Writer and Artist
Age: to be continued
Status: live
NB: This is an occasionally edited biography. It's still here because Google likes it so much. You can find career information here, and a list of links to work in media, music and education here.
I grew up in Crystal
Palace, South London. Raised as a wolf by delusional beatniks in England, I fled to safety in art school as soon as I could escape. Graduated with a First Class BA Hons. in Fine Art after a year studying at Croydon College followed by three years at Middlesex Polytechnic aka Hornsey College of Art, now Middlesex University,
where I made mixed-media installations, audio works and scratch
videos, experimenting with computers and the new digital video recording and editing
techniques.
Exhibiting art installations,
audio and video works in the New Contemporaries at the ICA
and in Film festivals in London, Paris, Berlin and New York in 1983
and 1984 I established an early reputation in multi-media. After working
at the Tate Gallery (now Tate Britain), I spent
many years writing and producing music and video, performing both
onstage and in public spaces.
In 1994
I started Netmare,
one of the very first web design and webmedia production businesses in the UK. Netmare's
excellent design sense and net savvy, combined with a philosophy
of making the Net approachable and understandable to the non-specialist
led to their establishment as one of the UK's most successful new
Internet businesses. As the internet developed in leaps and bounds,
so did we, and in places such as live online events using streaming and interactive media, we pioneered techniques which are still used today.
In March 1995 Netmare was central to the first BBC radio + internet interactive simulcast, Radio1nteract. A one-off evening show hosted by Jo Whiley in the days of modem dialup and Napster, music included Orbital, Blur, the Beasty Boys, Belly, Black
Dog, Zion Train. In
May 1995 Nick Glass's coverage for Channel 4 News
of the international internet band,
Res Rocket Surfer put our designs on 25 million
TV screens across the world.
In September, we were part of a BT-sponsored
multi-national live internet
jam at Olympia, London. In November, we produced the website for
the MTV Europe Awards in Paris.
Netmare
continued designing and producing interactive webmedia in a
variety of formats until 1997 - Time and Space (sample CD catalogue),
Vladivar Vodka's Supergrass Live at the Astoria (above) which was a combination
of a live rock gig with a games site, the Health Education Authority
drugs awareness campaign, Amber
Music, McLaren Formula One, the Tribal Gathering music festival.
In 1998 having sold Netmare prior to the tech crash, I produced 'Just Right', for Amnesty
International UK, an educational CD Rom which teaches children
about human rights. The first product of its kind in the UK it includes
documentary footage, first hand testimony from street children, child
soldiers, child prisoners, and victims of war.
I worked as a consultant in Switzerland and helped to build the TipTV
Interactive TV Program Guide. I also developed early broadcasts for DJS.CH,
raised production standards and implemented live streaming technology
in the Basel Moltimoll studio.
In 1999 I produced
Vince Clarke's ‘The Shed
Show’ a millenium night event.This internet-only production hosted
in both a real shed and a virtual one appeared on computer screens in
a 12 different countries across the world, and made an appearance on North
American network TV.
Between 2000 and 2002 I went on a journey of self-discovery across several continents, re-emerging from my quest with the gift of self-knowledge, peace of mind, the secret of comedy, and some really nice private clients.
From
2003 to 2007 I wrote, recorded, and produced videos,
live events, music albums, and did more things than are enumerated here.
Art, Music and Education
In 1998-9 I wrote and produced songs for a project
called meTzo. I also recorded and produced 'The Road of the Bard'
by 'Harmonica' Matt Griffiths, published by Pan Fried Publishing,
and remixed tracks for Vince Clarke’s ‘Family Fantastic’
project.
In December 1999 I exhibited 2 electronic prints 'Turkey' and 'NSPCC Child' in a mixed exhibition 'Re.Production: the Art of the Edition'.
2000-1 helped out at Middlesex University Fine Art department. It began with requests, but it became a regular gig. I enjoyed passing on useful ideas on new media, and so some of my time has been spent lecturing in higher and several other kinds of education, which you can read about here.
In 2005 Funk, a successful partnership with the talented designer and musician Mark Crook produced Imagining St Mary Magdalene's an art festival in London, Islington, with Norwegian artists Motherboard.
In 2005-6 Mark and I co-wrote and produced Claire Smith's debut album, and renowned musician Ashley Slater and I co-wrote and poduced John Cleese's world cup football song, Don't Mention The World Cup.
Podcasting
In
2006 I started podcast production company Talking Voices which I ran from 2006 to 2010. I co-founded the UK Podcasters Association, of which noble body I was chairman until 2009. In 2006 UKPA successfully lobbied WIPO to prevent bad UN-mandated internet media regulation, PRS-MCPS to adapt their podcasting license, and the UK's Radio Academy to add podcasting to their esteemed annual Sony Awards, which I was later invited to judge.
In 2007 I instigated and helped to produce Podcamp UK a two-day podcasting "un-conference" in Birmingham.
I've spoken at many events and appeared on numerous panels, including In The City, the UK's annual Radio Festival and BECTU's BAFTA-hosted freelancers event. In 2009 the UKPA joined the Open Rights Group, and I am now on ORG's Advisory Council.
I won the European podcasting award for UK personality 2008/2009.
In 2008 and 2009 had the great pleasure of working with French / Californian start-up Seesmic, Loic and VinVin. We exposed John Cleese to their video chat technology in an unforgettable magical cultural moment.
In 2011, I moved to Norway and started Dean Whitbread Arts, the business concentrating on art, music and internet media. I curated the international digital art exhibition Prix Mobile, lifting the newly popular mobile art form (now dominated by Instagram and similar platforms) into the Fine Art world via the tech world in Paris at Le Web expo 2011. Open to all and judged by an international jury of eminent artists, curators, photographers, videographers, entrepreneurs, academics, internet and media luminaries, winners were awarded cash prizes and finalists featured in a prestigious gallery exhibition.
That same year I conceived, produced and promoted the Norwegian mini-festival Frostfest. Incorporating 9 live acts over 12 hours plus art and craft, in normally fallow midwinter this sustained burst of alternative cultural energy proved very popular.
In 2013 - 2014 I worked with companies in Basel, Switzerland, including Auntie Sam, Happyville Productions, The Gay Beggars Drama Group, and the Basel English Panto Group. I produced videos, audio, and designed and operated stage lighting.
Writing
In 2018 I joined forces with Lance Anderson in a major writing and publishing project, the History of Podcasting.
As well as writing blogs since 1994, (thanks to John Loder of Southern Music), I have published two short stories. Ozzie Rozzie, an adult book with themes of violence and growing up, is a story based on my own experience of school aged 13. One Way Journey is a self-biographical introspective about grief, loss and longing in Egypt at Christmas.
Since 2022, I write regularly on Substack.
Non-Profit & Other
Saintly Behaviour
My first band 'The Believers' first single
in 1989 'Save the Planet' raised money for Greenpeace and the Women's
Environmental Network. Which was a riot.
In 1993 I began working with Ditti Brook's Swiss fundraising project 'It's 5 to 12'. In 1995 we produced a series of songs including the CD 'Survival Game' which sold particularly well in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In 1996-7 'Survival Game' sold worldwide, distributed on Coconut by BMG, and eventually went platinum in various territories, raising over CHF150,000 for Africa and helping to provide education and clean water. Which was nice.
In 1997 I helped to raise funds for Amnesty International UK by producing the Phoenix Festival live website. Which was hot.
In 2008 I conceived and co-presented wih Danny Brittain and various guests Rise and Shine, a live songwriting show which raised money for Busk Aid, a South African charity providing musical education to township children.Creative Collaborators, Past and Present
(In no order) - Mark Crook, Andrew Lagowski, Dan Brittain, Mike Turtle, Per Platou, Ulf Knudsen, Amanda Steggell, Ashley Slater, Peredur ap Gwynedd, Dale Davis, Neil Conti, Dan Powell, Geno Washington, Sovra Wilson-Dickson, Vince Clarke, Guy Sigsworth, Kevin Goldsborough, Richard Woods, Andy Carroll, Nick Amour, Maria Davis, Emma Whittle, Mick Martin, Cecily Fay, Claire Smith, Deek Deekster, Stan Koretski, Lance Anderson, John Cleese.
Commercial clients have included:
BBC Radio 1, Levi Strauss Europe, McLaren Formula 1, Tiger Aspect, MTV Europe, EMI Records, Supergrass, Sony Music UK, Polygram International, Amnesty International UK, Time+Space, Forster, McCann Erickson, BBH, Amber Music, Health Education Authority, Momentary Fusion Aerial Theatre Company, PB Games, Norm Dis AG Switzerland, the other John Cleese.
Memberships
UK Podcasters
Association (Co-Founder, Chairman) , Musicians
Union, PRS, Open Rights Group
Football
Club
Crystal
Palace FC
Information about my current project is available here - History of Podcasting
"The success of the Radio 1 Interactive Night broadcast on March 26th 1995 was in large part due to the creative team working on it. The website was created by Netmare, and received praise from listeners, surfers and internet professionals. Netmare were responsible for the overall graphic design and in particular two of the most innovative parts of it. One was the sample database which made available more than a hundred music samples from musicians like Yello, Coldcut and 808 State. Visitors to the site could download some or all of the samples and make their own music with them. They could also vote for their favourites. These samples were then used by the producer/mixer team Sure Is Pure who created a track from them, broadcast live on the show. Netmare also designed the virtual album "InteraCD", which contained 10 tracks unreleased in the UK by major artists like the Beastie Boys, Belly and The Orb. It was an innovative experiment, and more than 300 people downloaded the tracks. Netmare impressed me throughout the project with their creativity, hard work, their ability to solve problems and to deliver what they promised. I would highly recommend their work."
Nick Ware, Producer, BBC.
Featuring multiple choice and question and answer games, learning and awareness tasks, narrative by Tony Robinson and original music throughout, it comes with a teacher's pack and accompanying teaching materials for key stages 3 & 4 (11-16 years). Launched at the Bethnal Green museum of Childhood, it was presented at the NUT National Conference 2000.
Co-Produced:
Paminder Parbha and Dean Whitbread
Designed & Co-written:
Derek Wheeler
Programmed: Chris Stevenson
Audio Design : Dean Whitbread
Narrated: Tony Robinson
Music: Bam! Starboard