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Dom Smith, a humble lad from the UK, has built a sound reputation, touted as an unsung hero and someone who has effectively done immensely for the country’s youth.
He currently serves as the editor of Soundsphere magazine, a resource for young people in the North of England’s creative industries. He also established Wobbling About and Rocking Out, a UK-based organisation dedicated to raising awareness of disabilities, and mental health issues. Dom himself has Cerebral Palsy, and ADHD.
After completing a Master of Arts in Magazine Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and working at various London publications like NME, Rock Sound, T3, and Metal Hammer, he began freelancing in the arts and culture sectors.
He says: “At some point, I felt the need to establish my own platform from which to advocate for Northern England’s alternative culture (areas like Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, Manchester and York)”
East Yorkshire native, and UCLan alum Dom Smith is a digital journalist, and qualified person-centred therapist. Independent on Sunday readers voted him one of the country’s happiest people, and in 2012 he won the National Diversity Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence. He has also represented York as the city’s Paralympic Flame Bearer.
In 2022, after working as the MIT Journalist in Residence in America for a time, Dom continued to run Soundsphere from his base in Yorkshire, and the North of England.
Having had offices in Manchester, Chester, and York before relocating to Hull, Soundsphere has worked with festivals all over the world, including Sziget in Hungary, Exit in Serbia, Reading & Leeds, and Download in the United Kingdom, as well as South by Southwest in the United States.
Soundsphere promotes national and local charities such as CALM (The Campaign Against Living Miserably), Accessible Arts and Media (York), and Samaritans through regular live music showcases that are funded by advertorials from clubs, bars, and academic institutions looking to run work placements.
Dom also promotes disability and mental health awareness through Wobbling About and Rocking Out and has spent a good portion of his career as a mentor to young people, working with organisations like The Warren Youth Project in Hull and others, to give talks and workshops on entrepreneurship, media, and journalism to students across the country.
Author of articles for publications such as Metro, Rock Sound, WhatCulture, The Quietus, T3, NME.com, Stuff, and Metal Hammer, among others, Dom has conducted in-depth interviews with such notables as Rammstein, Placebo, Alice in Chains, Judas Priest, The 1975, McBusted, and up-and-coming artists as Yungblud.
More recently, Dom has begun doing work in pop culture journalism, and has collaborated with international entertainers such as magician, Dynamo, wrestler Ric Flair, and many more. Dom is also a drummer, and has has toured the United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia extensively with various bands (The Parasitic Twins, Seep Away).
In an online interview, Dom was quoted leaving words of inspiration for any supporters. He shared: “Just do stuff that you love, and people will gravitate to you. With Soundsphere, I built something so that I could create opportunities for others and so people paid attention.
“I’ve spent the better part of my life doing cool stuff, and doing stuff that I love, and because it was cool, and I loved it, people thought it was cool and got behind it. So, in essence, be passionate about something, love it with all your heart, work out why other people might love it and then do it.
“Nobody will come to you at first, you have to send e-mails and invite people for coffee, and then, eventually, people will start doing the same to you. Oh, and no matter what happens or where you’re from, don’t be a d***. That’s, like, the ultimate rule in the industry (in my experience). Usually, people will help you if you help them.”
