Personal Profile

I am a highly creative and self motivated individual, always full of ideas. My powerful combination of strong artistic and technical skills has made me invaluable to every project I have ever been involved with. I am a committed and motivated team member and can work with minimum supervision and to strict deadlines. I am good with people and have experience in conducting meetings and managing others. I am enthusiastic, adaptable, hard working and enjoy a challenge. I am always looking to improve and expand the various skills I have developed through my studies, hobbies, and previous experience to secure further valuable practical experience.

IT Skills

Over the years I have used a wide range of computer systems and have worked with many different design applications and programming languages. My large range of experience in these areas allows me to learn new systems with ease. My strong knowledge of 2D and 3D graphics packages and programming languages is particularly suited to website development and most of my industry experience has been in this area.

Web Development
PHP (OO), (X)HTML/CSS, Java Script, XML, Flash & Action Script (OO), Shockwave inc 3D (Lingo), Swift 3D, Macromedia Dreamweaver

Graphic Design
3D Studio Max, Adobe Photoshop + Image Ready, Paint Shop Pro + Animation Shop, Macromedia Freehand, Adobe Premier

Programming Languages
C# .NET, Java, C/C++/VC++, Pascal, Various BASIC Languages, Assembler 80286 & 68000

Databases
MYSQL, Oracle

Server Management / Networks
Setup and configuration of Mixed Linux/Windows networks, and services such as Apache (LAMP), Samba, WHM/CPanel, and VNC. I am a confident Linux root user and can manage web servers without assistance, GUI/Control panel not necessary.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Throughout my carrier I have always been involved in the promotional side of websites and have a good understanding of optimization techniques/strategies, promotional tools, and advertising systems.

Operating systems
Windows XP/2000/NT/98/95/3.1, Linux (Red Hat, Fedora), UNIX (Solaris), Mac OS, Amiga Workbench, Symbian OS, EPOC

Platforms
IBM Compatibles, Sun workstations, Apple Mac, Amiga, Psion, PCW, Acorn (Archimedes/BBC)

Employment History

Check Bit Solutions July 2005 - Current
Freelance Web Developer & Graphic Designer

In July 2005 I made a decision to leave my previous employment and since have been working as a freelance web developer and graphic designer. This was a very difficult decision and was made following an offer to become a company director, for reasons beyond the scope of this CV I eventually decided to leave the company and to date have been enjoying the freedom of working for myself and have been gaining valuable experience in running a business

Red Claw Ventures Ltd

February 2003 – July 2005
IT Manager, Web Developer & Graphic Designer

I greatly enjoyed my time at Red Claw Ventures and my full range of skills were put to good use developing bespoke websites including ecommerce solutions, in-house software, and creating works for print including magazine adverts and brochure designs. As IT Manager I gained valuable experience in Linux server management and networking, I was also responsible for managing our junior web designer and overseas outsourced workers. Red Claw was a small company and I enjoyed being involved in decisions effecting the direction of the business. My largest project for Red Claw, developed over two years was a complex multi-tier online affiliate system supplying premium rate telephone numbers for promotion. The system provided a website with control panel style login for affiliates, and a management system running on our intranet. Call data from various suppliers was processed and managed locally, statistical data was released to our live web server in a form suitable for viewing by affiliates.

Reactive Visuals

 January 2000 – July 2005
Video Jockey

Reactive Visuals was a partnership setup by me and a friend working as live performance video artists. We produced our own library of computer generated video loops that we then projected on screens in nightclubs; we mixed our material live to music using a video mixer (the visual equivalent of using turntables with a mixer). Our performances gave clubs a unique live visual experience and over the years we had several weekly residencies and played many exciting venues including Versus Festival main stage, Turnmills London, and many clubs in the Bournemouth area.

Rotation DJs

 2002 – 2004
Video Jockey, Graphic Designer

Rotation DJs was a DJ agency who ran nights in the Bournemouth area, the agency provided video jockey gigs for Reactive Visuals. I was also employed to make video adverts for clubs, flyer designs and the Rotation DJs website.

The Group

 2001 – 2003
Web Developer, Graphic Designer

The Group was an outsourcing agency providing degree students part time work for businesses in and around Bournemouth. I was involved for the lifetime of the company during which I was involved with several website projects including the companies own website as well as producing various design works for flyers, posters and brochures.

WebsitesRus

 June 2000 – July 2001
Web Developer / Designer

WesbsitesRus is the internet department of the Latebreaks Travel Company, my role as Web developer involved maintaining around two hundred bespoke websites, meeting with clients, site administration and promotion, web site design and programming. Over my time with WebsitesRus I created many websites the largest projects being a property sales site and online hotel booking enquires system.

Education

1998 to 2002: BSc Computing (hons)
Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset

This is a vocational degree, modules studied include:

1996 to 1998: A-Levels
Strode College, Church Road, Street, Somerset, BA16 0AB

1991 to 1996: GCSEs
St Dunstan’s Community School, Glastonbury, Somerset

Qualifications

A-Level: Art, Computing, and Business Studies.

GCSE: Art, Design and Realisation, Design Technology with Electronics, Geography, Science, Maths, and English.

Other Information

My time at university consisted of three years study with a years work placement. However, I never actually passed my second year. The first time I found out that I failed my second year I had started my work placement, I was learning so much working I decided to stay with the company and they happily took me on as a full employee. After one years employment I returned to retake my year, during this year I was involved with many money making projects outside of university and unfortunately failed the year again, following this I took the decision to leave university and went straight in to employment. I now have over five year’s solid experience working in the website industry that I value over any degree.

Interests & Activities

For the most part my large range of technical and design skills has been self-taught, I am a practical person and learn best from doing, for this reason I have always spent a large amount of extra curricular time using computers especially for their use in programming and graphics. I have been developing applications since the beginning of secondary school, and I’m particularly interested in the development of 2D and 3D graphics systems, ranging from fractal and artificial life algorithms to games. I enjoy many artistic activities including computer animation, photography, and visiting art galleries, I have even been known to put the computer aside and pick up a paint brush or pencil. I have a passion for music and enjoy going to gigs, I used to spend time sequencing digital music; currently I am teaching myself the guitar.

Referees

Simon Crabb
Red Claw Ventures Ltd
(employer 2003 - 2005)

 Howard Gunstock
The Group
(employer 2001 - 2003)
 Ernie Rodgers
WebsitesRus
(employer 2000 - 2001)

Contact details available upon request.