I'm an experienced technical developer with extensive skills in developing new systems and applications, solving problems flexibly and in time sensitive contexts. I am passionate about technology, take great pride in my work and am always looking for the next innovation.
My work has won awards, broken a world record and I have been invited to participate in the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures four times, more than any other external contributor.
I'm available for hire for interactive, live streaming and web development projects of all sizes. Contact me using the form below to start discussing your requirements.
Key skills
Interactive entertainment, live streaming, video conferencing administration, web development, LAMP administration, database design/query optimisation, cloud hosting, search engine optimisation, ad serving technologies
Technologies include
PHP, MySQL, JavaScript including NodeJS, HTML, CSS, Apache, Nginx, WebRTC, Subversion, git version control, Python, Perl, OBS, DMX lighting, Blender, content distribution networks, virtual machines, photo and video editing
February 2015 - Present
Co-creator and technical director of long running running live comedy show “WiFi Wars” and associated spin off shows, "Pub Quiz" and "The Video Game Game Show Show".
Audiences connect to our WiFi network using their phones or tablets and log in to the server using their web browsers. During the show they can play a wide variety of games, puzzles and quizzes, both individually and in teams.
The system is built using a variety of technologies, including Node JS, MySQL, jQuery and PHP. It can be deployed locally or in the cloud, using Amazon Web Service, and can be easily scaled on-demand based on the audience size. It also offers full multimedia support for audio and video playback, with custom lighting controls using DMX, WLED and ETC EOS.
The show has been performed in a diverse range of locations including theatres, arenas, television studios, music festivals, gaming expos, corporate events, birthday parties and weddings. It has twice been used to break the Guinness World Record for “Most number of people playing a single game of Pong”
January 2016 - Present
Built custom WebRTC based video conferencing software, developed during lock down. Allows hosts and guests to dial into the system using only their web browser and supports multiple WebRTC architectures (P2P, SFU and MCU) to best use the available bandwidth and client resources. It also includes features specifically designed for broadcast, including multiple green rooms, cross channel text chat and isolated HD feeds from each user. The flexibility allows broadcasts to easily include live language translation and on screen BSL interpreters.
Participants can be integrated into a virtual studio and broadcast to any streaming platform including YouTube, Twitch and Zoom. Streams can be sent to multiple platforms simultaneously, with automatic fail over feeds.
Technical director on a number of online charity marathons including Mark Watson’s 24 Hour Watsonathon, Comic Relief plays Dungeon and Dragons and No Such Thing As A Fish’s 20 Hour Livestream. Won a “Legends of Lockdown” award for my work.
September 2013 - April 2018
Lead production role on comedy panel show for UKTV’s Dave channel. Designed, coded and deployed “super sized” video games for show finale, including developing custom technology using motion tracking, touch screen video wall and giant game controllers.
Also created voting systems with bespoke WiFi network, and managed set up and maintenance of multiple computers and game consoles to ensure smooth running of the show in front of live studio audience.
August 2010 - February 2016
Lead developer for an on-going web-based project, based on Drupal and PHP OO technologies, using LAMP stack.
Developed numerous custom modules for Drupal, including integrating external standalone scripts into Drupal to give users a single interface.
Built feeds system to communicate with numerous external APIs and sophisticated HTML5/jQuery interface for configuration of future feeds by non-technical staff.
Role includes liaising with non-technical staff to provide support and deal with feature requests.
February 2010
Redeveloped existing corporate website to use a new content management system, both built using Zend Framework.
September 1997 - December 2009
Started as a junior (Technical) Production Assistant in the then newly formed DI department, gradually working up to become Technical Director in January 2007. During the twelve years saw huge expansion in the department, was involved in a great many technical innovations, as well as the production of countless websites across a broad range of Dennis titles.
Role included working with editorial, design, production, sales and licensing teams throughout the company, along with overseeing the organisation, development and mentoring of the in-house technical team.
In 2008 oversaw the migration process of all Dennis websites from the existing technology partner to a new hosting partner. The migration process meant that, for the first time, the DI technical team would be responsible for the configuration and deployment of server software. Migration also saw the introduction of Subversion (SVN) version control system as part of the development process.
Other key innovations include: Development of in-house content management systems, international licensee website code base, automated search engine optimisation algorithms, personalised ad campaign software.
Initial software design and development of NetGenie and AdGenie platforms, for GenieGroup. Won an "App of the Month" award for a mobile app developed for the Camden Fringe. Also numerous CMS-driven websites for comedians and writers.