Andrew Davis (coach)
Encyclopedia
Andrew Davis, a former MySpace
marketing manager, is the creator of social media
courses taught in British schools.
, Sony Playstation, and Friends Reunited
. He left in early 2002 to join the BBC
’s digital radio station 1Xtra, which he helped to launch, before going to work for MySpace.com in 2006. The social networking company had just set up a UK division and needed a small team of specialists who could plan and deliver strategic marketing initiatives to engage and retain users, increase traffic across the site and attract global brands. As one of the first employees to join, Davis was involved in multiple parts of the business.
During his employment, he engineered viral campaigns with celebrities for MySpace.com. The participants included artist such as Beyonce, Jay Z, P.Diddy, Pharrell Williams
and Jennifer Lopez
. He also negotiated contra and sponsorship deals with big brands such as Reebok
, the BBC and the British government, before helping to make MySpace
the first social network to achieve product placement
within a video game; Konami
’s best selling Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
. He also earned the internal award for ‘Best Global MySpace TV Initiative’ after partnering with MTV
to launch a presenter search on MySpace, which was subsequently commissioned into a full TV series.
The Guardian
newspaper ranked him number 17 in its 2007 ‘Minority Report’ – a countdown of the Top 30 most important ethnic minority contributors to the British media industry. He was the only entrant aged under 30.
He followed this up in 2008 by becoming the only person listed in both the Media Week Top ‘30 under 30’ rundown of the most talented individuals in the UK and Broadcast magazine
’s ‘Hot Shots’ list of media insiders tipped for future success.
Davis has since established a consultancy business called "The Worst Kept Secret", which is dedicated in part to social media. The aim of The Worst Kept Secret is to educate young minded thinking people about what they didn't learn in school.
London’s Bishop Challoner Catholic College was the first school to book his services. Students are required to submit a reason for being on the course, and the application will work as part of their GCSE coursework requirement. Thirty will be chosen from applicants.
He has worked alongside Heads Of Faculty to devise a course tailored specifically for the needs of the school. As part of the course, Davis will invite former contacts from the music/media industry to share their experiences with the children.
Davis was diagnosed with repetitive strain injury
in 2007, making it almost impossible for him to complete his day-to-day tasks. After a major operation on his hands and weekly physiotherapy sessions he is under strict doctor’s orders to avoid typing at all costs. Forced to completely change his lifestyle, Davis developed the social media course as something he can deliver verbally.
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
marketing manager, is the creator of social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
courses taught in British schools.
Career
Davis’ media career began for a company called "Chat Moderator's" where he moderated communities for Liverpool football club, Pop IdolPop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
, Sony Playstation, and Friends Reunited
Friends Reunited
Friends Reunited is a portfolio of social networking websites based upon the themes of reunion with research , and job-hunting...
. He left in early 2002 to join the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
’s digital radio station 1Xtra, which he helped to launch, before going to work for MySpace.com in 2006. The social networking company had just set up a UK division and needed a small team of specialists who could plan and deliver strategic marketing initiatives to engage and retain users, increase traffic across the site and attract global brands. As one of the first employees to join, Davis was involved in multiple parts of the business.
During his employment, he engineered viral campaigns with celebrities for MySpace.com. The participants included artist such as Beyonce, Jay Z, P.Diddy, Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
and Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
. He also negotiated contra and sponsorship deals with big brands such as Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
, the BBC and the British government, before helping to make MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
the first social network to achieve product placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
within a video game; Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
’s best selling Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 is an association football video game in the Pro Evolution Soccer series by Konami. The game was officially announced on 18 June 2007...
. He also earned the internal award for ‘Best Global MySpace TV Initiative’ after partnering with MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
to launch a presenter search on MySpace, which was subsequently commissioned into a full TV series.
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper ranked him number 17 in its 2007 ‘Minority Report’ – a countdown of the Top 30 most important ethnic minority contributors to the British media industry. He was the only entrant aged under 30.
He followed this up in 2008 by becoming the only person listed in both the Media Week Top ‘30 under 30’ rundown of the most talented individuals in the UK and Broadcast magazine
Broadcast magazine
Broadcast is a weekly magazine for the United Kingdom television and radio industry. It covers a wide range of news and issues affecting the professional broadcast market in the UK. Broadcast has regular weekly sections covering News, Commissioning, Facilities, Analysis, Opinion, Interview,...
’s ‘Hot Shots’ list of media insiders tipped for future success.
Davis has since established a consultancy business called "The Worst Kept Secret", which is dedicated in part to social media. The aim of The Worst Kept Secret is to educate young minded thinking people about what they didn't learn in school.
Working in education
Davis developed a social media courses for secondary schools entitled Social Media Fundamentals. This was the first time social media were taught in secondary courses in the United Kingdom. The aim of the course is to explain the rise and relevance of social media including networking sites and integrate core subjects such as English and Maths at the same time.London’s Bishop Challoner Catholic College was the first school to book his services. Students are required to submit a reason for being on the course, and the application will work as part of their GCSE coursework requirement. Thirty will be chosen from applicants.
He has worked alongside Heads Of Faculty to devise a course tailored specifically for the needs of the school. As part of the course, Davis will invite former contacts from the music/media industry to share their experiences with the children.
Davis was diagnosed with repetitive strain injury
Repetitive strain injury
Repetitive strain injury is an injury of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems that may be caused by...
in 2007, making it almost impossible for him to complete his day-to-day tasks. After a major operation on his hands and weekly physiotherapy sessions he is under strict doctor’s orders to avoid typing at all costs. Forced to completely change his lifestyle, Davis developed the social media course as something he can deliver verbally.