Andrew Johns

Describe your job at Pretty?

How did you get to doing that at Pretty?

“When I was about 10, my uncle taught me that computers were not just for playing Batman or some other Spectrum game. Then I convinced my parents that Commodore 64s were for programming and not just for playing better games than were available on the Spectrum. Later I convinced them that the bleepy noises were research while attempting to make a football management game at the age of 10, inspired by Italia '90 and a raft of existing football management games. When I got to the age of 14 and realised the Commodore 64 was outdated, I convinced my parents that what I really needed was an Amiga. This was unfortunately a bad mistake as I then discovered Championship Manager '93. My programming knowledge somewhat stagnated during this period...(and to a lesser extent the past two decades...Curse, its modern day equivalent, Football Manager)"

“I convinced my parents that Commodore 64s were for programming and not just for playing better games than were available on the Spectrum. Later I convinced them that the bleepy noises were research while attempting to make a football management game at the age of 10."

"Then I went to college, and discovered the internet via the medium of PC magazine cover CD-Roms, back when the entire web still fit on cd-roms. I liked it. I went to university and found that the web was bigger than CD-Roms. I quit the Uni I was attending because I didn't think it was up to scratch and then ended up spending more of my time learning specifically about the internet and the web. I taught myself HTML and Javascript, then managed to get a job at a new media agency doing basic HTML work during the dotcom boom. I then decided to do Uni part time instead while staying in full time work and eventually ended up here at Pretty building websites.”

Where did you work first?

"I started at James Kelsey Design, the aforementioned new media agency that started small and grew, eventually being bought by an umbrella company (Incepta Group). I went from front-end development (HTML/Javascript) leading a small team on web standards and web accessibility, into classic ASP programming having taught myself on the job and at home."

"I then joined NFO Europe (later bought by TNS UK) a market research agency working on internal web applications for project management and finance teams. There was also some MS Access applications linked to Crystal Reports (shudder), but it was also my first exposure to ASP.NET."

"Then onto another market research agency, Euromonitor International, working on their web-based subscription statistical analysis and reporting products (both the public website, and internal tools) which was a complex beast of number crunching, via ASP.NET and VB.NET windows form applications."

"Finally I got a bit fed up with that, and returned to the hip world of digital design agencies, with Pretty.”

What is your forte at work?

“I moved from front end HTML, CSS, Javascript into backend coding with classic ASP, followed by ASP.NET. I've found myself involved heavily in web standards and web accessibility in certain roles, but I now straddle a bit between both front end and back end, but perhaps more comfortable in the back end. I couldn't really say I have a forte, I just go where the role takes me, which ever part of the web that might be - perhaps that IS a forte?”

“I couldn't really say I have a forte, I just go where the role takes me, which ever part of the web that might be - perhaps that IS a forte?”

"Is that the best bit of the job? Figuring out where you need to apply your skills?”

“Well I like planning and finding solutions to problems and finding ways to make processes more efficient and streamlined through use of any tools and technology available. Especially if clients can benefit from that process directly to make their working life easier."

What about outside of work...?

“Genealogy, writing (screenwriting and novels), football (Arsenal, FA Cup Winners 2014, woo!), and Minecraft (blame my eldest son) are my current interests. However, as a father of two young boys, my weekends/Sunday afternoons invariably end up with lots of playing/drawing/parks/football and homework helping, followed by an early bed time (for me, not the kids) and not much time to dabble in those interests.”

“You’ve done a bit of volunteering with Code Club too haven’t you?”

“I was a STEM Ambassador and Code Club volunteer at my son's school. I love to encourage youngsters into IT and show them the power and endless possibilities of the devices they are growing up with. I think the digital generation perhaps take certain things for granted, which is a shame.”

Any awards or medals?

“I have a winners medal for a 5 a side football cup competition in 2002.”

“Favourite website?”

“TVtropes.org - As an aspiring novelist/screenwriter, I can spend many a lunchtime randomly reading about common plot elements and themes in TV shows, films, books, comics, and so on, following links from one example or related trope to the next.”

“Tell us something we don’t know about you?”

“I wrote a screenplay for a horror short, which has almost completed post production and should be released shortly. I also once acted as warm-up DJ in a virtual world (Second Life) for a Pontiac sponsored virtual Jay Z concert while his real life counterpart performed simultaneously on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show.”

See also