This is the tenth post in the 2017 FastMail Advent Calendar. The previous post was about managing a lock on non-existent rows. The next post takes a look at our files support with Dropbox.
The next victim in our series of team profiles is David Gurvich.
Name: David Gurvich
Role: Marketing
Time working for FastMail: 2.5 years
What I work on
I work on marketing. What does that cover? I look at all the customer touchpoints, which when I came on board was just the FastMail product, but that now extends to our full product suite. As someone with a less technical background than many of the team, I try to represent the everyday user.
I work on the websites and videos. I write customer communications, develop partnerships and sponsorships, and provide strong coffee recommendations.
How did you get involved with FastMail?
I'd actually been a FastMail user for about 10 years. One day I happened to be reading the FastMail blog when I read the job ad for a technical writer. While I interviewed for that role, FastMail felt they could make better use of my marketing experience and built a new role for me to help spread the message of their email excellence to the world.
What’s your favourite thing you’ve worked on this year?
The CoinJar customer story video.
I like telling the human story: that's where our product really shines. I'm passionate about finding out how we help everyday people. The CoinJar story explains how we help a company grow their business through providing reliable email.
What’s your favourite FastMail feature?
I use the search functionality all the time, both in basic mode and the advanced search. It makes finding email easy, and fast.
I also use the rules a lot: they make my inbox less overwhelming!
What’s your favourite or most used piece of technology?
My phone! Podcasts and photos fill my phone.
What’s your preferred mobile platform?
iOS. I tried Android once but I had to go back.
What are you listening to / watching these days?
I am a huge fan of podcasts which brighten my long commute.
- Conversations with Richard Fidler on ABC.
- Actually lots of podcasts by the ABC.
- I like listening to interviews with people.
- Swimming / fitness content.
Music-wise, I enjoy chillout music and 80s Australian Rock.
I also enjoy cooking and food shows.
Cooking
My favourite dish to make is slow cooked ribs. I'm also on a mission to perfect my pizza dough.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I like to stay fit with cycling and running: this lets me eat all the great food!
Any FM staffers you want to brag on?
Nicola, who also has a passion for words. She's great at explaining to customers how wonderful our products are.
Rob N who, from day 1, has been patient, giving freely of his time to explain anything and everything. He doesn't realize how good he is at marketing!
Jamie and I met each other years ago, and I enjoy working with him so much, I got him to apply to work with us at FastMail.
What is your proudest moment at FastMail?
Every day being part of a team with a company that's growing and building a great future. It's such an exciting journey shaping the future of email!
... And beating Jamie at Go-Karting.
You can also find David on Twitter at @dgurvoir