Today you get to meet André who a lot of you will already know from our Facebook fan page.  

André in NYC

Christian, André and Daniel

Me: Where were these pics taken?

André: They were taken in NYC on a guys weekend with Christian and Daniel who you might recognize from the Sample Books pages on the SmileBooks web site. It was Christian’s first trip to the States so Daniel and I had to show him NYC before he got married this fall.

Me: You’ve spent a lot of time on Facebook lately. What’s been the most fun aspect of communicating directly with our fans?

André: Talking directly to our customers and getting to know them. It’s also great knowing you’ve helped someone and i’ve especially enjoyed watching our fan base grow.

Me: What type of camera do you use? Most of us are huge photography freaks. I’m assuming you are too.

André: Of course I am. I got my first camera when I was 6 years old! At the moment though I only have the camera on my mobile because mine broke. Luckily it’s Christmas soon so i’m sure there will be a new one under the tree for me!

Me: You studied International Economics & Business in the Netherlands. Was that a huge culture shock?

André: Not really because I spent my childhood in the US and in Germany so I was pretty much used to European culture in general. And I also already knew how to ride a bicylce so I did fit right in!

Me: You’re really into sports. What sports do you play and which teams do you support?

André: I play soccer and I used to play volleyball. My favorite soccer team is Werder Bremen (German Bundesliga) and my US teams are the Pittsburgh Steelers & Penguins and the Chicago Bulls.

Today’s the first in a series of employee interviews. On the 1st of each month i’ll ask one of the SmileBooks team to answer 5 questions posed by me and to submit their favourite photo of themselves!

First off is our Intern Carl:

Me: Where was that photo taken?
Carl: On my uncle’s boat. We were sailing from Denmark to Germany.

Me: When did you start sailing?
Carl: I think I was 5 or 6. My Dad took me sailing around the harbour at Kiel in Northern Germany.

Me: Do you have any other hobbies?
Carl: Yes, playing golf and soccer with my friends. I also love travelling and taking photos of my trips.

Me: Where will your next trip be to?
Carl: I’m going to Spain with my girlfriend in December.

Me: If you were in charge of SmileBooks, what’s the first thing you’d change?
Carl: I would hire a specialist for getting the coffee.

Me: Was that 5 questions?
Carl: Yes. Can I go and get you some coffee now Ma’am?

We have a new addition to our SmileBooks team! Tamika has joined the Art Department and her first job is to create the Idea Centre on the web page. It’s going to be the new go-to section for all kinds of ideas, tips and tricks for making fantastic SmileBooks photo books!

Tamkia

Johannes showing Tamika how to publish web pages

Kerstin left the team earlier this year but we’ll always consider her the SmileBooks Mamma. It was Kerstin who designed the key visuals, created our style guide and gave SmileBooks it’s distinctive look. We’ll never stray too far from her concept because she’s always looking at the site and checking up on us. Kerstin’s catch phrase of “That’s ugly!” is sorely missed around here, as is she.

Simon spends most of his time in France, Spain and Biergartens! He’s also just returned to base after a month travelling through the USA with Rotary International. Simon has been involved in supporting children with learning disabilities since his teens and regularly spends his vacation time doing voluntary work.

Head of CRM by day and Blues Brother by night. Jens loves downhill skiing, eating sushi (lots of) and is a passionate supporter of Werder Bremen soccer club.  He’s also a German 9 Pin Bowling Champion and can fill you in on the rules, statistics and players of just about any sport going except figure skating and cross-country skiing.

Jens is married and has two sons.

I took this picture of Dominic at the Grand Canyon with a Nikon D50 the day after the CES ended. Dominic, Ralf and myself took a bus trip from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon. We paid $30 each to go on the Skywalk and, a word of warning to all hobby photographers out there, once you’ve paid, you have to had over your cameras and cell phones. You can have official photos taken but they’re not cheap. If you look closely, you can still see the dissapointment on Dominic’s face! Apart from photography, Dominic’s hobbies include Sing Star evenings (he claims to be the company champ but this is hotly disputed by Gerd who you will meet when he gets his own profile) and travelling.