How did you get into the music industry?

My father is in the music business so growing up, he used to take me backstage at many of his shows, such as Sunday Night at the London Palladium I watched performers like Shirley Bassey and caught the bug.

Why did you decide to set up BIMM in Brighton?

Back in 2001, I and my fellow directors – Kevin Nixon and Bruce Dickinson – decided to set up a music education college we looked at citys that had an abundance of venues that supported live music and an existing student scene. We also wanted to be within 50 miles of London so bands and music industry professionasl would visit the college, and we wanted to be based in a place that we loved living in. Brighton was the natural choice.

Who is your business guru?

My dad is my guru. It is because of him that I have a strong work ethic. The idea that rock n roll doesn’t need effort is nonsense. All the most successful rock musicians work incredibly hard.

What was the last book you read?The Lodger which is part of the Vintage selection at Waterstones. The book was written in 1913 and inspired Alfred Hitchcock to make The Lodger. And The New Rules or Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott, a book which looks at the influence of social networking sites and new media and how the companies that are thinking outside othe box and using these mediums are reaching their target audience in a speed and cost effective way.

What was the last movie you saw?

The King’s Speech

What’s the best thing about working at BIMM?

It’s all about the music – and to go to the end of term gigs and see the musicians perform is what inspires me– that’s what gets me up in the mornings.

And what is the worst?

The worst thing is making the finances work – which means saying no to creative ideas, when sometimes I’d like to say yes.

Married/single/other?

I’m in a lifelong relationship - with my business partner. We have a rule not to take the business home. But rules are there to be broken...

What piece of business jargon do you hate?

Abbreviations like KPI for key Performance Indicators

What is your business motto?Responsibility means the ability to respond.

What is you guilty pleasure?

I don’t feel guilty about my pleasures!