Simon Whitaker

Experience

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  Harrogate Theatre

  Jan 1978 - May 1978

  Technician

  Theatre Technician working as part of the Stage Management and Lighting teams. Jobs included get in and get outs, rigging, flying and board operations.

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  York Theatre Royal

  May 1978 - Jan 1980

  Stage Management & Technical team

  Assistant Stage Manager May 1978 to January 1979Stage & Lighting Technician - February 1979 to April 1979Deputy Stage Manager - April 1979 to January 1980

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  STEPHEN JOSEPH THEATRE

  Jan 1980 - Feb 1981

  Stage Manager

  Stage Manager of the main house and studio theatres.

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  Mirage

  Feb 1981 - Sept 1983

  Construction manager

  Construction of stage sets for various productions including:• The Children's Music Theatre - Edinburgh Fringe Festival• The Children's Music Theatre - National Theatre• Rowan Atkinson UK Tour• Radio Active - Edinburgh Fringe Festival• Joint Stock Theatre Company

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  Stage One Creative Services Ltd

  Jun 1982 - Jul 2006

  Founder, Shareholder & Managing Director

  I founded Stage One as Stage One Supplies in June 1982 as a sole trader. In 1984 the business became a partnership - Stage One Staging Services. The core business was the construction of stage sets for the Conference, Product Launch and Live Events Industries.In 1989 the name changed to Stage One Creative Services. In May 1996 I led the merger of the Stage One Creative Services partnership and Hangar Services Ltd to become Stage One Creative Services Ltd. The business has always been known as "Stage One" and has been involved in numerous events for many major events companies including: Caribiner, Hamilton Perry, ICM, HP:ICM, Crown, NML, Spectrum, Park Avenue, Rapier, Cricket, Pyramid, Ovation, Mainstream, MWA, JMK Associates, Action Time and Granada TV. With end clients: Jaguar, Land Rover, Rolls Royce, Saab, Opel, Vauxhall, BMW, Mercedes, British Airways, ICL, IBM, Apple, National Westminster Bank, Lloyds Bank, Taunton Cider, Smiths Crisps, Smith Kline Beecham, M&S, Coca Cola, Minolta and Various Utility company AGM's.During my time at Stage One I was actively involved at all levels with:• Sales - dealing with clients both gaining sales and after sales.• Project Management - taking briefs and following them through.• Construction of the product in the workshops.• Marketing - image, brochures, portfolio, media and web.• Accounts and payroll - manual systems and computer.• Personnel - all HR issues and creation and introduction of the company personal policy• Health and Safety - policy, risk assessments, method statements and implementation.• ISO accreditation - initially BS570 accreditation then ISO9002, Auditor.• IT - design and development of in house database 'Stagebase' - management of servers and network across 2 sites. - software licensing and updates. • Administration - systems and procedures for the business.I sold my stake and retired from the business in 2006. Further details on Stage One can be found at www.stageone.co.uk Show less

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  W Property Ltd

  Sept 1988 - Mar 2010

  Director & Shareholder

  Shareholder and Director of W Property Group holding company of Whitaker & Co (Denholme) Ltd Joinery Manufacturers.Involvement was not on a daily basis but at board level dealing with overall group strategy of the trading business. This covered Finance, Marketing, Sales, Health & Safety, ISO & BS accreditation for manufacturing, operations and product, and overall personnel but not at ground level.

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  Aqua Academy Ltd

  Sept 2004 - Sept 2007

  Advisor

  I worked with the 2 directors in setting up the company, advising on safety, planing and operational issues, book keeping, marketing and website design. The business, a swim school mainly aimed at children in groups of six was based at a private pool. On the first day it had 6 when it closed and moved there were circa 200 passing through the doors every week.

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  XKX PROJECTS LTD

  Nov 2011 - Feb 2019

  Project Manager (Freealance)

  Various construction projects in Live Events and interior fit outs as Technical Production & Project Manager.

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  WRG Creative Communication

  May 2012 - Aug 2012

  Technical Director - Qatar House 2012 Olympics

  Technical Director on the National Olympic House for the State of Qatar during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Spread over a number of floors the project consisted of around 2000 sq m of 'Created Unforgettable' space. The roof was converted into a roof garden with water features. Access from the floor below was via a specially installed lift and spiral staircase. Everything was installed over 14 day period and removed in 7. I appointed 3 Production Managers and had a team of 3 others working along side me. I managed the successful Planning Application for the roof and exterior signage along with the Building Regulations application. Show less

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  WRG

  Oct 2012 - Jan 2013

  Project Manager/Technical Director - WRG office fit outs Manachester & London

  Project Manager & Technical Director on the refit of Merchants Warehouse in preparation for WRG's relocation from The Deva Centre. This involved preparing the Listed Building Planning Application and applying for Building Regulation approval. The project involved the design and installation of over 300 CAT6 data points, additional power points, 5 edit suites, meeting rooms and kitchens areas. The 9000sq ft of space was decorated along with new flooring. Over 70 new desks were designed and constructed. The project was planned and executed from mid October and the office was ready for operation early December. Show less

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  WRG Live

  May 2014 - Jul 2014

  Technical Manager (Freelance) Tour de France Grand Depart

  Working on the infrastructure procurement & deployment for Stages 1 & 2 of the 2014 Tour de France Grand Depart.

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  WRG

  Feb 2015 - Feb 2015

  Production Manager (Freelance) - Yalla roadshow Qatar

  Production Manager brought in by the WRG Qatar office to ensure delivery of 2 custom build trailers for Yalla Natural - a roadshow promoting healthy eating. Trailer 1 - 12m long was the main exhibition area and trailer 2 - 6m long was the support trailer and contained the generator, water and waste water tanks. Additionally there were various items of furniture for demonstrations and seating. Everything was built locally.

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  People. A Live Experience Agency

  Sept 2015 - Nov 2015

  Technical Director (Freelance) - Warehouse421 launch Abu Dhabi

  Warehouse421 launch 19th - 21st November - ‘Explore Your World’ through art, culture, design and music. Consisting of a 250m street with pop up shops in customised containers and bespoke built units intermingled with street art, urban performers and a nightly main act on the main stage.

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  Settle Stories

  Jul 2017 - now

  Board Trustee

  Stories connect people. Sharing stories in all their myriad forms, we use inventive approaches to storytelling to empower people and make sense of the world.

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  Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

  Apr 2018 - now

  Volunteer

  One of 250 plus volunteers who help manage and maintain the beautiful Yorkshire National Park.www.yorkshiredales.org.uk

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  Skipton Town Council

  Mar 2019 - now

  Events Team

  Team member of Skipton Town Council Events Team bringing you Sheep Day, Remembrance Sunday and The Skipton Christmas Market .. and many more events throughout the year see www.skiptontowncouncil.gov.uk/Events

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  Long Royd Ventures

  May 2019 - now

  • Ski Chalet Holidays in Châtel, France• Property Landlords Turned PRO - looking for Plural Retirement Opportunities - currently I have a portfolio of 3 - Yorkshire Dales National Parks Volunteer, Trustee at Settle Stories and casual events staff with Skipton Town Council. Anything but golf considered!

  • Owner and Partner

    Aug 2006 - now

  • My life retired

    May 2019 - now