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Ever since I can remember I’ve been passionate about music – as a choir boy singing at Westminster Abbey, as a musician studying flute and piano and being one of only two pupils being tutored by the then principle flautist of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and as a band member touring and playing piano across Europe and America. I still love to play and do so with a band where I live in the west of Ireland.
My pro-audio career started in 1982 working for audio rental companies in London. In 1988 I was appointed General Manger of Dreamhire, one of the Zomba group of companies. In 1993 I joined FX Rentals as Sales and Marketing Director where I played a key role in building the company into the biggest and most respected pro-audio rental company in Europe. I was dealing with record companies, broadcast companies, recording studios, production houses, post facilities, management companies, musicians, live sound companies.. the list goes on.[BR]
I left FX Rentals in 1998 to form my first consultancy and, retaining FX as a client, I also immediately started working for The Sanctuary Group (Artist management, recording and rehearsal facilities), Fleetwood Mobiles, EMTEC and Chop’Em’Out duplication services providing sales, marketing and public relations consultancy. In 2000 I went into partnership with renowned journalist Sue Sillitoe to form Dimes & Sillitoe Ltd, a full-service public relations agency (pictured below). Our clients included Mackie and Loud Technologies, Harman Pro UK, Solid State Logic, Air Lyndhurst recording studios, Megahertz Broadcast Systems, Audio Processing Technology (APT), Sony, Merging Technologies, AES, PRISM, Hackenbacker post…and so on.
In 2002 Dimes & Sillitoe were bought by Zoo Communications where we continued to operate under the same company name and I became PR Director for both companies. In 2010 I left to operate as an independent consultant again but also forming partnerships with Matt Bell of Direct Red Media, amongst others, and with whom I continue to work with today. I also have a working partnership with PR consultant Margaret Sekelsky of MSM Media in the USA providing my clients with direct access to US media.