AvieMedia's highly skilled Second Life developers deliver real solutions for virtual worlds, especially in Second Life.

While AvieMedia was just started in 2007, the team members have extensive prior experience with Internet technologies, business, training, programming, distance learning, multimedia, e-commerce, and education. As a result, the AvieMedia team is able to deliver just about any kind of business or educational project, whether it be a small pilot project or an entire comprehensive large-scale long-term development.

AvieMedia is an international firm, with members based in the US, Scotland, and Germany, and has the ability to work with clients in 5 different languages.

Here is a quick look at some of the team members:

Steve Hill – Programmer and Developer

As an Internet developer and web programmer since 1994, Steve has exceptional experience in programming interactive applications, software development, commercial Web site design and production, database connectivity and SQL, computer 2D and 3D graphics/images/objects creation and texturing, animation, communications design, and is fluent in several programming languages including ASP and ASP.Net, PHP, Cold Fusion, Java, and C#. He is very skilled in Adobe Photoshop and 3D Studio, along with a wide variety of related software. He is also a server administrator, and remotely manages the distance learning servers for some large academic institutions as well as several other servers.

As the owner of the Northern California company called Fine Line Communications, Steve and his team have worked extensively with commercial clients to develop many complex Internet-based applications, focusing largely on the development of medical education and distance learning projects for medical groups and colleges. The team is currently working on a large distance learning and training application for the early detection of breast cancer.

These large-scale projects involve complex project management, building and implementing thousands of Web pages, extensive use of audio and video, supporting images such as X-rays, extensive user tracking and interactivity, and sophisticated subscriber management capabilities.

In Second Life, Steve immediately found that his extensive skillset was ideally suited to the online interactive environment. He quickly developed and built up several large-scale commercial businesses there, and is a major landowner in Second Life. He has developed numerous complex business solutions there using the LL scripting language.

Melanie Thielker – Programmer and Builder

As a Systems Architect in RL, Melanie's strengths lie in designing and programming complex, networked applications, bridging the gap between the real world and Second Life.

Melanie has extensive knowledge of several programing languages and environments, including the popular Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP combo, as well as C, C++ and C# skills.

Having worked for an architect, she also has a good eye for building work and a talent for creating Buildings that would be possible to build in the real world.

In the past 10 years, Melanie has been involved in a number of internet technology projects. Her specialties are TCP/IP networking and protocols, internet standards, and multimedia protocols, formats and servers.

Working with telecoms carriers and service providers, Melanie has created large-scale Voice-over-IP solutions and voice content delivery systems.

In Second Life, she has implemented several complex scripting projects, many of those for AvieMedia. Examples are her add-on products to a popular rentals system, home/business security products and SL to RL bridges, along with a number of smaller products for the consumer market.

Pauline Randall – Designer and Landscaper

Pauline comes from a varied career background with a large part of her experience centring around education, training and IT.

Pauline co-owned and ran a management training and development business for over ten years with clients who included HM Customs & Excise, Scottish Police College, WH Smiths and the Crown Agents among others. This followed a period working for Sainsbury’s where she was a Training Officer responsible for the training and development of a staff of over 700.

Over the past three years Pauline has been involved with online learning and currently works part time as the Virtual Learning Environment Administrator and ICT Learning and Teaching Adviser for a college in Scotland. Last year she project managed the transition of the college VLE from WebCT to Moodle. As ICT Learning and Teaching Adviser she advises the academic staff on the use of appropriate ICT in their teaching  and encourages innovative uses of new technologies.

Pauline also has a strong artistic and design sense and this has been developed in real life through her photography and painting. When she joined Second Life as Liz Ferlinghetti she found a niche where she could develop and sue all her skills – both artistic and technological. Since joining Second Life she has opened art galleries, been involved with land purchase and development, has set up a successful property letting business (residential and commercial office space) and is a sought after landscaper. In addition to doing many smaller projects Pauline has now landscaped three complete regions (islands), one of which was for international market research company – Square One  - who are based in Palm Beach, Florida.

Phil Stead - Multimedia Specialist

Phil Stead has been designing websites since 1996. A double honours graduate, in Music, and then Information, he co-founded the multimedia company CC4 in 2001.

An accomplished film maker, his feature length film and accompanying CD-ROM, "The Singing Lions" was shortlisted in two categories in the 2005 Celtic Film Festival. This year, his educational  CD-ROM "Creative Curriculum" has also been shortlisted in the Interactive category.

Phil produced the induction CD-ROM received by every new member of the NHS in Wales, and in 2002, he produced a live webcast for the RCOG. He has worked for the BBC as an internet consultant and a journalist, and for Cardiff City FC as Information Manager.

A professional Second Life developer, Phil is currently working on a number of ambitious projects, including the ground-breaking Education and Information Centre for Snowdonia National park.