About us
After a rewarding career in one of the world's largest multinational corporations writing everything from computer programmes to video scripts, we set up Aproprose in 2003 near London, England to focus on creative writing and enhancing websites for small businesses.
The long version:
- Birth: Maternity nurse inks foot and stamps birth certificate. A lifelong love of writing begins.
- Age 7: Teacher keeps poems and reads them out at author's wedding reception 15 years later.
- Age 15: Edit school newspaper The Savage
- Age 16: Write Nativity Play, which is performed in churches and on television.
- Age 19: Begin career at IBM in Palo Alto, California. Prepare sensitive documents for major clients, some of which become competitors when Silicon Valley emerges in future years.
- Age 21: Stop counting birthdays.
Technical
- Complete IBM computer programming school in San Jose, California with distinction. Develop multi-million dollar software programme to manage large computer networks in the pre-internet age.
- Write technical manuals and educational materials to support the software.
- Transfer software project to Dallas, Texas. Become its international spokesperson, writing and presenting technical and marketing papers for symposia and seminars.
- Write bespoke poems for promotions and retirements.
- Transfer to IBM telecommunications division in Portsmouth, England. Enhance software for use in European computer networks. Learn British English.
Marketing
- Secondment to IBM research laboratory near Nice, France (tough assignment!). Write and present marketing briefings to international customer executives. Develop a world-class demonstration suite to complement the briefings. Write scripts and other marketing collateral. Train international speakers to give briefings in six languages. Write and produce video version of the demonstration used around the world.
- Back in the UK create "IBM - Business is our Middle Name" suite of video, demos, marketing presentations, brochures showing benefits of IT to small business.
- Complete postgraduate Diploma in Marketing (DipM) with distinction. Become Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCIM) and Chartered Marketer. Prepare worldwide marketing materials for launch of new IBM eServer brand.
- Co-publish Launching and re-launching high technology products (Technovation, Pergamon, 2002) with Christopher Easingwood, Professor of Marketing at Manchester Business School.
Bringing it all together - Aproprose
- Become frustrated with out-of-date info on websites. Leave IBM and establish Aproprose. Back to programming school to learn new techniques for developing websites. Build partnerships with web designers and web marketing specialists.
- Expand writing to leisure industry and charities.
- Complete year-long course in Creative Writing at Open University with distinction.
- Add short stories and poetry to body of work.
We chose Aproprose because we enjoy what we do. You should choose Aproprose because we're good at it.