Five minutes with Rory

As part of our Culture of Success Programme we’re going behind the scenes at Pocketworks HQ in our new Five Minutes with… features; celebrating our staff, what they do and what makes them unique.  

Five minutes with… Rory

I’m Rory, an iOS developer at Pocketworks. I help design and build features for our iOS apps. 

At the moment I’m working on a really exciting internal product called Pocketmedia , where I’ve been responsible for modernising the code base, implementing user interface changes and building out some cool new functionality. I love seeing apps come to life !

I don’t think I could choose just one dream app I’d like to build. I think the beauty in apps is that there are so many and they are so varied, but all serve a purpose, whether work, play or purely functional. I’ve worked on so many apps now that I’ve seen all sorts, but I really do enjoy building ones that help to make life easier for people. Knowing that you’re creating something which helps someone makes me happy. 

In my spare time, you’ll often find me out and about with a camera as I’m a keen photographer. I also love hiking in the hills and moors around Yorkshire, contrary to some people’s image of a typical tech-y I’m really outdoorsy. I also tend to a number of my own apps which I’ve built over the years, when you find a job you love the lines between home and work often become blurred!

I’m also into weight lifting, Fitbod is one of my favourite apps . It helps me plan and track my workouts and keeps me motivated to stick to a routine which is really helpful at making working out efficient and simple. Another example of why my favourite apps are ones that make life easier in one way or another! 

I hit the jackpot when I joined Pocketworks and got to pick my company Star Wars avatar; I’m officially Pocketworks’ Han Solo, who is obviously the coolest character in the franchise! In reality, I’m not sure we’re that similar, but I’m sure I’ll call someone a scruffy-looking nerf herder sooner or later – I’ve got a great excuse to use that line after all!

I’m really proud that I successfully ran my own business for 15 years, I’d say it’s one of my greatest achievements . And I think I did pretty good betting on Apple long before the iPhone turned it into the behemoth it is today. 

If I keep rewinding five years at a time, I’ve always said that in five years time I could see myself ‘making cool apps’ , so I suspect in five years time from now I’ll probably, and hopefully, be doing the same thing!

If I could have a superpower I’d 100% opt for teleportation ; no more commutes at the mercy of Northern Rail! It would be super handy for holidays too… Speaking of which, I’m a massive fan of Italy and the food there, so if I could be a biscuit I would be a cantucci biscuit. Not only because I’d likely be in Italy, but I’d also go great with coffee and coffee is pretty much life at Pocketworks !