Self Employment #
2009 - Present
LuckyBulldozer #
A creative conjunction between Dan Monaghan and Ben Torkington. Dan and Ben worked together in the film industry in the 90's, and have found a passion for three dimensional art.
- Flotogram (iOS) 2017 - present: iOS App Store
- Sifted - short film 2013: Vimeo | Projects
- DotSwarm 2013: Projects
- Gazillion with Reuben Paterson at Auckland Art Gallery 2011: Projects
Ben Ltd #
A software and consultancy company I formed in 2016. In addition to IT consulting, I have taken on several contract development positions:
- iOS and Android native prototypes for {THE AND}, contractor to Xequals Ltd 2018 - 2019
- Ongoing consultancy to Darkroom, a design studio 2014 - present
- Acoustic monitoring plugin for Milestone XProtect, contractor to Acoustics Enforcement NZ Ltd 2015 - 2020
- Prototype of automotive performance tuning app, under NDA 2015
Operations Manager, Leading Solutions #
2014 - 2015
I ran general operations of a small business supplying retail security products. The company had been split from its former parent company, and IT systems were built from scratch entirely on cloud based services.
- Migration of stock and customer data from former proprietor's systems
- Maintenance of stockfile, customer orders and dispatch
- Ordering replenishment stock
- Customs and shipping liason
- Integration of freight forwarder systems
- Accounts, wages, and associated IRD filing
- Credit control
Reference: Sheri Whitmill - 021 599 989
The company director is a direct relative of mine
Parenting and part time work #
2011 - 2014
Took over full-time custody of my children. Various part-time positions:
- Decommissioning of the Warkworth-based former Times Colour Print facility for PMP NZ
- Camera Operator
- Forum Moderator
Sabattical #
2009 - 2010
This year I decided to refocus on software development, and began by refining my C skills and learning OpenGL to complete a personal project.
I also began training in helicopter piloting, but decided against pursuing it.
Network Manager, PMP Print #
2005 - 2008
LAN management and shop floor integration at head office, a distribution center, and three print facilities.
- Brought multiple server rooms and closets back from chaos
- Transitioned server infrastructure to VMWare ESX on premises and in dataceter
- Devised and implemented IT Disaster Recovery Plan
Worked with:
- Windows Server 2003, 2008
- Active Directory
- Exchange Server
- VMWare ESX
- EMC SANs
- Cisco MLS
- Shop floor data collection
- Crystal Reports
- MS Access
Reference: Michael Gordon, 021 202 6452
Software developer, Leigh Fisheries #
2005 - 2006
Visual Basic 6 app development for:
- Invoicing to multiple currencies
- Integrated with shop floor weighing and labelling systems
- Managing forex contracts
Systems Administrator, Retail Expertise #
2004 - 2005
- Support for retail POS and automated branch-pull replenishment systems
- Set up and maintenance of VPN access to multinational clients
- Warehouse picker assistance technology maintenance
- Moved company to VOIP telephony
Worked with:
- Windows Server 2000, 2003
- SQL Server 7, 2000
- Linux
- Asterisk
Digital Prepress Operator, Times Colour Print #
Feb 2001 - 2004
- Receive and check client-supplied magazine/flyer page documents
- Preparation of four-colour separations for printing
- Implemented an autotmated process for print signature pagination
Group Systems Support, Times Media Group #
June 2000 - Feb 2001
IT Support for a large printing facility, a newspaper production office and associated branch offices.
- Shop floor data collection on print and binding machinery
- Systems to support automated print quality control
- Prepress support
- Staff timekeeping systems
- Report customisation
- LAN administration
Scanner Operator, Times Media Group #
Feb 2000 - June 2000
In this role I worked mostly on Rodney Times, at the time a locally owned newspaper recognised by multiple Qantas Media Awards.
- Transitioned newsroom from film to digital photography
- Daily scanning and touch-ups of news and commercial photographs
- Assisting with page layout and general production tasks
- Hardware maintenance of production Macs
Tools #
- Nikon D1
- Adobe Photoshop 4, 5
- QuarkXPress 4.0
- Acrobat Distiller
Freelance #
1998
Working with Avid Media Composer and 35mm film. Developed an app to support a pos-conform process in which the digital rough-cut of What Becomes of the Broken Hearted was finalized on film.
Assistant editor roles included:
- What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? (1999)
- Lawless (1999)
Stockfile Manager, Warkworth Mitre 10 #
1997
- Migration of store to computer based point of sale (Pacsoft)
- Automate replenishment of stocks
Helpdesk, IHUG #
Sep 1995 - Dec 1995
- Phone and online support for PC & Mac users
- Routine modem fleet testing and swapping
- Maintain support software repository
- Processing new user applications
Helpdesk, Internet Company of New Zealand #
Jun 1995 - Sep 1995
- Phone and online support for PC & Mac users
- Maintain support software repository
- Processing new user applications