Gig Guide Team Profiles

Ray Danks knows next to nothing about music and even less about the playing of musical instruments.

During a long and strange career Ray finally found his niche in life by setting up Filray Web Design Ltd in December 1997.

After forming a sponsership deal with local rock & blues band "Arizona Calling" in late1998, Ray found it extremely frustrating that amateur and semi professional bands were unable to promote themselves, without the expensive and time consuming formalities involved with advertisers, managers, agents, promoters and contractual obligations.

Gig Guide.Co.UK grew from that humble beginning.

The idea of a Gig Guide devoted to ALL bands and groups (not just a list of gigs for mainstream top professional bands) was something which grew in the early part of 1999 and Ray registered the Domain name www.gig-guide.co.uk and set in place the ideas for providing a Web Site that could serve ALL bands and music related services.

Now the searchable database has begun to build providing bands, that cannot afford to market themselves and their gigs, a way to reach a new and wider audience, including promoters and venues looking for new and local musicians.

Mr Richard Sheen (as he likes to be known to his friends) is an "old" worldly wise, married man with lots of kids. He lives in Bedfordshire and his age is unknown, but he quite often looks positively ancient!! (especially first thing in the morning).

Richard joined the Gig Guide team in March 2000 to provide advice and assistance regarding future financial planning, budget analysis and business advice and support.

His enthusiasm, professionalism and good humour, has provided the Gig Guide with an unrivalled source of ideas and support since that date, and long may it continue.

Sally is the heart of the organisation and also lives in Bedfordshire.

Her administrative skills include the the labororious and thankless task of prequalifying and approving (or deleting) all entries submitted to the complimentary advertisements, including band and venue listings.

This enables the Gig Guide to supply and retain current quality information and filter out unwanted spam and "off topic" submissions.

Her enthusiasm and light hearted approach in supporting the work we do is invaluable in providing a service to our users.

Well I’m Stewart, and have been part of the Gig-Guide team for the past 3 years now.

After growing up in Luton, Bedfordshire, my degree in Media Studies has since taken me to Derby University, and am planning a career in print journalism when I graduate.

Having travelled to America for the previous two summers, teaching football at summer camps for kids, I also got the opportunity to travel most of the east coast, and parts of the west.

My hobbies include playing and watching football, following the mighty Luton Town FC!