Gareth Malone

Gareth Malone is well known as the inspirational choirmaster who popularised choral singing through his series of TV shows such as The Choir: Boys Don’t Sing.

Gareth brought me in to build a website to represent his work as a presenter and to respond to fans. The website presented a library of programmes with links to BBC programme guides, and embedded video syndicated from YouTube and BBC iPlayer.

Because the site was database-driven, content could also be cross-linked with Gareth’s CDs, DVDs, iTunes downloads and merchandise, creating a rich user experience for fans. The site served as a vehicle for promoting new book launches and helped to propel the Military Wives Choir to Christmas Number 1.

The site also needed to respond to the huge demand from fan mail for help with singing and forming choirs. I always think a site should have “sticky” content, and so I put together an online resource for people who want to learn to sing or join a choir.

Meshing social media into the site was crucial for handling fan contact, so a Q&A interface diverted all questions to Gareth’s active Facebook page.