Ex music producer putting down the synthesizers and globe trotting career to build little machines with words and seek new challenges to solve. My desire to pursue a few start-up ideas led me to pick up some design and coding basics, which I soon enjoyed more than the ideas themselves. Which then led me to the Makers Academy bootcamp, during which I developed passions for Javascript, OOP, and breaking down complex problems. It deeply engrained the need to TDD wherever possible to create clean, efficient and legible code. As well as the desire to grow and learn, help and be helped. I’m particularly experienced with React, Javascript and Ruby.
Tech Skills: Ruby, Rails, Sinatra, RSpec, Capybara, Node.js, Express, HTML, CSS, JavaScript (including ES6), React, Redux, jQuery, Jasmine, PostgreSQL, MongoDB
Behavioural Skills: TDD, Agile, pair programming, XP, code reviews
For a complete list, see my Github.
| Project | Description | Technologies |
|---|---|---|
| Meet In The Midl | Our final project at Makers, a fair and equal way of working out where to meet a friend (in London). We had two weeks, and just about got it working! We opted for a React single page app, with a fairly light Rails API back end. Main difficulties were making the stack far too top heavy, putting 3rd party API calls in the front-end, and not having enough time to test the algorithm for edge cases. | Ruby, Rails, Javascript, React, Cypress, PostgresSQL, Jest, Rspec |
| Village Green Frontend / Backend API | This is a work in progress, and my first fully personal project from concept to design to deployment. I've now finished the rudimentary backend API. All Node.js & Express with a MongoDB then deployed on Heroku (working on AWS). Front-end in React & Redux is getting there, https://village-green.herokuapp.com/. The basic idea is an online parish/community noticeboard based on location, where users can only post to their home address. When I'm at a basic MVP I'll try and get it up on AWS too. | Javscript, Node.js, Express, MongoDB, React, Redux, Heroku |
| Acebook | This full-stack Facebook clone was our introductuction to group-based projects from scratch. We had to use Rails, which took some getting used to, but overall we were really happy with what we put together in the time frame, from sticking to Agile principles to version control to our presentation to all the other groups. | Ruby, Rails, Javascript, Jquery, HTML, CSS, Selenium-Webdriver, Rubocop, Simplecov, RSpec, Capybara, Postgres |
| Chitter | A Twitter clone that I decided to make my first fourrée into single page React land. The back-end API was provided to us by Makers so another pure Front-End project. I really enjoyed working with React, and once I got my head around components/props/state really enjoyed how powerful the framework is. | React, CSS |
Also a few classic tech-tests for good measure Gilded Rose, Bank Test.
- Music production required me to be fully on top of the latest technologies and quickly learn new instruments as situations required. I had to teach myself how to use everything from ancient mixing consoles to live video DJing software to a professional level extremely quickly.
- During my time at Universal Music an extremely methodical approach was needed to ensure legal copy was correct for multi-CD compliations. The difference between good and great sounding music is very much in the details.
- While I was the musical director for Fear & Delight: The Show I had to create new bespoke soundtracks for established acrobats, who often had been (safetly) performing to the same music for years. Plenty of diplomacy was needed to convert them to my new creations! I also had to regularly run bands for live performances, organising rehearsals and writing parts for musicians.
- Nothing happens in music unless you make it happen. Organising tours/recording schedules/bookkeeping was the day-to-day experience. I also started the first ever Electro Swing club night in Leeds during university.
- OOP, TDD, BDD, MVC
- Agile/XP, pair programming, self-led learning
- Absorbing and writing documentation
- Ruby, Rails, JavaScript, jQuery
- RSpec, Jasmine, Capybara
- History BA, 2:1.
- Module in web design. HTML.
- Club night promoter on the side.
The Correspondents (2008 to 2019)
Music Producer
- Creative. Team-based. Ambitious.
- Ran our own successful Limited business for over 5 years.
- Toured the world. Ran our own record label.
- Self-released 2 successful albums, several EPs. Helped run marketing & PR campaigns.
- Music placed on TV shows, advertising campaigns.
Fear & Delight - The Show (2015 to 2016)
Musical Director
- Collaborated with musicians, acrobats and dancers to build a new theatrical show from scratch.
- Performed several seasons in Australia.
- Working to EXTREMELY tight deadlines from broad briefs, with major musical changes throughout the run.
Universal Music (2008 to 2010)
A&R Assistant
- Helped develop music releases from scratch, from compilations to major new releases.
- Stuck to tight production deadlines, while coordinating studios and graphics designers to ensure product was delivered on time.
- Quality assurance, ensuring all details and copy was correct before going to manufacturing.
- Academia: I have a broad interest in most areas of unstructured learning, from Biology to Politics, to Maths and Psychology. Always trying to watch lectures on-line, expand my knowledge and bore people down the pub.
- Music: Like it all! First loves were Hip Hop/Jazz/Funk/Soul... I've DJed most of my adult life.
- Weightlifting: Picking things up off the ground and putting them back down again.
- Cricket: Long suffering England fan.
- Computer games: Long suffering Dark Souls fan.
- github (TimDavidCole)
- codewars (TimDavidCole)
- linkedIn (TimothyCole)
- OnePageCV
