CV: SIMON MILLS

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Graduate Qualification: / 1st August 1977
Leicester, England
West London


Single
Full licence since May 1995
BSc (Hons) 2(I) in Electronic Imaging & Media Communications

S K I L L S :
Broadcasting:

Four years’ experience of sub-editing and text subbing for Sky Sports News.

Three years of experience of presenting and commentating on sport for the Internet and radio.

Editorial:

Passionate interest and depth of knowledge in most sports, particularly Football, Motor Sport, Tennis and Athletics.

Excellent knowledge of sports news and sport events websites.

High level of attention-to-detail and eloquent use of English.

5 ½ years editorial experience in on-line and printed sports journalism, writing and reporting.

Three years of experience of overall editorial responsibility for commercial websites, and of managing teams of freelance journalists.

New Media & IT:
Extensive experience of digital imaging, multimedia, HTML, website and graphic design.

Strong understanding of digital video editing.

Wide-ranging IT skills.

E M P L O Y M E N T :

Freelance Sub-Editor for Sky Sports News, BSkyB, Isleworth, Middlesex: May 2003 to date

I am currently a part of the production teams behind the scenes on Sky Sports News, where I have responsibilities in several areas. These including the on-screen headline ticker, script writing, preparing and researching graphics and the compiling of video sequences.

Maintaining full responsibility for the content (researching, writing, editing & checking) of the headline scroller and the Breaking News ticker.

Producing video packages by remote journalists, checking all the information is accurate, concise and clear, choosing appropriate paints, ensuring the package is of broadcast quality technically, while considering if anything sent down can be improved.

Compiling video sequences used as live voice-overs and floats.

Scripting links, live voice-overs and graphic sequences.

Ensuring all the information on the fixtures, results and promo ticker, and the stats sidepanels is accurate, up-to-date and relevant.

Researching background information on sports events, teams or personalities for graphics and other members of the editorial team.

Monitoringand updating the latest scores for ‘Soccer Saturday’ and ‘Soccer Special’ programmes.

Content Editor for Premium TV (Internet), Feltham, Middlesex: Oct 2000 - April 2003

I spent 2 ½ years employed as a Content Editor by Premium TV, who run official websites and multimedia subscription zones for 80 football clubs in Britain, including most of the clubs in the Football League. My responsibilities included:

Editor of Premium TV’s 2002 World Cup website. This involved writing and editing news and feature content, while maximising revenue opportunities through betting opportunities and mobile phone downloads.

Writing / subbing news stories on club sites and weekly e-mail newsletters.

Reporting on away matches for the official Newcastle United website.

Commentating on edited video highlights for individual club subscription zones.

Co-ordinating teams of news journalists and freelance feature writers.

Working closely with individual football clubs and webmasters. This included advising, visiting and training them.

Assessing standards and identifying best and worst editorial practise across the network of PTV sites.

Site Editor for Sportlist.com, Gateshead: June 1999 to September 2000

Previously, I was the Editor of Sportlist.com, an event-driven sports TV listings website that featured editorial previews of televised sporting events on all British terrestrial and digital satellite channels. We also provided the ‘Sport on TV’ guide for Freeserve, where our content was integrated with the Freeserve.com website. My responsibilities included:

Full, day-to-day control over the written and visual content of each sport’s editorial column.

Previewing Football, Athletics, Motor Sport, Cycling, Skiing, Snooker and Extreme Sports programmes every week.

Deputising for Tennis, Golf, Basketball and American Football writers when necessary.

Showcasing of five ‘sport on TV’ highlights on site’s home page and writing a weekly newsletter to subscribers.

Appointing and supervising an editorial assistant, and a team of sport-specific freelance journalists.

Maintaining databases of editorial content and TV listings.
Site Manager for official LincolnCity FC Internet site – Impernet: Sept '97 - Sept '98

After approaching the club with an embryonic website, I was personally commissioned by the club chairman to create and manage their first ever official Internet site. This included maintaining and developing the site’s content, coding, imagery, graphical design and presentation, while interviewing players, attending post-match press conferences, and researching the majority of the content myself.

Other Experience:
Freelance Football Biographer for Match Magazine, EMAP plc, Peterborough: May 2001

Data Researcher for 'Championship Manager' and ‘Football Manager’, Sports Interactive Ltd: May 2000 to date
Freelance Football Journalist / Sub-Editor / Newscaster for TeamTalk, Leeds: April - June '99
Sports Journalist for PA News, Leeds (Work Experience): April '99
Sports Journalist for Bradford Telegraph & Argus Newspaper (Work Experience): September '98

Freelance Football Writer / Reporter for Sport First, Lincolnshire Echo & Yorkshire Sport Newspapers: June '98

Data Consultant for 'Giant Killers', On-line Software Publishing: August '98 - May '99
Sports Editor for University of Bradford Student Union magazine: Sept '97 - June '98

Assistant Sports Reporter at BBC Radio Lincolnshire (Work Experience): August '97
Saturday Sports Show Presenter for RamAir FM, University of Bradford: November '96 - June '99

Voluntary Radio Presenter for RaucebyHospital, Lincolnshire: September '95 - December '96

E D U C A T I O N :

University of Bradford, Bradford, West Yorkshire: September '96 - June '99

BSc (Hons) 2(1) in Electronic Imaging & Media Communication

Studying such a multi-disciplinary subject gave me basic skills and interests in a wide range of media fields, including video and audio production, website design, HTML, multimedia, graphic design, photography and image manipulation. I produced an interactive multimedia football magazine on CD-ROM for my final year project

Carre’s Grammar School, Sleaford, Lincolnshire: September '89 - June '95

4 A-Levels: General Studies (A), Computing (C), Maths & Statistics (C), French (D)

9 GCSEs: French (A), English Language (B), English Literature (B), Maths (B), Geography (B), History (B), German (C), Double Award Science (CC).

P E R S O N A L I N F O R M A T I O N :

My commitment to, and obsession with sport extends well beyond my profession, and I particularly relish the drama and atmosphere of major sporting occasions.

This has taken me to the Football World Cup and European Championships, top-flight league matches in England, Scotland, France and Italy; the Monaco Grand Prix and Le Mans 24-hour races; the RAC Rally; World Superbikes, Test Match Cricket, Wimbledon and European Cup Athletics, all while following Lincoln City FC up and down the country, blindly hoping for occasional success!

My other hobbies include computing, the Internet, music, weight training and travelling, both home and abroad.