Steve McKevitt

Steve McKevitt
Born Steven Michael Andrew McKevitt
(1966-12-29) 29 December 1966
Liverpool, England
Nationality British
Occupation Author, Entrepreneur, former musician in The Bollweevils (Indie Band)

Steve McKevitt is an author,[1] dot-com entrepreneur and former indie musician. Born in Liverpool, McKevitt has launched a number of successful companies, and is a recognised expert in marketing, branding, and communications. He has written several books, including Everything Now: Communication, Persuasion & Control: How Our Instant Society Is Shaping What We Think (Route, July 2012),[2] a study of how, what McKevitt calls 'Everything Now Culture' is changing the way we consume, interact with others, form opinions and take decisions.[3] The Sun (20 July 2012) said "What could quite easily have become a tiresome rant, is generally optimistic and, at times, uplifting. Everything Now quietly, but firmly, invites you to take a fresh look around yourself".

McKevitt has written and commentated widely on the issues facing consumers and companies in a marketing-dominated age,[4] and has lamented the lack of any real leadership among Britain's business community and the knock-on effects on the economy of what he has dubbed 'success without achievement'.[5]

McKevitt has contributed to several newspapers including The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Huffington Post and Kenyan Daily Nation.[6][7][8]

He studied Politics at Sheffield University 1985–88. After working in the music industry, he joined video games publisher Gremlin Interactive, where he became Head of PR, later working for Infogrames, now known as Atari and then Europe's biggest publisher of video games. In 1999 he was one of four founders of dot-com start-up Zoo Digital Group.[9] He was a director of influential graphic design studio The Designers Republic from 2004 to 2009. He published his first book, City Slackers (Cyan Books), in 2006,[10] following it with Why The World Is Full Of Useless Things (Cyan Books) in 2007.

On 7 March 2013, McKevitt's book Project Sunshine: How Science Can Use The Sun to Fuel And Feed The World, which was published in the UK by Icon Books. Written with Tony Ryan (scientist), Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Pure Science at Sheffield University, the book examines the issues of population growth, food and energy security and climate change and explores the possible scientific and economic solutions available to us. The New Scientist said Project Sunshine "is lucid, optimistic - and plans to save the world...This is stirring stuff and well told... shows the great promise of solar power"[11]

On 3 July 2014, "The Solar Revolution: One World, One Solution: Providing the energy and food for 10 billion people" was published by Icon in the UK.[12] On the same day, The Guardian published "The Solar Revolution: Why bottled sunshine is the fuel of the future" as part of its short book series 'Guardian Shorts'.[13]

In September 2014, Game Paused published Every Day is Play in the UK and the USA. The book, a celebration of the cultural impact of video games, was written and edited by McKevitt.[14]

In January 2015, Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers 8th Edition ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Soloman was published by Macmillan Publishers in the USA. It includes two chapters from Everything Now.[15]

McKevitt is currently working on a PhD at University of Sheffield in the Department of History. Entitled "What Happened to the Future? The Inculcation of Persuasion and Its Impact on British Society 1969-1997", it is due for completion in September 2016.[16]

Personal

McKevitt was born in Liverpool.

He was a member of The Bollweevils (Indie Band) in which he played the bass. The band signed to Vinyl Solution in 1989.[17] Their first record, Talk To Me EP, was released on Vinyl Solution's Decoy label in 1990. Two further EPs and an album followed – "Life's A Scream" released in Japan on the Toy's Factory label in 1991 – but despite their early promise The Bollweevils split up in 1993. .

McKevitt now lives with his family in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. He is Chairman of design agency Golden,[18] which he founded in 2009, and an adviser on the creative and digital industries, export trade and inward investment to regional and national UK Government.[19][20][21]

References

  1. ↑ The Marsh Agency. "Author Profile", Retrieved on 19 July 2012.
  2. ↑ Holt, Baz. "Everything Now", "DigYorkshire.com", 17 June 2002. Retrieved on 19 July 2012.
  3. ↑ McKevitt, Steve. "We've Got Everything We Want - So Why Are We So Bloody Miserable?", "Huffington Post", 30 June 2012. Retrieved on 19 July 2012.
  4. ↑ Drury, Colin "When less is more", "Sheffield Star", 2 July 2012. Retrieved on 20 July 2012.
  5. ↑ McKevitt, Steve. "Is Success Without Achievement the New Corporate Culture?", "Huffington Post", 9 July 2012. Retrieved on 19 July 2012
  6. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/steve-mckevitt/
  7. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/money/2006/may/13/careers.work3&sa=U&ei=D_SKVIiwOomU7AaqnIHYBg&ved=0CAsQFjAD&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNEUlwkF7HwIzaCmMP26Kc4cmx52hQ
  8. ↑ Clark, Laura. "Thousands of students being 'hoodwinked' into taking courses for jobs they will never get", "Daily Mail", 30 August 2012. Retrieved on 10 September 2012
  9. ↑ Baber, Peter. "Talking About Us?", "Business Quarter", 29 May 2012. Retrieved on 19 July 2012.
  10. ↑ McKevitt, Steve. "Busy doing nothing", The Guardian, 13 May 2006. Retrieved on 19 July 2012.
  11. ↑ Pearce, Fred. , "New Scientist", 23 February 2013. Retrieved on 8 March 2013.
  12. ↑ http://www.iconbooks.com/blog/title/the-solar-revolution/
  13. ↑ http://guardianshorts.co.uk/the-solar-revolution-why-bottled-sunshine-is-the-fuel-of-the-future/
  14. ↑ http://www.gamepaused.net
  15. ↑ http://www.macmillanhighered.com/Catalog/product/signsoflifeintheusa-eighthedition-maasik/tableofcontents#tab
  16. ↑ http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/history/research/students/steve-mckevitt
  17. ↑ The Bollweevils. "The Record Deal", "The Bollweevils Homepage". Retrieved on 19 July 2012
  18. ↑ Golden. "Golden Homepage". Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  19. ↑ Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership. Leeds City Region Business Investment and Growth Panel. Retrieved on 9 March 2013
  20. ↑ Creative Sheffield: The City's Economic Development Company Retrieved on 9 March 2013
  21. ↑ Leeds City Region Employment and Skills Board Retrieved on 9 March 2013

External links

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