Rory Duffywww.linkedin.com/in/roryduffy27/
An experienced arts administration and communications specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the music industry. A strong IT professional, skilled in marketing, fundraising, artist/events management, web development, graphic design, copywriting, FileMaker relational database systems and music production. I have spent 9 years in arts administration with Band on the Wall (plus a portfolio of agents, festivals, labels, promoters and venues) and 2 years in FileMaker development with DataTherapy. I am now looking for a role in which I can combine my excellent IT/data skills with my thorough working knowledge of the arts marketing & events environment. Based in Vauxhall, Central London. Lifetime proficiency in Mac & Windows. |
Skills
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Education
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Junior Developer
DataTherapy, 1 Pancras Square, London, N1C 4AG
September 2018 – July 2020, final salary: £25,000 p/a.
Marketing & Systems Administration Officer
Band on the Wall / Inner City Music Ltd, 25 Swan Street, Manchester, M4 5JZ
October 2009 – August 2018, final salary: £20,000 p/a.
Music Director & Freelance Musician
Red & Black Music Ltd, 20 Clive House, Union Grove, London, SW8 2RA
03/2009 – 08/2012 “Diaspora Collective”, 09/2012 – Current “Red & Black Music”
Development Assistant & Receptionist (Freelance)
Serious, 51 Kingsway Place, Sans Walk, London, EC1R 0LU
Demonstrated excellent organisational and administrative skills, accuracy and attention to detail, excellent verbal and interpersonal communication skills, excellent literacy and numeracy skills, demonstrable experience of research and writing skills, the ability to manage and prioritise a varied workload, juggling a number of tasks at once and enthusiasm for the arts and music – particularly jazz and contemporary, non-mainstream music. IT proficiency in MS Office & Outlook, MailChimp and SurveyMonkey.
Voluntary & Casual Work
DataTherapy, 1 Pancras Square, London, N1C 4AG
September 2018 – July 2020, final salary: £25,000 p/a.
- FileMaker development: defining database schema, designing and building graphical user interfaces, working with calculations, writing scripts, securing FileMaker systems, deployer custom apps across servers and data integration.
- Completed developer documentation for over 30 SLA and hosting clients.
- Devised interfaces for managing projects/tasks, backups, clones and licensing, adapted interfaces for iPad/iPhone and enabled web access for external clients.
- Instilled confidence and maintained healthy working relationships with a range of support clients including Academic Discovery, Auditoire/WISE/WISH, Band on the Wall, Beggars Record Label, Boston University, C21 Media, Charles Edwards Lighting, Clancy Marketing, Flint Consulting, Fluid Office, Francis Crick Institute, Gamper Furniture, Gatsby University, Middlesex University, Plurimi Banking, Rankin Photography, Romans International Automobiles, Stopgap Marketing Recruitment, Royal Marsden Charity, Twist London Events & Hospitality, Universal Aunts Carers, Upper Street Events and the World Institute for Nuclear Security, on desktops, web browsers, iPad and iPhone.
- Saved gigabytes of server storage space by switching containers to remote storage, compacting files and configuring backups.
- Scheduled and performed server upgrades and file migrations for over 20 hosting clients.
- Successfully managed reporting and client support for Pret a Manger, EAT & Coco Di Mama delivery support systems.
Marketing & Systems Administration Officer
Band on the Wall / Inner City Music Ltd, 25 Swan Street, Manchester, M4 5JZ
October 2009 – August 2018, final salary: £20,000 p/a.
- Boosted event attendance by restructuring Band on the Wall’s MailChimp lists, groups and segments: devised the “Crunch Report” (similar artists reports to identify and exploit buying trends), designing and adapting HTML templates for a range of formats (genre-based newsletters, Solus mailers, press releases, recommendations, weekly/monthly listings and special announcements).
- Built and deployed venue management systems for Brighter Sound and More Music Morecambe.
- Built and deployed venue management systems incorporating diary/events (Programming, Learning, Hiring, Building) and operations management (Administration & HR, Bar & Catering, Production, Finance, Box Office & Ticketing, Marketing & Communications and Operations).
- Collated and optimised artist/DJ copy and multimedia and built WordPress web pages of 90 bands and 30 DJs for the Band on the Wall Artist Agency.
- Coordinated announcements, on-sales, cancellations and postponements for approx. 1700 events between 2012-18 (concerts, club nights, tours, courses and classes) via websites, listings/socials, ticketing portals and external venues, promoters and box offices nationwide.
- A deep understanding of A2B versus B2B styles of marketing and a wealth of experience applying in a professional context.
- Devised a comprehensive and robust reporting framework: daily event marketing status reports, weekly sales movement charts, monthly demographics scatter graphs, regular box office data submissions for the Audience Agency, live/archive data for MailChimp lists, groups and bespoke segments, seasonal learning and hiring (artist agency and venue hire) financial reconciliations.
- Implemented an effective CRM strategy combining quantitative data analysis of sales (number of tickets, ticket price, total spend and attendances), genre, postcode data (local, regional, national, international) purchase advance/times and event dates/times with qualitative audience/participant focus sessions (group and one-to-one) and surveys.
- Implemented workflows/SOPs across the business, collaborated with and trained staff at all levels with the development and usage of their personal interfaces, dashboards and virtual workspaces.
- Maintained healthy working relationships with designers, distributors, photographers, PR agencies, re-touchers, videographers and external marketing departments.
- Managed marketing budgets and campaigns for a wide range of tours, one-off shows, artist residencies, courses, classes, workshops and masterclasses and venue/artist/DJ hiring services. Also negotiated other forms of marketing such as sponsorship, reciprocals and inclusion in national press/publications.
- Meticulous copywriting/proofreading skills widely in demand for selling Band on the Wall’s core programmes and charitable activities. I have produced extensive copy for a range of platforms including websites, advertisements, blogs, campaigns, mailshots, print and social media. Writing aptitudes and styles described as ‘eloquent’ and ‘impeccable’.
- Programmed live music stages for festivals, e.g., produced a season of live music in Manchester Piccadilly Gardens in liaison with KRO Ltd and Manchester City Council, produced the live music stage at Whitworth Park to celebrate the re-opening of Whitworth Art Gallery, working in liaison with the CEO and artistic director, raising £950.00 for the charity.
- Raised £42,898.80 gross revenue between 2009-2018 contracting artists/DJs for private and corporate events, weddings, venues and festivals, nationally and internationally. Maintained healthy working relationships with clients and artists both in an advisory capacity and sourcing entertainment and services to fit client budgets and requirements.
- Raised £56,102.40 gross revenue between 2009-2018 hiring the venue and breakout spaces to The Manchester College, Brighter Sound and a range of artists, festivals, filmmakers, charities and corporate clients.
- Raised approx. £50K for Band on the Wall’s Learning & Participation programmes through a combination of individual and corporate sponsorship, public funding and trusts & foundations (October 2009 – September 2012). Planned and delivered Children & Young People, Wall of Sounds and the Creative Music Programme.
- Rebuilt the Band on the Wall website in WordPress and implemented the publishing of event information from FileMaker via API integration.
- A thorough grounding in multimedia collation and optimisation for a range of digital formats including blogs, podcasts and snippets.
Music Director & Freelance Musician
Red & Black Music Ltd, 20 Clive House, Union Grove, London, SW8 2RA
03/2009 – 08/2012 “Diaspora Collective”, 09/2012 – Current “Red & Black Music”
- Between July-December 2016, responsible for booking a 12-piece Diáspora Latin band for a 5-date residency “A Celebration of Cuban Music” at Camden’s Jazz Café. Devised the “Social Media Marketing Tariff” and recruited digital marketing teams to disseminate scheduled content, selling out 3 of 5 dates (July, October and December). Working within limited time and budget restraints, recruited an assistant producer, booked distinguished guest artists from London’s Latin scene, coordinated photographers/photo drops and scheduled all rehearsals.
- Between March-September 2014, raised £5675 booking London, Manchester and Bristol-based Latin trios for gastropub and club chains throughout the UK, for the Havana Club Summer Party Promotion with DG Music and Elastic PR. The proceeds funded a programme of paid studio recordings, generating work for over 20 musicians.
- Developed several builds of a business management app comprising Ops (Tasks, Engagements, Projects, Labels and Jobs), Admin (Contacts and Skills Databases), Business Admin (Contracting, Advancing, Invoicing etc.), Schedules (Diary Management), Modules (Inventories, Programmes, Riders, Venues, Web) in FileMaker Pro, with optimised interfaces for iPhone/iPad.
- In March 2019, collaborated with X-Factor Finalist Burgandy Williams & Phasma for a 2-date sell-out concert at Pizza Express Live, Holborn.
- Maintained healthy working relationships with over 1,000 agents, promoters and venues throughout the UK.
- Produced a back-catalogue of over 140 recorded tracks showcased on SoundCloud.
- Since 2009:
- Accumulated over 260 excellent client reviews for live bookings across 4 projects – Diáspora, Fiesta Latina, Phasma and Rory.
- Employed approx. 320 musicians, coached, mentored and accompanied approx. 40 vocalists on a variety of recording and performance projects, practising sensitivity, diplomacy and assertiveness, dealing with different people at all levels across multiple projects, resolving conflicts, finding compromises and managing complex schedules and limited budgets.
- Freelanced with over 40 bands, DJs and opera/musical theatre productions, performing as “Rory Duffy Music” on saxophones/woodwinds, piano and vocals and arrangement/composition/transcription.
- Produced approx. 210 large band arrangements (approx. 160 for Diáspora and 50 for Phasma), plus approx. 370 small band arrangements for Fiesta Latina and Rory, with extensive lead sheets, lyrics sheets and accompanying rehearsal tracks.
- Since 2010, built and managed 8 Weebly e-commerce sites combining pages, blogs and embedded multimedia.
- Taught saxophone and clarinet at an international jazz summer school.
Development Assistant & Receptionist (Freelance)
Serious, 51 Kingsway Place, Sans Walk, London, EC1R 0LU
Demonstrated excellent organisational and administrative skills, accuracy and attention to detail, excellent verbal and interpersonal communication skills, excellent literacy and numeracy skills, demonstrable experience of research and writing skills, the ability to manage and prioritise a varied workload, juggling a number of tasks at once and enthusiasm for the arts and music – particularly jazz and contemporary, non-mainstream music. IT proficiency in MS Office & Outlook, MailChimp and SurveyMonkey.
- 11/2012 – 11/2012 – Marketing & Communications, Production, EFG London Jazz Festival (Volunteer)
- 07/2012 – 07/2012 – Marketing & Communications, BT River of Music, Asia Stage, Battersea Park (Volunteer)
- 01/2012 – 12/2012 – Young & Serious (Intern)
- 12/2012 – 02/2013 – Development Assistant & Receptionist (Freelance)
Voluntary & Casual Work
- 09/2011 – 03/2012 – The Forge Live Music Venue (Front-of-House, Marketing & Communications).
- 05/2011 – 05/2011 – Cultural Collage World Music Festival (Administration, Marketing & Communications).
- 08/2010 – 08/2010 – Ministry of Sound, Hed Kandi, Global Underground (Tours & Events, Marketing & Communications).
- 03/2010 – 04/2010 – Administrative Assistant @ Your Event Musicians.
- 09/2009 – 03/2010 – Administrative Assistant @ Lingua Franca World Music Agency.
- 09/2008 – 07/2009 – Front-of-House @ Royal Northern College of Music.
- 09/2005 – 07/2008 – Front-of-House @ The University of Manchester, Martin Harris Centre for Music & Drama.
Testimonials
Caroline Bithell, Head of Music, University of Manchester, August 2020
Rory gained a first class MusB degree at the University of Manchester, where I am Head of Music. By taking a wide range of courses in performance, composition, music theory, musicology and ethnomusicology, he developed a broad set of skills and knowledge. His final year dissertation was an authoritative study that built on his extensive knowledge of and enthusiasm for Afro-Cuban and Latin musics. The study was testimony to his well-developed research skills and attention to detail, standing out for the way he was able to synthesise an impressive amount of material from a wealth of literature, alongside drawing on his intimate knowledge of the music itself – reflected in a massive discography – and his own fieldwork in Cuba. Just as impressive was the accomplished and detailed technical analysis. The dissertation was a reflection (in distilled from) of Rory’s in-depth knowledge of and fluency with a vast array of musical idioms and repertoires. The work was also marked by his eloquent style of writing and excellent command of expressive and technical language. I am happy to vouch more broadly for Rory’s excellent organisational, communication and time-management skills, attention to detail, sound judgement and commitment to delivering high quality results in a demanding environment. During his student years, he undertook duties in support of our concerts programme as well as playing in several of our orchestras and ensembles. During his time at Band on the Wall, I found him to be professional and efficient at all times. He has worked imaginatively to develop different aspects of his career in tandem, acquiring wide-ranging expertise in different areas of arts management and performance and now offers a winning combination of finely honed skills, knowledge and experience.
Ope Igbinyemi, Director of Finance, Serious, August 2020
It’s been a few years since Rory worked at Serious and though I haven’t kept up with his career since, I’m happy to make a recommendation for Rory because we got on well together. While at Serious I complimented Rory on his ability to absorb technical information quickly and use it correctly. Self-motivated and driven Rory handled note taking, PA and other secretarial skills with ease. He was very good with IT and computers and could work alone or as party of a team. Like most of Team Serious, Rory had a love for music being a musician himself. And though art and culture are embedded in his DNA, Rory never let it get in the way of his work. He was punctual, trustworthy and discreet and I enjoyed working with Rory.
Malcolm Duffin, Marketing & Communications Director, Band on the Wall, August 2020
I worked alongside Rory Duffy in the marketing operation at Band on the Wall where I was Marketing Director led the comms team and its output. Rory excelled in the delivery of the marketing strategy for one of the UK's busiest small venues that programmed over 300 events a year. Rory, pretty much single-handedly, created and managed the entire audience database for the venue as well as extrapolating the key data for all research and campaigns. Incredibly bright, detailed, and dedicated, he was a core and outstanding member of the team. I can unreservedly recommend him as a great asset to any organisation
Najia Bagi, Development Manager, Band on the Wall, August 2020
Working with Rory was a real pleasure; he was innovative in his thinking, hardworking and an excellent database developer and manager. I would highly recommend that anyone works with Rory.
Jonathan Taberner, Senior Developer, DataTherapy, August 2020
Rory is a hard worker and fitted in the team well. He is getting more confident with FileMaker and dealing with development projects. It is great to have him on meetings/calls as his note taking is very thorough and detailed.
Steve Taylor, Developer, DataTherapy, August 2020
Rory is a complete pleasure to work with. He's calm and attentive, and particularly good with clients, which in our business is very important. He has an analytical mind combined with an engaging character- a rare combination- and made a great contribution at DataTherapy. It's not strictly relevant, but the fact that he's an exceptionally talented musician always brings an extra dimension to work. Anyone who can fathom those Latin jazz changes has to be some kind of genius...
Jennifer Beecroft, Junior Developer, DataTherapy, August 2020
Rory is meticulous. My experience of working with him is that he is a comprehensive note taker that likes to document processes, so that they can be followed to the letter. He has extensive experience of working with FileMaker systems to support businesses.
DataTherapy
“Picked up the support procedures quickly, good on the phone with customers and seems quite thorough.”
September 2019
“Rory is a hard worker and has fit in the team very well. He is getting more and more confident with FileMaker and dealing with the projects. His note-taking during meetings/calls is incredible and it's brilliant when he sends it over afterwards as you know that every detail will be in there.”
“Rory is keen and conscientious with his work and fits in well with the team. He is also a valued member of the team for his note-taking skills.”
March 2019
“He is doing a lot of good work on the documentation side and takes very helpful and detailed notes in meetings and on phone calls. He is keen to learn, conscientious and a pleasure to work with.”
“Rory has made a great start to life at DataTherapy, nice guy to speak to in the office, friendly and happy to help, customers like him and appreciate the hard work he is putting in. Will only keep on improving.”
“Rory is always very helpful and pleasant to work with.”
December 2018
“Rory is fitting into the team well, and producing some good work and useful ideas. He is keen to learn, conscientious and a pleasure to work with.”
“Rory is enthusiastic and willing to learn. He is dedicated and is a good character for the office.”
October 2018
Jayne Gross, Associate Director, Marketing & Communications Serious, December 2012
“You have good database skills. Your writing skills are impeccable. You are doing great work and are valued by Band on the Wall."
Gavin Sharp, CEO, Band on the Wall, November 2010
“I’ll be honest with you. You are a find.”
Geli Berg, Director, Lingua Franca World Music Agency, September 2009
“You have a lot of potential in the arts administration field and I can see you’re going to go far.“
“You are one of the most organised artist managers I’ve ever come across.“
Rea Qunta - Musician, teacher, composer
"Through the 11 years that I have known Rory both as a friend and colleague, I have found him to possess many excellent qualities. He is extremely organised and pays close attention to detail. I have worked in his band Diáspora since 2013 and found him to be very efficient in running his production company Red & Black Music. The events are always diligently coordinated with all the operational info sent out well in advance, so we always know what to expect.
I have found Rory to be very reliable and always keeps his word.
I think he would be a great asset to any music or arts organisation. He has a wealth of knowledge to impart to peers from his years of music-making and arts admin. His approach is fun and engaging whilst bringing lots of ideas on how to improve systems."
Nick Walters - Trumpet, bandleader
"Rory is a very talented and versatile musician, comfortable on all saxophones and woodwinds as well as on piano and singing. He is an experienced performer with many years experience playing in a variety of settings ranging from small jazz groups to symphony orchestras. He is also an accomplished composer, arranger and bandleader. Having performed with his latin band 'Diáspora', I can testify to his skill in composing and arranging complex pieces for large numbers of musicians, as well as to the seriousness by which he endeavours to perform the music stylistically accurately and authentically."
Rory gained a first class MusB degree at the University of Manchester, where I am Head of Music. By taking a wide range of courses in performance, composition, music theory, musicology and ethnomusicology, he developed a broad set of skills and knowledge. His final year dissertation was an authoritative study that built on his extensive knowledge of and enthusiasm for Afro-Cuban and Latin musics. The study was testimony to his well-developed research skills and attention to detail, standing out for the way he was able to synthesise an impressive amount of material from a wealth of literature, alongside drawing on his intimate knowledge of the music itself – reflected in a massive discography – and his own fieldwork in Cuba. Just as impressive was the accomplished and detailed technical analysis. The dissertation was a reflection (in distilled from) of Rory’s in-depth knowledge of and fluency with a vast array of musical idioms and repertoires. The work was also marked by his eloquent style of writing and excellent command of expressive and technical language. I am happy to vouch more broadly for Rory’s excellent organisational, communication and time-management skills, attention to detail, sound judgement and commitment to delivering high quality results in a demanding environment. During his student years, he undertook duties in support of our concerts programme as well as playing in several of our orchestras and ensembles. During his time at Band on the Wall, I found him to be professional and efficient at all times. He has worked imaginatively to develop different aspects of his career in tandem, acquiring wide-ranging expertise in different areas of arts management and performance and now offers a winning combination of finely honed skills, knowledge and experience.
Ope Igbinyemi, Director of Finance, Serious, August 2020
It’s been a few years since Rory worked at Serious and though I haven’t kept up with his career since, I’m happy to make a recommendation for Rory because we got on well together. While at Serious I complimented Rory on his ability to absorb technical information quickly and use it correctly. Self-motivated and driven Rory handled note taking, PA and other secretarial skills with ease. He was very good with IT and computers and could work alone or as party of a team. Like most of Team Serious, Rory had a love for music being a musician himself. And though art and culture are embedded in his DNA, Rory never let it get in the way of his work. He was punctual, trustworthy and discreet and I enjoyed working with Rory.
Malcolm Duffin, Marketing & Communications Director, Band on the Wall, August 2020
I worked alongside Rory Duffy in the marketing operation at Band on the Wall where I was Marketing Director led the comms team and its output. Rory excelled in the delivery of the marketing strategy for one of the UK's busiest small venues that programmed over 300 events a year. Rory, pretty much single-handedly, created and managed the entire audience database for the venue as well as extrapolating the key data for all research and campaigns. Incredibly bright, detailed, and dedicated, he was a core and outstanding member of the team. I can unreservedly recommend him as a great asset to any organisation
Najia Bagi, Development Manager, Band on the Wall, August 2020
Working with Rory was a real pleasure; he was innovative in his thinking, hardworking and an excellent database developer and manager. I would highly recommend that anyone works with Rory.
Jonathan Taberner, Senior Developer, DataTherapy, August 2020
Rory is a hard worker and fitted in the team well. He is getting more confident with FileMaker and dealing with development projects. It is great to have him on meetings/calls as his note taking is very thorough and detailed.
Steve Taylor, Developer, DataTherapy, August 2020
Rory is a complete pleasure to work with. He's calm and attentive, and particularly good with clients, which in our business is very important. He has an analytical mind combined with an engaging character- a rare combination- and made a great contribution at DataTherapy. It's not strictly relevant, but the fact that he's an exceptionally talented musician always brings an extra dimension to work. Anyone who can fathom those Latin jazz changes has to be some kind of genius...
Jennifer Beecroft, Junior Developer, DataTherapy, August 2020
Rory is meticulous. My experience of working with him is that he is a comprehensive note taker that likes to document processes, so that they can be followed to the letter. He has extensive experience of working with FileMaker systems to support businesses.
DataTherapy
“Picked up the support procedures quickly, good on the phone with customers and seems quite thorough.”
September 2019
“Rory is a hard worker and has fit in the team very well. He is getting more and more confident with FileMaker and dealing with the projects. His note-taking during meetings/calls is incredible and it's brilliant when he sends it over afterwards as you know that every detail will be in there.”
“Rory is keen and conscientious with his work and fits in well with the team. He is also a valued member of the team for his note-taking skills.”
March 2019
“He is doing a lot of good work on the documentation side and takes very helpful and detailed notes in meetings and on phone calls. He is keen to learn, conscientious and a pleasure to work with.”
“Rory has made a great start to life at DataTherapy, nice guy to speak to in the office, friendly and happy to help, customers like him and appreciate the hard work he is putting in. Will only keep on improving.”
“Rory is always very helpful and pleasant to work with.”
December 2018
“Rory is fitting into the team well, and producing some good work and useful ideas. He is keen to learn, conscientious and a pleasure to work with.”
“Rory is enthusiastic and willing to learn. He is dedicated and is a good character for the office.”
October 2018
Jayne Gross, Associate Director, Marketing & Communications Serious, December 2012
“You have good database skills. Your writing skills are impeccable. You are doing great work and are valued by Band on the Wall."
Gavin Sharp, CEO, Band on the Wall, November 2010
“I’ll be honest with you. You are a find.”
Geli Berg, Director, Lingua Franca World Music Agency, September 2009
“You have a lot of potential in the arts administration field and I can see you’re going to go far.“
“You are one of the most organised artist managers I’ve ever come across.“
Rea Qunta - Musician, teacher, composer
"Through the 11 years that I have known Rory both as a friend and colleague, I have found him to possess many excellent qualities. He is extremely organised and pays close attention to detail. I have worked in his band Diáspora since 2013 and found him to be very efficient in running his production company Red & Black Music. The events are always diligently coordinated with all the operational info sent out well in advance, so we always know what to expect.
I have found Rory to be very reliable and always keeps his word.
I think he would be a great asset to any music or arts organisation. He has a wealth of knowledge to impart to peers from his years of music-making and arts admin. His approach is fun and engaging whilst bringing lots of ideas on how to improve systems."
Nick Walters - Trumpet, bandleader
"Rory is a very talented and versatile musician, comfortable on all saxophones and woodwinds as well as on piano and singing. He is an experienced performer with many years experience playing in a variety of settings ranging from small jazz groups to symphony orchestras. He is also an accomplished composer, arranger and bandleader. Having performed with his latin band 'Diáspora', I can testify to his skill in composing and arranging complex pieces for large numbers of musicians, as well as to the seriousness by which he endeavours to perform the music stylistically accurately and authentically."