Meet Our Trainers
The Skills and Training team work with a number of highly qualified and experienced individuals from all sectors of the digital and creative industries in the Northwest, who we call MDPs or Media Development Professionals.
On our behalf they deliver 1-to-1 advice and mentoring, and deliver training in the form of one-off workshops, structured training content within larger schemes, and other innovative approaches to building skills and knowledge. Find out more about their expertise and backgrounds here.
Brian Barnes has worked in Broadcast as an engineer, sound recordist, editor and vision engineer for 28 years. He has also produced and directed corporate video for the last 17 years. He spent eight months as the Head of Technical Operations at Lime Pictures and now continues to manage Activideo Communications Ltd. Brian works as Mentor, Media Development Professional for Vision+Media and has run training on subjects such as DV camera operation and vision control for Directors of Photography.
Producer, director and writer Karen Bird has over 20 years' experience in film, television and music video, with her first feature film, Expiry Date, being released in 2006. Karen continues to consult on features and develop her own slate of projects alongside her longstanding relationship with Vision+Media as an MDP.
Dave Crook has been in Digital Games Development for over 16 years (12 years of that at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe – Studio Liverpool). He has extensive experience as an Art Director, Art Manager and Digital Games Artist (in-game, hi-res & concepting). Over the years Dave has experienced the full gamut of skills within the art discipline, and has worked closely with the other disciplines during that time. He has worked on many "AAA" games titles, such as the WipeOut & Formula-1 series, and many pre-production concepts for Studio Liverpool and other studios. Now working as a Creative Design & Development Consultant in Digital Games & Media, Dave covers the pre-production & production processes, concepting, team development and mentoring. His passion for digital games development is as strong as ever.
John Forrest has been a Producer-Director in the TV industry since 1988 and has worked freelance since 2001. During his career, he has been on the production staff of most UK broadcasters – from local radio (BBC Radio Manchester and LBC News in London) to BBC Network Radio, ITV (Thames Television) and BBC Television. He has worked as a researcher, producer and presenter. His freelance life involves training, mentoring and consultation which he enjoys with a passion. He still gets a buzz out of making broadcast programmes and events.
Janet Graves is an experienced television producer and director, and radio producer. She’s worked for BBC 1, BBC 2, Channel 4, the Discovery Channel and Granada. Janet is a former producer of Woman’s Hour for BBC Radio 4 and a partner in Pennine Productions, which commissions new writing and makes documentaries and factual dramas for BBC Radio 4. Janet also works freelance as an executive producer and trainer, delivering courses on subjects from financial skills to master classes on voice and networking skills. She has a PG Cert in Coaching and Mentoring Practice and works as a career mentor to media industry professionals.
Within radio, Paul Hardy is a producer with over 10 years' experience in news, current affairs and factuals. He’s worked across both TV and radio in the region, for companies such as Objective North, Hat Trick North and Smooth Operations. Paul recently created a cross platform comedy show for Radio 4 which included building a website and producing trails for BBC2. He was also nominated for a Sony Award for his radio comedy, Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf.
Stephen Hey has been in the games industry since 1993, when he began his career working at legendary Manchester game publisher Ocean Software. Running the PR department, he helped the company make the transition from one that marketed to ‘gamers & kids’ to one that engaged with a mass market audience using relevant and compelling methods from club nights to sports sponsorship. While at Ocean, the company became part of the Infogrames Group and Stephen moved up to head up the UK Corporate Communications office of the multi-national. During his time Stephen was instrumental in launching games such as TFX, FIFA 95, V-Rally, Jurassic Park and Worms. In 1999 Stephen, together with four colleagues, set up Head First – an advertising and design agency specialising in the video game sector. As Director of Client Relations Stephen helped grow the company to one that turned over a million pounds per year. Campaigns Head First worked on included such franchises as Star Wars Lego, Bionic Commando, Devil May Cry, Frontlines and the mighty WWE. In 2008 Stephen joined multi-platform digital publisher Connect2Media as Head of Marketing. Here Stephen has been responsible for launching several best selling mobile and iPhone games as well as launching several original IP’s. Titles worked on include Guitar Hero World Tour, World Poker Tour and PES 2010.
Lucy Irvine is a freelance interactive designer with over 10 years' industry experience, working as a creative director on accounts for high profile clients such as Nike, Nokia, Fiat, and Sainsbury’s. Lucy comes to Vision+Media as an expert on the digital world.
Within TV and multi platform, Moira Kean has over 20 years' experience in TV production, ranging from production coordinator right through to series producer. She also has wide ranging experience in training, coaching and mentoring and has developed and delivered the BBC’s multi-platform rights workshop, Understanding Audiences, and is a member of the secretive BBC Creative Network, running creative sessions across the BBC.
Helen Lagoe has worked in post production as a craft editor for the last 12 years and has cut several award winning programmes including Roots Remembered for BBC2 and Chester City: An American Dream for ITV. She works for all the major TV channels cutting everything from The One Show to Dispatches, on both Avid and FCP. She’s also cut music video, Indie short films and has a strong interest in sound design and music. She works in the Third Sector as an editor/ PD and occasionally teaches TV and radio editing at Salford University. Career Highlight: “Sex Drugs and Ruck and Roll: Prince” !!
Anna Laura Malagó is joint director of award-winning independent TV company, Clearcut Communications, which recently won an RTS award for their Channel 4 documentary The Dangerous School for Boys. Anna Laura is an experienced series producer and producer/director on a wide range of factual programmes with an extensive track-record with UK and US broadcasters. She also has considerable experience in media training and consultancy, having been a mentor and trainer for Vision+Media for the past four years.
Alistair Mann is an experienced freelance radio sport and news journalist who's worked on Match Of The Day, City Talk and Channel M. He has several RTS awards, as well as being a BT Sports Journalist of the Year nominee, and a qualified coach for the FA!
Jim Mooney is a highly experienced editor with over 25 years working in both Production & Post Production, using film, traditional tape & the new digital formats. He also runs The Basement which was established in 1995. Their main businesses are visual post production for broadcast, corporate clients and production of TV commercials and pop promos, as well as short films with Jim often in the role of Producer and Editor. Jim has been a Media Development Professional for Vision+Media, for a number of years and has delivered 1-2-1 advice sessions, a workshop on production workflow titled The Full Production Process, as well as mentoring many placement trainees over the years.
Paula Moore was recently invited to Downing Street for a reception with the Prime Minister as one of 100 companies thanked for their work in innovation and as entrepreneurs. For the last six years, Paula’s company has invested in and developed multi-platform formats, working with RDF, Universal, Fremantle Media, Sky Arts, WBBC and more. Her company, Jumping Astronaut Ltd, was also selected to attend a Crossover lab in 2008. Previously Paula was the Head of Production for BSkyB Movies, where she oversaw programming across numerous movie channels. She has also worked across the USA and Europe as an interviewer and producer for Music Legends, Talkin' Jazz and Talkin' Blues for NBC Europe (Sunday Times Pick of the Week). Paula has also invested in screenwriting and has a feature in development short listed by Moonstone International. As a consultant for Vision+Media, Paula has managed company and product development funding, a multi-platform strategy lab and also mentors new entrants and freelances, with particular emphasis on diversity and managing barriers. Paula is also a consultant at Universities in the northwest.
Christine Pyke is an award-winning TV producer with over 20 years’ media industry experience. She ran her own successful production company, Wildtrack Television, winning the prestigious Liverpool Echo Award for Best Regional Production Company. She has produced factual programmes for BBC 1, BBC 2 and Channel 4, winning a national media and environmental award for her investigative film on badger digging. As one of Vision+Media’s Media Development Professionals she has been devising and delivering workshops on CV Writing, Pitching and Presenting and Networking Skills for over 5 years.
Paul Smith runs his own sound production and voice over studio, Reactive Audio, which is now in its 8th year. He also lectures part time in radio production and journalism at the University of Chester. Previously, spending 17 years in commercial radio as a producer, presenter and programme manager, he was presenter on Manchester's Key 103 from 1995 until 2001 and later drive time presenter and head of presentation on Manchester's Magic 1152.
He continues to freelance for the BBC and is a professional voice over artist. His broadcasting career has taken him all over the world, including broadcasting live from the top floor of the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas and interviewing people from Coronation Street’s Bill Roache to the Prince of Wales. In his spare time he's a private pilot.
Krishna Stott specialises in interactive experiences, and in 2008 won a Webby award for Crimeface, an interactive online crime thriller.
Vicky Swift comes to Vision+Media from the world of TV drama. As a Production Manager and Exec with over 11 years' experience, she’s worked for a number of high profile employers in the drama sector, such as Red Productions, Channel 4, the Bigger Picture Company and Shed. Vicky’s credits include Bad Girls and Footballers Wives.
Pete Terry has over 25 years' experience working in the TV industry and was BAFTA nominated for his graphic design work on Cold Feet. He was head of the graphics department at 3sixtymedia and ITV Granada, and has worked on programmes such as Tonight With Trevor McDonald, Stars In Their Eyes and Prime Suspect.
Andrew Thomas offers over 20 years' experience in multi-media production, including eight years in digital media, advertising and agency work. Andrew set up the McCann UK digital offering in 1999, Mcann-i, and was responsible for helping brands such as Sainsbury’s Bank, Magnet and Thompson Holidays migrate their marketing spend online. He has experience of developing multi-channel online revenue streams and has developed significant, profitable and sustainable web businesses.
Jon Wetherall has over 20 years experience as a Computer Game Developer and Trainer. Jon initially worked as a researcher in Distributed Parallel Computing for Liverpool University and from there went to Sony Psygnosis as a Senior Programmer. After Sony, Jon worked for Liverpool John Moores University where he worked on Bafta nominated Educational Software and also created the one of the first M.A.s in Digital Games in the UK. In 2001 Jon formed Onteca, an Independent Game Developer producing Digital Content for a range of clients including the BBC, AMD, Sony and Liverpool Capital of Culture. Currently Onteca are producing 'Monsteca Corral' a downloadable game for Nintendo Wii. Jon has experience in the specific technology of the games industry, business development and bid writing for the Cultural Creative sector.
Marcus Wilson offers expert TV drama advice. He has 14 years' experience, working in a variety of roles including floor manager, location manager, 1st AD, Associate Producer, Co-Producer and Producer. Marcus has worked on many high profile dramas including Life On Mars, Cutting It, Rock Rivals, Emmerdale and Where The Heart Is.