Full Profile
Lenny Hanniford - MA Television & Interactive Content
Company: BBC- Job Title: Web Designer
- Status: Freelancer
- Based: London
Since hopping on the Internet bandwagon shortly before the bubble burst in the late 90's, Lenny Hanniford has been busy to say the least. Besides embarking on an MA in Media Production (now known as MA Television & Interactive Content), Lenny worked as a graphic designer on the BBC Sport website, before deciding to uproot and move for a print-based role in the altogether sunnier climes of Australia.
From The Beeb to Down Under
But now the former Birmingham City University MA graduate is back in Britain and back at the BBC. So why did he return? "I've moved back because I missed my folks," the graphic designer admits, "Initially, myself and my fiance, who is Australian, were only going to come back to the UK for a few months, rather than a few years, but it will be much longer now."
"I went to Australia for three and a half years, came back in December 2007 and I'm now back working at the BBC on a full-time basis, doing pretty much the same thing I was doing before." Hanniford's work for the BBC generally involves creating graphical images and animations for their website, initially for the short-lived BBC Sport Academy.
"At the start I was on board to animate the way a ball bounces against a wall for example, or a free kick in a Rugby game, or how a wall or scrum is formed," says Lenny. "That was quite extensive and lasted for a while, and when it was finished I stepped back and did more general work for the BBC."
Getting Started
After graduating from Birmingham City University in the 1990s, Lenny moved down to London and started working for Internet start-up company, ZGravity. "They were a media broker somewhere between the consumer and the marketplace," recalls Lenny. "It was around the era just before the Internet bubble burst. They would give people free internet usage as long as they would subscribe to our software, and if people subscribed they would fill in forms which would allow the company to target consumers demographically."
This advertising delivery software, known as ZPlayer, would then send subscribers targeted advertising dependent on lifestyle and around special occasions. Although Lenny admits this system 'was quite intrusive' he looks back to this early time in his career fondly. "It was at a time when everything was fresh, new and pioneering, plus there was a lot of money sloshing around," says Lenny. "I really enjoyed working on the project as it was my first job out of university. Unfortunately the company went bust around that time, but I guess it's still the most interesting project I've worked on."
From there, Lenny fulfilled a number of freelancing jobs around London's media centres, which included animating scientific processes for the Discovery Channel (through Plantain Productions) before starting as a freelance contractor at the BBC.
Squeezing in an MA
So where on earth did an MA fit into Lenny's career, amidst all this freelancing and antipodean adventures? "When I did my initial course in graphic design and then my MA course, I didn't think I was ready to go out into the outside world," admits Lenny. "I was looking for a course that allowed me to stay in University and do something that I really enjoyed doing. So the MA course fitted into that bracket quite well."
Specialising in New Media and Print, Lenny completed his initial foray into what was then known as the MA Media Production degree, with a PG Certificate and Diploma back in 1998-1999. Almost a decade later, the graphic designer returned to the course, completing the MA between 2006 and 2007 with a Masters with Distinction through Birmingham City University.
"During that time [between 1999 and 2006], I changed quite a lot from the person I was when I first did my post-graduate course," says Lenny. "I was definitely more conscious of what I needed to do, where I was headed and what I wanted to achieve. It's been really good for me, and I really enjoyed doing the project I did."
Doing What You Enjoy
"I need to feel that I'm always moving forward, I'm trying not to be pigeon-holed into one particular type of work," says Lenny. "I'm trying to go into a field that pays a bit more money and motion graphics is definitely the way forward; a collaboration between web design, graphic design and something more filmic."
Ultimately, although Lenny is keen on chasing 'the big bucks' in motion graphics, the graphic designer concludes that job fulfilment is still the most important factor in where he chooses to work. "Whatever I do, it has to be something that I like doing, and at the moment I enjoy what I'm doing, so whatever I enjoy, that's where I'll be."
David Allen
Work Examples
Core Values
"I need to feel that I'm always moving forward, I'm trying not to be pigeon-holed into one particular type of work. I think 'adaptable' is one word I'd use to describe myself"
http://www.lenny69.com