About

Self-portrait While Asleep (Dan Sumption)This is the website of me, Dan Sumption.

I first worked as a web developer at London publishing company Hard Media in 1995 (before that I built websites as a hobby, and hung out on CompuServe chatting to Pat Metheney’s mum). In 1997, I set up web agency Hard Reality, along with Hard Media directors Mark Westall and Keld van Schreven. Hard Reality was bought by Leo Burnett 18 months later, and I was Burnett’s Interaction Director until the end of 2001, overseeing websites for clients including Kellogg’s and Morgan Stanley. After three years of commuting from Sheffield to London, I left to spend more time with my family (not a euphemism) and for six years I worked from home. During this time, as one half of creative consultancy Mark and Dan, I ran websites and print campaigns for charities and the public sector, fostered about a dozen kids, and set up FAD magazine. By 2007 I was going stir-crazy, so I started freelancing, which is how I ended up at the BBC (somewhere I’ve always wanted to work), helping to build the iPlayer.

Since then, I’ve spent several years working at YouView where I was probably one of the few people in the world who got to write embedded ActionScript software (yeah). I’ve done a stint at ITV Player, some time at Vee24, and am about to start my first permanent role in half-a-lifetime, working as Principal UI Dev on Autodesk Navisworks.

In my spare time (I do occasionally get some) I co-run FAD, a web and print arts magazine. I ‘m also a photographer, taking pictures for pleasure and occasionally even money. I have a separate website showcasing my professional photography. You can also see a selection of my photo-set on my life web-pages as well as on my Flickr account, and of course on my party photographer website Dan Shot Me. I’ve also broadcast an arts radio show, Empty Space, on Sheffield Live, and given photography workshops to a number of youth & community groups around Rotherham.

Oh yea, and I play bass geetar. Although, sadly, not very often nowadays. I recorded an album with Damo Suzuki a year or two back, but I don’t know what happened to it.

Und ich spreche gern Deutsch.

This site was first launched in 1996 on hardnet.co.uk (although the Caustic pages date back to 1994), updated in 2001, and this latest version was launched in 2006. You can find some of the earlier content here, although I can’t promise that it all works.

I also have a CV here. It’s rather out-of-date, but not much has changed.

You can email me at dan@sumption.org. Spammers, do your worst!

Comments

6 responses to “About”

  1. Jonathan Drury Avatar

    Hi Dan. Pat Metheney was guest on Jonny Marr (R3) this week. An album with Damo? Nice, would like to hear.  Heard Bill Frisell’s new album?  Super.

  2. BEJ Smith Avatar

    A million years ago (well probably 10) you bought a couple of paintings from me at Spitalfields market. Your blog is a joy and your style a marvel. I wonder whether it is still going? I still remember you coing to my style and deciding what to buy and I was so pleased. Spitalfields Market, I finally understood, was for the benefit of the management and not the stall holders. So, cheers Dan Sumption.

    1. dansumption Avatar
      dansumption

      Hi Barry, many thanks for getting in touch! Yes, I remember it well (I think it was closer to 15 years ago) – we still have the two paintings up in our hallway. We’ve bought, traded and received as gifts quite a few bits of original art since then, but it was your two paintings that started the whole thing off! Funnily enough, I was at an exhibition opening in Greenwich a couple of weeks ago, and thought of you, as one of the artist’s work reminded me a little of your street scenes – you can see hers at http://www.jopeel.com/

      This blog isn’t entirely dead, although it’s certainly seen better days. Nowadays I seem to spend far more time on social media, and far less writing longer posts. I keep meaning to, but… never seem to have the time.

      Do you exhibit your work anywhere in London these days? It would be good to see what you’ve been up to.

  3. BEJ Smith Avatar

    The previous message had some peculiar verbal adjustments. Dunno how that happened.

  4. Andrew Avatar
    Andrew

    Id like to state for the record that the beautiful picture u took for your banner is not of French artists, but a wholly international group of which I am one. And I’m English. Bald guy looking right, talking to a woman. Who was Bolivian. Maybe.

    1. dansumption Avatar
      dansumption

      I realise that. A title should always lie, a little. The subtitle, I think, actually refers to the group as “Francophone artists”, which is closer to the truth though still incorrect as I know about half of the folks in the photo are English & mainly there to enjoy a good opening night, as we used to be able to do in those pre-austerity days 🙂

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