Russell:
Yeah. Yeah, or in the days of Myspace if you had Photoshop that’s a big advantage for the [ladies. 00:02:15]
Tom:
Wow, we could just talk about Myspace for ages, man.
Russell:
I guess it would have been Bebo. Yeah, so starting to learn that sort of stuff and then realized I had an interest in recreating websites that I liked. I’d be like, “So, how do I design an interface?” as opposed to just playing with photos, and then learning interface design really interested me and on the back of that once you’d designed the website you’re like, “[How am I 00:02:38] going to actually make this work?” Then I started learning some code, and then eventually putting that together be like, “Oh, I can actually sell this.” Then friend’s parents, for example, starting companies. You know, putting together a website for them. This is all by the time I’m at GCSE stage and I thought, “Well, now I’ll just put no effort into my GCSEs.”
Tom:
That’s quite young.
Russell:
I know, well this is the thing, because as I was doing my GCSEs I was like, “Actually, I don’t really need to use any of these skills.” Because at that stage I’m looking at like, “Well, where do I go with this at education?”
Tom:
Yeah, but to step back a tiny bit. You’re obviously a creative person and do really good design. Were you ever into art and design growing up?
Russell:
Yeah.
Tom:
Was that something that got you into it as well? Was there an appeal there?
Russell:
Definitely art stuff as well. I wouldn’t call myself super arty. What’s the best way of putting that?
Tom:
I think super arty is all right.
Russell:
Art interested me at school but I wouldn’t say it was like a massive focus of mine.
Tom:
You’ve never studied design or anything like that?
Russell:
No. No.
Tom:
I think both of us have never traditionally studied graphic design.
Russell:
That’s absolutely right.
Tom:
We’re all, I suppose, self thought is maybe what you’d say.
Russell:
Yeah, completely self thought. Yeah. I think part of that is like looking where the context is of web stuff and technology stuff in education is very difficult. When I was looking at that, like where do I go for college and university for this kind of thing? The options were just rubbish. In fact, I was doing a part time college course in my last two years of secondary school, and part of that covered web. It was like laughable the stuff we were taught. Not only the teachers actually not understanding what they were teaching us, but also the technologies and stuff they were teaching us were just deprecated and rubbish. At that point it was like, “Don’t worry about education, just work on some stuff with actual projects and make some money as well.”
Tom:
Of course, little bit of cash on the side, definitely.
Russell:
Yeah. Exactly, and then went from there really. Getting a first job just based on like experience of people I’d worked with.
Tom:
What year was the first site you built then? When would that have been?
Russell:
I finished secondary school in …
Tom:
Don’t say. It’s going to depress me when you tell me.
Russell:
I guess it would have been like 2007, 2008 probably I put my first website live. A print company. A friend of mine’s print company. Yeah.
Tom:
Cool.
Russell:
What about yourself, how does your origin story differ?