BEN ROYCE

I remember the moment it happened: The moment when I was awestruck by the internet.

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I was in middle school and I was on a school computer in the Midwest US. I never wanted to play with nerf guns, and I didn't like G.I. Joes. But I loved building things. I'd take apart a radio, or try and build a unbreakable car of K'NEX. 

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But building great things takes planning, an understanding of physics or engineering. And there it all was. Just a few keywords away. After that I was hooked.

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In high school I built websites and repaired computers. By college, my nickname was Dr Dot Com (no relation). I worked at a series of startups, and then got into the advertising world. There was so much data and so few that could analyze it, and even fewer who could contextualize it.

 

With the right tools, the right knowledge, and enough time, you could find out amazing things about people, brands, and even whole countries. Now that's what I do all day, nearly every day.