About Me
I developed an interest in music from a young age. I began playing the recorder aged eight, and later the keyboard. I then started to learn guitar as a teenager and developed an interest in songwriting. For my 15th birthday I was given a Korg X3 synthesizer and began sequencing electronic music, the old fashioned way.
At Sixth Form College I began producing demos with vocalist and fellow student James Brown. I then experimented with multi-track audio recording software and digital signal processing techniques. In 2004 I developed an interest for web publishing and created this website to host examples of my work for others to download.
Despite my conflicting musical interests I acquired A Levels in Maths, Physics and Computing which later secured me a place to study Musical Technology and Innovation at De Montfort University, Leicester.
Contrary to common misconception my course heavily focused on technological innovation and algorithmic programming to counter traditional forms of artistic expression.
This course was also officially recognised by the Institution of Engineering and Technology.
Throughout my time at university I continued to post my work on this website and this led to an ever growing interest into developing interactive media content for the web.
If you have not checked yet, examples of my work can be found in the portfolio section.
...not quite the end though?
However, the tale does not end there guys. During the summer of 2007 I applied to go back to De Montfort University and study a Masters in Creative Technologies at the IOCT (Institute Of Creative Technologies). I was successful and received a studentship worth ten thousand pounds to assist with tuition fees and living costs.
It was during this period (August 2007) I developed my beloved Photo Blog after being unhappy with the cost of photo blogging provided by my current mobile network operator. Lets just say the future was certainly "not bright" or "orange" at the price they were charging per photo upload. After some basic php programming I could blog a photo for a fraction of that price.
During my masters I undertook modules on Interactive and Fused Media, Sonic Art and Creative Digital Media Design. For my dissertation project I extended an empirical research tool I had developed that could be distributed as a Facebook application (Fedak's Research Project). After drawing what little conclusions I could from this early research in September 2008 I published a wider report of my investigation into identity consumption within Facebook.
But what happened after university matt?
Fortunately I entered the world of full time employment a whole 3 months prior to completing my master's degree. In June 2008 I became a recognised member of IOCT staff when I was awarded a place in a AHRC Knowledge Catalyst Scheme as an Online New Media Centre Developer collaborating with Phoenix Arts, Leicester.
During this position I researched the possibilities of using collaborative online new media as a tool for developing new audiences for PHOENIX SQUARE (a new digital media centre being constructed in the city centre). I developed a creative community driven web site ONMC (Online New Media Centre) for individuals to discuss and upload (or pull in via an API) their work. I completed my project in December 2008 and sought after a new exciting employment opportunity.
Now, lets get activ!
In late January 2009 I began working as a web developer full time again for Activ, a local Leicester based sales and marketing company with a global client basis. Activ offer online business opportunities in Web Design, Pay Per Click and now SEO.
In the early days at Activ I was responsible for developing bespoke web solutions for new and existing web design clientele but soon progressed to product development where I re-developed the Activ Web Design online website creation software. It was well received by Activ franchisees all over the country and is now powering hundreds of businesses online presence. In late 2010 I became the head developer at Activ and continued to work on new franchise opportunities and forthcoming releases of Activ software. In Septmeber 2011 at the annual conference I launched Activ V3 Ecommerce, a new and improved e-commerce cms I had been developing for several months. I don't think anyone could have predicted what would happen next though...
Running away from it all
It was Ian Brown I think who said "Keep what you got by giving it all away" and in October 2011 thats what I decided to do. After some self reflection and careful planning I decided it was time to seek a new way of life and backpack around the far east with my wonderful girlfriend Lisa. We both put our careers on hold and set off to Thailand with plans to move on to Indonesia, Australia and Hong Kong.
Last Updated: Oct 20th 2011, 10:12pm
