activation concept documents and monthly, quarterly and annual reports. I attend many of the sporting events and fill the roles of photographer, videographer, client liaison and researcher - depending on the requirements of the particular day.It is a very varied role and one which encompasses pretty much every skill and ability I have acquired throughout my life but the challenge is one that I take on gladly as it pushes me to learn more and extend myself every day. Show less

While continuing to work on a number of music industry projects, I set up 119 Creative Limited as a platform for me to explore other creative ventures (both solo and collaborative).Given my love of literature, it seemed a natural progression to move into the written word. Having been a long-time reader of "Sound On Sound" magazine, I contacted the staff with an idea that I had for an article. They were very encouraging and that article, the first of many, was duly published.… Show more While continuing to work on a number of music industry projects, I set up 119 Creative Limited as a platform for me to explore other creative ventures (both solo and collaborative).Given my love of literature, it seemed a natural progression to move into the written word. Having been a long-time reader of "Sound On Sound" magazine, I contacted the staff with an idea that I had for an article. They were very encouraging and that article, the first of many, was duly published. Inspired by this success, I contacted Focal Press with a concept for a book which would eventually become my first published work. "The Remix Manual", is my attempt at putting into words the sublime and intangible creative process of music production and remixing. Fundamental to the book is a "walk-through" of the entire technical and creative process. Having been bitten by the writing "bug", my next book, entitled "Digital Audio Editing”, was published late in 2013 and focuses on a different aspect of the skill set required in contemporary music production and how those skills are applied to real world situations. I also had the opportunity to take on a number of teaching positions (both one-to-one and group tuition) and, while quite a challenge and certainly very different from anything I had done before, I found the "giving back" to be very rewarding and it is something I would like to return to in the future.Never being one to rest on my laurels, I started studying video editing and production techniques. I firmly believe that there will be an explosion in demand for quality video production in the coming years and this, combined with the inherent similarities with music production, mean that I will definitely continue my learning and work in this area. Finally, given my extensive music industry experience, I took on advisory and/or consulting roles in the planning of several music events and handled creative, logistical and promotional/marketing aspects. Show less

During this period of my career I was fortunate enough to be able to work doing something that I loved and had the pleasure of working for and with some of the most recognisable names in music today. I accumulated two UK Top 20 hits, a limited but well-respected catalogue of original material and a string of over 300 remixes – something that would lead me to my later excursion into the world of writing. I worked with some incredibly talented people who not only had a gift for creating… Show more During this period of my career I was fortunate enough to be able to work doing something that I loved and had the pleasure of working for and with some of the most recognisable names in music today. I accumulated two UK Top 20 hits, a limited but well-respected catalogue of original material and a string of over 300 remixes – something that would lead me to my later excursion into the world of writing. I worked with some incredibly talented people who not only had a gift for creating things which had a genuine emotional effect on people but also had the kindness of heart to share their knowledge and experience with me to help me learn my trade. Their attitude was an inspiration to me and is something which I have tried to emulate in my own life. My teaching work and my two books (see above) are my way of trying to pass down the knowledge that was given so freely to me to others so that the legacy can live on.In addition to the actual creative processes, I also became very adept at managing all of the other aspects of a professional music career including promotion and management, basic accounting and administration and also I developed the essential music industry requirements of a thick skin and endless resolve and patience.During this time I also learned how to DJ and while I would never consider “DJ” as a career description, the knowledge and understanding of how music works in clubs proved invaluable to me in my remixing and production work and also gave me the opportunity to visit some truly great places and experience some indescribably crazy situations – something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.Most of all, though, my experience in the music industry led me to understand how cathartic it ca be to have a creative outlet. While the medium and method may be different from one person to the next, this decade of my life taught me the value of story-telling in any form and the power and impact that a carefully crafted story can have. Show less