Hi Everyone!

It’s no secret that I’ve wanted the chance to work for Quirky since the first week I stumbled upon the site. This blog post essentially proves that tenacity and passion pay off! I am writing this blog post today from my workstation at QHQ, and I couldn’t be more excited!

I am joining the amazing Tech Team here at Quirky to pull the burden of IT support off of the developers backs so they can focus entirely on development.

Aside from that, I am elated to be able to lend a hand in QA for the features and products that are coming down the pipeline. As an enthused tech hobbyist, I find myself dabbling in code quite often and have a good grasp on what is feasible. It is my hope that this combined with my longstanding role in the Quirky community, will allow me to offer the Tech Team an alternate vantage point, when planning, implementing, and testing new features/solutions.

While the official channels will remain your best bet when trying to pass along information or get in contact with the team, most of you know the best way to reach me directly is via Twitter: @bikr but you can also feel free to drop me an email: josh@quirky.com.

Hey Quirks, meet our new Head of Marketing, Bret!

Bret has been following Quirky since inception and couldn’t stand on the sidelines any longer. He has joined the team to ensure that Quirky and the community are at the forefront of any discussion about invention and innovation by using his considerable experience in all aspects of marketing, from digital/social media to strategic partnerships.

Prior to joining us, Bret helped grow New York and Boulder-based Action Marketing Group into one of the top experiential agencies in the world with a client roster including Ford, Pepsi, adidas, Moët Hennessy and Sony, among others. Before that, he worked on campaigns for AT&T, Coca-Cola and Home Depot. When he’s not in the office, you can usually find Bret seeking out the best lobster rolls in whatever town he happens to be wandering.

Courtney Theese was never much of a city girl. She grew up in the woods of northern New Jersey climbing trees, making forts and generally spending her time in the mud. This is probably where her love for running long distance along overgrown muddy trails stems from. Courtney’s craftiness and passion for getting messy led her to study industrial design at Rochester Institute of Technology. She has worked as a freelance designer, interned and worked as a designer at Cases by Source, and was a QDS intern. This experience in design will be helpful in her role as an Invention Ambassador, guiding inventors through the Quirky process. Courtney loves dinosaurs and Legos and in her free time, she enjoys running, rock climbing, and traveling all over the world.

Name: Jesse Hill

Hometown: Ithaca, NY

School: The Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA)

Inspirations: Music, long thoughtful conversations with strangers, individuals with stories to tell, being out of my element, a great sketch, Legos, and my family.

What makes him quirky: My incessant curiosity for discovering how things function.

Name: Gary Lien

Hometown: Taiwan

School: Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

Inspirations: My inspiration comes from observation. I love to go window-shopping and browse products on the Internet. Coffee is also my partner for creativity.

What makes him quirky: I’m an adventurer who explores anything fun in New York City.

Hi de ho, Quirky community! I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself, your newly minted Community Ambassador and humble servant. My name is Christopher Tran. I come from the Great State of California, aka the Best Coast*. In my spare time, I’m on a quest to find the perfect burrito in New York City. Unfortunately, I’ve already had to impose two moratoriums on this search due to crippling disappointment. In addition to wrapped food items, I love music, writing, and photography.

I’ve lurked around the Quirky community boards for some time and love how organic and amazingly committed all of you are to Quirky. This is a movement that I’m lucky to be a part of, and I’m extremely excited to be here and look forward to working with all of you!

If you see me around the forums, I am open to taking burrito joint suggestions and invitations to dinner. Seriously though, I can’t wait to help answer questions and solve problems.

*Author’s opinion only!

Greetings fellow Quirks! Allow myself to introduce…myself. I’m Bobby, aka R2. I’m absolutely thrilled to be a part of the Quirky team. Community members: I’ll be trying my absolute hardest to be a reliable resource for all your needs. If you have a problem, I’m your guy. If you have a question, I’m on it. Just want to chat about the final episode of Lost? I’ll be your constant.

When I’m not on the job, I can be found exploring New York City, looking for food and fun. I’m a writer, musician, moviegoer, and Emerson College alum. That’s right folks – I share an alma mater with Henry Winkler, Jay Leno, and Denis Leary. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to pick up all these names I just dropped.

Fun facts about me:
I once got picked to sing karaoke on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
I’m good at impressions. I do a mean Christopher Walken.
I’m pretty sure I invented this in 4th grade but somebody stole my idea. Ah!!

It’s great to (finally) officially meet you all. Don’t be a stranger!

Say hello to Andrew Erlick! He joins the Quirky staff as the first ever Invention Ambassador! (More about the role later.) He has always had an interest in consumer products and technology, especially in the electronics realm. During high school he worked with a home audio/visual company that hooked up homes and made ‘em smart, you know like being able to turn your lights on, raise your curtains, blast the music, and set the temperature in your movie room with a push of a button… all before getting out of bed.

He entered Binghamton University majoring in Electrical Engineering but after 2-1/2 years of study decided that wasn’t the career path for him. Going on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economic Analysis and a minor in Requirements Engineering, he is glad to have made the change. As a frat guy and Binghamton sports enthusiast, Andrew had no problem driving 9 hours to see the basketball team take on Duke in its first ever NCAA tournament birth (lost miserably). Go Bearcats!

After graduating college Andrew became an entrepreneur and started a laser light show company. Yeah, that’s right, LASERS. He could never get past the point of what Austin Powers did to the laser industry, “Freakin Laser Beams”. Luckily, once he found out about Quirky, he decided to drop everything to join the team. I believe that brings the score to Quirky: 1, Lasers: 0.

Andrew’s experience in running a business and pushing inventions (yes, laser inventions) through a series of complicated processes makes him a natural to represent inventors’ ideas to the Quirky team. Let’s all give him a hearty welcome!

As General Counsel, Charlie handles everything related to intellectual property, patent protection, and legal matters for Quirky. Before joining the team, he served as Intellectual Property Counsel for Barclays Capital and previously Lehman Brothers, where he was responsible for all intellectual property matters globally. Prior to Lehman Brothers, Charlie worked in the Intellectual Property Group at the New York office of Clifford Chance, one of the world’s leading international law firms. He received a degree in civil engineering from the University of Virginia and a law degree from Cornell Law School. A third-generation Brooklynite, Charlie is that rare New Yorker who’s both a Giants and Mets fan, but also follows Nascar and UFC. He is obsessed with NYC real estate, unhealthily follows global financial markets 24/7, loves mid-80s to mid-90s hip hop (especially Wu-Tang), and enjoys hanging with his wife and dogs.

John applies his craftsman-like qualities to the domain of 3-D design and engineering. Previously, he was a Senior Design Specialist at SMART DESIGN, where he helped to create iconic, award-winning, patented products for brands like OXO, Shell Black Magic, Pure Digital, Logitech, Zune, Corningware, and Pyrex. As a strategic consultant, John has also worked around the world to bridge the gap between design and engineering for such clients as Airbus, NRC-Canada, Ford, GM, Piaggio, Pininfarina, Design Partners, Canon, and Seiko. In addition, John has spent over ten years in the design and development of paradigm-shifting applications in 3-D Surfacing and Visualization at PTC and UGS. Through his theoretical and practical pursuits, he has helped to evolve modern 3-D technology and its applications worldwide. John holds both a Bachelors and Masters Degree of Science in Manufacturing Engineering from Boston University. He took the SAT at age 12 and hand writes his notes, always in black ink and preferably with an ultra-fine point Sharpie. Other passions include hand-ground coffee, LBV ports, Rosso di Montalcino wines, insignias, and incandescent lights.

Hey guys and gals!

My name is Andy Garcia (not the actor). I’m the newest addition to Quirky, and I’m pumped as heck about it. I proudly hail from northern New Jersey — but I don’t sport a fake tan, have abnormally large muscles, or own an Ed Hardy t-shirt. I’m a pretty normal dude actually. I’m a lover of independent music of all genres, I play electric guitar, I’m a hobby photographer, and I’m a deep thinker. Last important tidbit: I’m a 2009 alum of The College of New Jersey and I miss it so much — Go Lions!

So, I’ve been brought on to the Quirky team as a Community Ambassador, and I’m excited to interact with the community and be a witness to the awesomeness that the community (along with the Quirky team) is creating. I’m honored to be a part of this movement and I’m looking forward to the challenges and rewards that the work will bring!