Sean Knox

Experience

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  Garage Comedy Club

  Oct 2009 - Jul 2010

  Head of Promotions

  Aged 16, I was taken in by a promoter in the Swansea area to help run a comedy night called the Garage Comedy Club. Initially, my job just entailed flyering to promote the events but as I proved my competence in understanding the brand as well as displaying an entrepreneurial flair, I was given the title Head of Promotions and became responsible for a budget which was used to develop the promotional materials and pay other people to distribute them. I was also included in numerous strategic meetings about the future of the comedy club and the venue as a whole.As a result of this attained knowledge, I was given a few of my own nights to run in the Swansea area which I ran for several months before moving to university. This passion is what planted the seed that eventually became Last Mic Standing. Show less

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  Last Mic Standing

  Jul 2012 - Sept 2015

  Organiser & Host

  Last Mic Standing is an open mic competition which I ran over a period of three years. It was created as a local initiative to foster creativity and showcase otherwise unknown local talent. I took the idea from conception to realisation and was solely responsible for the management of the event.1. Liased with venue managers to organise a venue for the event.2. Liased with promotion and booking agents to increase the scope of the event3. Created social media campaign to promote the event and find acts4. Hosted and managed each night. This included being responsible for the running order, going on stage to introduce the acts and entertain the audience, and managing any issues that arose on the night.5. Liased with sound engineers to ensure the needs of the acts were met for optimal performance.6. Managed the event's budget and finances.7. Built a supportive and dedicated fanbase.Last Mic Standing enjoyed a series of successful runs. The successful promotion and high quality of the event ensured that the final of each competition had a turnout of at least 80 people. This turnout consisted of both newcomers and long-term fans of the project. I received positive feedback from acts, who reported Last Mic Standing as an important stepping stone in their career, and the audience, who enjoyed the event immensely. Due to the often large turnout, and the variety of the acts, running the event taught me to quickly identify and solve unexpected problems that might arise on the night. It also taught me about the importance of fostering positive interpersonal relations with all parties when starting a venture. Overall, Last Mic Standing was a huge learning experience that taught me about business, event management and how to present to a variety of stakeholders, as well as the importance of taking an idea and running with it. Show less

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  Nationwide Energy Services Ltd

  Aug 2012 - Sept 2012

  Grant Advisor

  Advised customers to take up their grant for Loft and Cavity Wall insulation.

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  Serco

  Oct 2014 - Aug 2015

  Customer Service Advisor

  Took inbound calls to help customers with a variety of problems. Thrived in a high-pressure, results-driven environment. I consistently adhered to my daily targets, such as achieving low average handling time, efficient use of my wrap time, and receiving high customer satisfaction rates. I often received positive feedback from customers and my line manager for going the extra mile in order to solve customer problems and for my efficient handling of phone calls.

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  International Organization for Migration (IOM)

  Jan 2016 - Apr 2016

  Communications Assistant

  I was given the fantastic opportunity to work for three months for the IOM during my time living in Kathmandu, Nepal. The IOM is a leading inter-governmental organisation in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. In my role as Communications Assistant, I was responsible for:1. Assisting the Public Relations and Communication Officer in revising the Media and Communication Strategy of IOM Nepal.2. Proof reading all documents/press releases/stories in English.3. Contributing to the development of human-interest stories, web-stories as well as press releases.4. Contributing to the development of reports/newsletters for the Relief, Recovery and Reconstruction program (following the Nepal Earthquake, 2015) as well as others within the IOM Nepal Mission.5. Assisting in updating and maintaining websites; IOM Nepal, IOM website in UN Platform and IOM global page for Nepal.During my time at the IOM, I was able to also create a 'social media calendar' with planned themes and aspects of IOM to promote through various channels and in line with United Nationes (UN) and Global Holidays. As well as this, I went to many different conferences, temporary settlement camps, and policy dialogues to document the events with photographs, and write about it on social media. Two of my photos were also selected by the UN Development Programme to be shown at a photo exhibition highlighting the work of UN and partner agencies over the year since the earthquake.Mr. Maurizio Busatti, Chief of Mission, said in a personal recommendation letter on my job performance: "Mr. Knox has been fast at blending in the team, provided a distinct contribution to a positive working environment and overall delivered a work of high quality. In particular he paid great attention to details in every aspect of the job and approached the tasks he was entrusted with great enthusiasm and dedication." Show less

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  WHITEZ SNOOKER LIMITED

  Oct 2016 - Apr 2017

  Bartender

  Main responsibilities included serving drinks to customers, keeping the bar clean and tidy, and closing the bar down at the end of the shift, including counting cash and ensuring tills are level. Having never worked in a bar before, in my first year at working for Whitez, I:1. took approximately £20,000 more than anyone else working for the company (roughly 10,000 more drinks sold than anyone else)2. was entrusted with cleaning the lines, and was the only member of staff other than the bar supervisor who had this responsibility3. supervised a team of staff and ensured the bar was running smoothly when my supervisor wasn't around4. was quickly identified as someone who could be trusted to close the bar and deal with the cash, and worked most of the night shifts doing that5. was trained in first aid and generally had to deal with a huge number of issues due to working late in a bar on my own most days - including dealing with the police and ambulance crews.This job taught me to be responsive in emergency situations, such as when a customer fainted and fell down the stairs, hitting his head on the wooden floor. I immediately took ownership of the situation, ensuring the other patrons remained calm while talking to - and waiting for - an ambulance crew to arrive. It showed me how to lead a team, something which I always believed I would be good at. Taking a more supportive role when in charge, and ensuring that the other bar staff had the tools and resources to do their jobs properly was my main approach to this responsibility. I also demonstrated that I am a trustworthy and reliable employee, which was recognised early in me when I was put on close shifts very early on. Finally, I think my record on drinks sales over the last year speaks for itself. I am a hard worker and strive to be the best at what I do. Show less

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  FOOD & FUEL LIMITED

  Apr 2017 - Sept 2020

  Shift Supervisor

  Started as a Waiter and was very quickly identified as someone suitable for management, despite other staff having served longer than me. In this role, I served three different General Managers and eventually took on the running of the cafe/bar myself with an Operations Manager overseeing my work. I was responsible for:1. Running a very busy Saturday and Sunday brunch service, hosting customers, taking them to their tables, and ensuring all sections of the establishment were being taken care of2. Submitted paperwork such as PNL, GP sheets, and TPL3. Encouraged and motivated the team to deliver the best service they could4. Developed the food offering and had some of my suggestions fully taken on board and added to the menu5. Fully H&S, food hygiene trained Show less

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  Frontier Pubs

  Sept 2020 - Nov 2022

  General Manager

  From my time working for Food & Fuel, I was fast tracked to a General Manager position in their sister company Frontier Pubs. This meant that I skipped the training as an Assistant Manager and was very much thrown in the deep end and had to learn a great deal very quickly during the COVID 19 pandemic. I adapted very quickly to get the pub up and running and out of the stasis it was under due to coronavirus. Frontier Pubs have a group of ten pubs around London, serving up local craft beer, authentic Italian pizza, and all the live sport worth watching.During my tenure as General Manager of the Coach & Horses in Clapham, I:1. Proposed a function room on the first floor of the pub, which I oversaw from conception, to development and construction. This function room increased our covers by around 50%2. Trained and retained a strong team of bar staff, supervisors, chefs, and an assistant manager3. Won an award for genuine hospitality against all other pubs in the chain. This was down to our exceptional customer service4. Attained the highest customer reviews company-wide across the ten pubs in the chain for 2021/20225. Established fantastic relationships with the local customers, whilst also looking forward/around the area to bring in a new generation of customers which sat comfortably side by side with the old guard Show less