• Name: Stdrovia Blackburn
• Current Position: Mobile Creative Director
• Degree: BFA in Visual Communications

What type of work do you perform?

I design and develop mobile apps. I’ve worked on everything from RadarScope to Weather Radio.

What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most?

I love computers and gadgets. It all started in the 7^th grade when my father bought me a Commodore 64. I didn’t have a disk drive at the time so I had to copy BASIC code from computer magazines in order to play games. It would take hours to code these only to play for a few minutes before getting bored. And once the computer was turned off, the game was gone. I later moved to a Commodore Amiga, which was a technological marvel at the time. In high school, I started writing my own game code. I taught myself how to program in Amiga BASIC. I created a couple of small games and was determined to be a game programmer. I went on to study computer programming at Brigham Young University before making the switch to visual arts. I really liked drawing at the time and felt that was what I should be doing. I finished school at the University of Oklahoma a few years later with a degree in Visual Communications and started my career in graphic design.

I now enjoy a job where I get to do both of the things I’ve always wanted to do. I work on app design and layout and also get to work on the programming. I love learning new tools and platforms. I started coding in iOS, but have the opportunity to learn and work on Android. I’m looking forward to being able to work on Windows one of these days. I love that I get to work on the latest and greatest gadgets. I’ve got way too many tablets, phones, watches, and monitors and I love it. I work for an amazing company with the greatest team of people I’ve ever had the privilege to work with. I enjoy coming to work.

Before working at WDT, what was the most unusual or interesting job you had?

I worked at the Hobby Shop at Crossroads Mall selling RC cars, planes, trains, and plastic model kits. I was the role playing games and trains guy. It was basically my dream job as a kid.

What are some of your hobbies?

I picked up a lot of hobbies while working at the Hobby Shop. I started RC cars, plastic model kits, Estes rockets, Dungeons & Dragons, metal detecting, military dioramas, and telescopes. But my biggest hobby has always been video games. I started playing games on my Commodore 64 and later on my Amiga. I eventually moved to Windows 95 then got into the console world with the Playstation. I now have way too many gaming consoles and I have to admit to myself that I collect video games more than I play them.

I also still like to draw. I used to draw portraits in pencil but haven’t done that in years. I recently got an iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil to try my hand at it again. Here are a couple of my recent drawings, both in pencil and a work in progress on the iPad Pro.

I now have enough kids who are old enough to enjoy an evening of table-top gaming. We play everything from Dungeons & Dragons to Mass Effect monopoly.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?

I used to make my own squid stew. I’ve tried escargot, alligator, frog legs, and crawfish. I’m not a big fan of pig ear stew or chicken heart soup. The weirdest thing I’ve eaten, and still love to eat to this day, is the Umeboshi. This is a Japanese salted and pickled plum. It’s impossible to describe the taste so you’ll just have to try one yourself.