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Profile
Adept writer, photographer, marketing director, web developer and
graphic designer with more than 14 years experience in the development and
operation of newspapers, magazines, websites and marketing of multinational,
multimillion dollar companies in international settings. A well travelled
individual and yachtsman with trips overland and by sea to over 50 countries
around the world, with outstanding problem solving skills and a diverse array
of skills.
Skills
Built company in Holland V.O.F. Expathos focussing on
Information Architecture or the construct and analyses of the user experience
in relation to delivery of information on the net. I have been active in
the Open Source PHP community since 2003 and have worked extensively with
Joomla, Mambo, phpNuke, Postnuke, phpBB, and scores of other packages as
well as proprietary php-sql software. I also started a hosting company in early 2007.
Thankyouqwest.org (which I built with Chris Floyd) was written up by the NYT,
USA Today, Denver Post, International Herald Tribune, Cnet, Newsday, Salt
Lake Tribune, The Stranger, eWeek, MSNBC and was covered by CNN's The
Situation Room. Now that's Net pollination!
Managed the marketing departments of two Caribbean-based
multinational marine supply and service companies. Duties included company
re-branding, heading team to redevelop 200-plus page print and online
catalogues. Developed new sales and customer programs to secure developing markets
in the region such the megayacht market and secure 'bread and butter'
clientele such as the world cruising community.
As an editor of several publications, management duties included 'the buck
stops here' roles directing freelance writers and photographers and
ensuring deadlines were met. Quality copy was produced to create successful
publications.
Skippering crewed sailboats over oceans over 15 years entailed many
critical management skills including emergency and lifesaving training,
ensuring of adequate food stores and water, storm preparation and
coordination of crew (morale, competence, and compatibility) for transoceanic
voyages. - Software
Graphic design software knowledge includes Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator,
Acrobat, Distiller, Pagemaker, and Indesign. I have also worked with Quark
Xpress, Coreldraw, Corelpaint and Corel Ventura. Macromedia for website
design and management skills include Dreamweaver MX, Fireworks MX and Flash
MX. Coding skills include PHP and HTML.
Writing
Key media skills include a solid writing ability ranging from editorials,
reviews, hard news or investigative reportage. Career highlights as a writer
include a term as one of the
Caribbean's
first restaurant reviewers, investigative reports on human smuggling, the
rise of the Chinese mafia, the rise of tourism crime, and complicities
between the cocaine trade and police in the
Caribbean.
I also worked in the Canadian Native Press where I interviewed Roberta Bondar
(
Canada
's
first woman astronaut), and disseminated the Charlottetown Accord for a
predominantly Native and Inuit audience in
Canada
's
Northwest Territories. Was also one of the
first seafaring journalists in the world to write about hitchhiking around
the world by finding rides on yachts
an article I sold extensively in the
eighties and nineties.
Prepress/Production/Design/Coding/Database/Server
Skills include advertising, logo and publication design, fine-tuning and
editing of digital images, layout using all top DTP programs, in-depth
knowledge of colour formats (CMYK-RGB), DPI, bleeds etc, and ripping film on
film setter for press. Last publication worked on was converted to PDF and
sent through the internet via FTP to printery in Florida for printing and
binding. I have also designed scores
of websites over the years since 1997. In 2003 I turned to database driven
sites and have developed a wide array of skills in the relationship of PHP
and SQL. Since starting my own hosting company in early 2007 with colocated
servers in Groningens Zernike Park I have also expanded my skillset to
Linux and general server operations.
Concieved, Created and Designed
— Atlantic Free Press –
Created a quick rising star in the alternative news media with over 140
writers and two dozen PHD’s on the roster.
— angeliquedolls.nl.
— Joomla site
— Pacific Free Press –
Created a a quick rising star in the alternative news media with over 150
writers and two dozen PHD’s on the roster.
— Empire Burlesque (I blog here with Moscow Times columnist Chris Floyd
— Safehost.nl - Our
hosting company in Holland
— angeliquedolls.nl.
— Joomla site
Ichblog.eu - Social
Networking site with over 40,000 visits per day.
Ichblog.info - Digg
clone for progressive writing and news.
Expatforums Online
(Founder EST 2003) Site was very busy at one time but like many forums has
slowed down. 275.000 posts and was one of the busiest phpbb websites on the
net during its prime.
Expatriate Group (Expathos Literary Agency)
This Is Wiretap (anti-NSA
spying research site)
Thank You Qwest (Interviewed by Newsday and USA Today for this site. Mentioned in NYT's 2x,
CNN, Etc.
Avante Yachts Brazil (my eco-friendly electric sail catamaran construction company
Beaches in Brazil (real estate in Pernambuco) For business associate in Brazil
Blue
Horizon Catamarans LLC (partner)
Exterminating
Angel Press (site with screenwriter -Cult Filmmaker Alex Cox)
V.O.F. Expathos (Our
company site under construct)
Expat Biz Direct (potential site - architecture up)
Expat
Hunter (potential site - architecture up)
Darren Trenchard
Online (L.A. based filmmaker and artist)
Ingmar Lee Online (India based Canadian Eco-Activist)
Eat Crow dot Org (activist site - defence of journalist Jason Leopold)
The Copy Dude (Russian based British Freelancer)
Radio Expat (now
defunct online radio station)
Some older
sites from the Caribbean days.
My older Flash portfolio
Some new Flash work here and here (WARNING THIS IS NOT PLEASANT)
Kastelein dot Net (family
affair)
Rudy Wurlitzer dot
com (Screenwriter)
Experience
2002
- 2007
Online Community Publisher - Webmaster
Groningen, Netherlands
Create and design online communities
2002
2003
Senior Publicist
Godfather Media
St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles
Guided Public Relations for Godfather Records Artists, Producers and
Engineers. Concert promotion in alliance with R&R Productions included
Joe Bonamassa, Nigel Williams and Shaggy. Utilized pan-Caribbean media
contacts to push events successfully.
2002
Supplements Editor - Investigative Reporter
Today Newspaper
St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles
Conceptualized, designed, laid-out, reported, photographed and headed all
of Today's supplements including a weekly entertainment magazine, Carnival,
World Environmental Day, and the visiting of the Dutch Royalty etc. Also
broke major investigative stories on human smuggling, the Chinese mafia, the
rise of tourism crime, and the cocaine trade and police in St. Maarten.
1999
2002
Marketing Director
Island Water World
St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles
Spearheaded re-branding of company
a complete overhaul of Island Water
World's image and presentation to the public. Designed and led catalogue
effort with over 20,000 products in 200 pages in print and online in PDF at islandwaterworld.com.
Implemented new marketing strategies focussing on the bigger boat market with
a Megayacht Program and the strengthening of companies' relationship with
cruising yachtsmen in the form of a Cruising Club Discount Card Program.
1997
2002
Owner
Caribbean Webwizards
St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles
Owner and operator of company specialising in website creation and
production. Designed, managed and marketed over 20 websites in this period
for a number of clients in the Caribbean region.
1999
Managing Editor
What's ON Entertainment
St. Martin, French Antilles
Start-up and lead position of successful biweekly entertainment magazine
focussing on nightlife, activities, music and art and culture on the island
of St. Maarten. Duties included writing articles, photography, and herding of
freelancers for What's On. Highlights included articles on parachuting,
eating out once a week as a roving restaurant critic and in-depth articles on
Caribbean musicians.
1998
1999
Marketing Manager
Budget Marine
St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles
Upgraded and added to 300 page marine parts catalogue and designed website
for leading chandlery in Caribbean. Also created all signage and handled
basic merchandising duties for 10 stores in the Caribbean.
1997 1998
Content Producer
Erlington Trust
Editor
St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles
Content producer and editor for offshore media projects of Erlington Trust,
a St. Maarten-based investment company. Duties included creation of glossy 60
page magazine called "Such is Life", and the management of www.suchislife.com, an
early Caribbean web portal
also involved in extensive internet research
projects for the company.
1994
1995
English Editor
St. Martin's Week
St. Martin, French Antilles
English Editor and photographer for St. Martin's Week, a weekly bilingual
newspaper based in Marigot on French St. Martin. Included covering the
tourist and English-speaking 'expat' communities as well as working in
production with photo-editing and layout. 199 2002 Contributor All at Sea
St. Martin, French Antilles
Regular contributor for the Caribbean's largest boating publication, All at
Sea. Wrote feature articles based out of St. Martin. 1992 1993 Staff
Reporter Slave River Journal
Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada
Staff Reporter and photographer for the Slave River Journal, a weekly
newspaper based in Fort Smith, N.W.T. covering Native issues (Charlottetown
Accord), culture and small town life in the Canadian Arctic.
1989-2002
Freelance Writer
England, Canada, United States
Freelance writer/photographer/researcher for publications including BBC World
Radio, Great Expeditions Magazine, Pacific Yachting, Cut-To Entertainment,
and Southern Cross.
Facts
DOB September 18, 1967 New Westminster, BC, Canada
Married with three children - Dual Citizen of Canada and The Netherlands
Education
1992 - 1993
Western Academy of Photography
Diploma in Photography-Journalism
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