UCA / No Way (draft!)

Hey John ,

Not sure if this is still your active e-mail ..?  Anyways…. I’ll track you down one way or another.. If I don’t hear back.  :)

Few things that I wanted to discuss with you. Details below, nothing heavy…

Some updates:  Magalie is back in Australia and just waiting for her new contract with Schneider electrics &  hoping to buy a house with a pool!  I’ll probably get over there at Xmas for a swim. :).  I’m still living in the same lovely flat in Brixton and off to a music festival this weekend called Mucky Weekender near Winchester.  But missing my partner in gigs / events (Magalie) .  So I really don’t mind moving out to the country side (Farnham way) if they need me (details below).

Though you might be up for this..  if your available & interested..?

My Friend Sharon is an Art Teacher  at a well-to-do grammar school in Canterbury and is looking for people in the Film & TV industry to come and talk & motivate their 6th form students about careers and opportunities.. That kind of thing. 

Looking for someone to do a presentation, Q & A etc..  Here is her outline:  'We run lecture slots on a whole host of things to motivate students in ‘out of school context’ ways, It’s first thing Friday mornings (9-10), when they have a slot for these kind of talks. It would be in the hall and for the whole of year 12 ( first year sixth form 16/17 year olds - around 150), so a presentation kind of thing. The school is Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School, Canterbury. It’s a co-ed sixth form.   - mid September/early October. If you could propose that, I’d be so grateful.'   -

TBH:  I would find this incredibly scary but I thought you might be the right guy for the job….  ??

Sharons contact info.. :   xxxxxxxxxx

Also..   I’ve just been for a chat with UCA Farnham re: Technical Services Manager post:  looking after their studios, facilities and Staff.  I did a presentation and spoke about the 10 Years that I worked on / off at the NFTS, as well as commercial work and LSBU.  I mentioned you and the DFX dept..Where you employed me, now and again,  between 2008 - 2018.    There is a small chance that they may want to follow up my presentation and discussions and I hope you don’t mind that I mentioned you as a previous employer.  I know it was previously  alot of Hassle with Bianca the  HR at London South Bank University when they previously asked you for references for me etc.  And they were really pedantic / idiotic about the whole process..  Maybe you still have your response and that could work for UCA..?  Anyway it’s just a possibility and the logistics of getting to Farnham, Surrey everyday might not be feasible.  

—    Ive just bought a ticket to see the ‘Death Cult’ at the electric Brixton in November.  Not ‘The Cult’ or ‘Southern Death Cult’, but essentially the same people,   doing all their old ‘goth rock’ songs for one last time.  So music from around 82 - 85 ish ..  No new songs.  I guess everything up to ‘she sells Sanctuary’ but really concentrating on the early years.  Would you be interested in coming along..?   I’m going on the last night of the tour..  at the electric Brixton. November 21st…

This sort of thing:  https://youtu.be/YV9Xo_7xPRc?si=YlT8MaEk8RDGhzYe  https://youtu.be/uod2gdVKP6c?si=Ws8JruyNA7rKQ6ND

It’s ages away but I'm planning ahead… Let me know ..  :)

Have been reading about this mega camera ‘Big Sky’ recently; looks like more disruption coming soon to the industry if we’re not all going to just use verbal prompts in Runway.ai to create films in the future?  :  https://www.tvbeurope.com/production-post/sphere-studios-unveils-most-advanced-camera-system-in-the-world

Creative projects on the go:  music, paintings and stuff:  chk here:  https://linktr.ee/tch1.  Have a look if you have a sec.

Personally Ive been out of work (consulting!) for the last few months and thought I might be better suited  back in education.  As much fun as the commercial world has been,  its been very tiring and full of egotistic big babies..  That’s just how I feel at the moment.  But currently  nice and sunny so I guess I’ll jump on a bike and head out to enjoy.

Catch up soon.

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Hi Tony,

I hope all is well!

Its been 24 months since I moved on from LSBU and I thought I’d contact you and give you an update of what I’ve been up to…

Two years in the commercial world as Studios manager for Camberwell Film & TV Studios and Greenwich Studios too.

 I've recently been reflecting on my time working for LSBU & as an employee in TSS,  considering what worked and what obstacles I encountered.  Particularly with the move of the school of ACI from the London Road site to Borough Road.  Both the achievements and the setbacks, good and bad,  dealing with the various contractors, our technical staff (some of whom did not like change and actively rebelled against it & me), the previous director of the school,  and maybe how I would go about things differently in retrospect. This came about as a task & application I recently did for UCA Farnham for the role of  Technical Services Manager.  I was invited to do a presentation and used an ishiwaka (fishbone) diagram to look at the root causes of some problems I perceived along the way; also I didn't slander or mention anyone in particular.. 

I  hope that my ‘legacy' on the multiple projects that we undertook and my determination to provide the best facilities possible are still part of the foundations of the school of ACI and the various courses we supported.  From the 4k Cinema and the ‘broadcast journalism' space with NDI capability and Newtek TC-1 vision mixer as well as the training I organised for the team.  Along with my eye & ear for detail and making sure the studios were equipped to their best capability, keeping the pressure on MARIS persistently to fix their errors, inc: silent AC in studios, connectivity to the other studios etc.  This was also true for supporting the sound department and the installation of Dante in the edit suites.

I am still in touch with  Tim Fransen (Technical Tutor) and enjoy hearing about developments within the department and team.   Personally, I have employed multiple ex-members of staff and students on my subsequent projects.  From hiring Ilaria (ex-kit room) on a Muhammed Ali feature film we produced at Camberwell studios.  To training ex-students to work on live streams for one of my clients Inc. Tik Tok.  Recently, I was complimented by a film graduate who was working for me at Greenwich Studios when he found out I was the previous Studio Manager responsible for his old course he stated that the studios at LSBU were ’Sick’.  Which was high praise.    Another thing that I mentioned was that I was on site,  looking after the spaces, during the whole of lockdown.  Working with the health and safety department at LSBU in my capacity as Unison H+S rep.  Along with writing new guidelines and SOP's for the courses we supported and helping with the other schools as well.

I also initiated the digitalisation of Screen Studies core texts and negotiated a separate server for them from IT.  I found and and framed all the cinema posters around the studios, including a display cabinet for awards; which no one had thought about doing before.  As well as introducing the software CeltX for the producing students and the Albert (sustainability) scheme to the film production department which are now both part of the curriculum.  Along with looking after the BFI player subscriptions for all the staff and students,  Inc. liaising with them. I also volunteered to edit the course profiles for marketing, in my attempt to break down divisions between departments.

It was really unfortunate that I had to leave Lizzie’s research project after I moved to her department after two years within TSS.    You probably know that there were huge delays (12 months!) with the refurbishment of the studios I was involved with creating at Maidstone TV  Studios, this was partly down to the pandemic,  getting the right contractors in place and subsequently missing our window for a timely build.  It was a ‘dream’ job for me and I was very disappointed with the delays and that we could not look for another site to refurbish instead. Very frustrating.  I did, however, change the whole direction of the project for all the ‘hubs’ and partners that we were working with and was very happy that everyone embraced my ideas and went with the new direction and approach that I suggested. .  Again, I believe my influence was key in making this happen through my research and presenting it to all the stakeholders.  

This also meant that I unpacked my boxes,  as I was moving to Kent and closer to the new studios,  and was left in limbo.. with nowhere to go..  Luckily a studio near me in Brixton needed my skills and soon took me on where I put all my Health and Safety training to good use and got them up to speed.  Clients include  Ben Malloby (academic on the film course) with Ruby Wax & LSB students on the crew,  Feature films, music videos and producing documentary work.

Recently I have been working on TV projects inc. the Eurovision Song (BBC) contest and The Booker Prize.   However,  I am looking to use more of my skills in facilities and advising on H&S and production in higher education and a role came up at UCA Farnham that I am keen on exploring.   Utilising the experience and knowledge gained over my career and using my experiences at LSBU as an exploration of what I thought worked and what I would do differently now, on reflection.

With all the above in mind, I thought you, as my former head of department,  might be the ideal person to corroborate or give your own account of my conclusions...? So I hope you do not mind that I put you down as my former employer in case UCA want to move forward with my application.