Eric Groves

Principal

Lately Eric has been morphing into a cowboy. Not sure why. Probably a mid-life crisis — he’s at that age when guys like to change things up. One day he comes to the office looking all designerly and the next day it looks like he’s fixin’ to do chores on the back forty. Lots of funky western shirts with pearl buttons, occasional cowboy boots— haven’t seen a cowboy hat yet (thank goodness!), but we wouldn’t be shocked if he walked in one day sporting one. If he does, we’ll know the transformation is complete.

Ryan Parlee

Principal

Ryan has a brilliant mind…..most of the time. Yes, he’s as sharp as a tack when it comes to web architecture and he’s fluent in dozens of languages that only a computer chip could appreciate, but when it comes to every day, around-the-house smarts, well……not so much. You see, he once was teaching his young kids the intricacies of building smoke bombs and by the time he was done with his mini science experiment, half the kitchen was gone and six firetrucks came to visit the Parlee household. They did end up with a completely remodeled kitchen when all was said and done, and he claims it was all part of the plan.

Scott Helms

Principal

You probably recognize Scott from his performance in the movie “Whiteboyz.” No?! You’re kidding! Okay, it had a total box office draw of $33… but man, Scott really let his acting chops loose in this flick. The way he molded perfectly into the two-second background scene along with 35 other extras was impressive stuff! If they ever give an Oscar for best performance for a non-speaking, barely visible, leaning-against-a-wall, most-likely-never-to-be-noticed person in a terribly awful movie, the vote would have to go to Scott.

Caroline Altenbern

Digital Marketing Strategist

Over one hundred popular songs contain references to her name, but if you take our word for it, Neil Diamond was spot-on when he penned “Sweet Caroline.” Well, most of the time. You see, her sweetness could be up for debate, particularly on any day the “Black and Gold” are playing. Seriously, it doesn’t matter if the Hawkeyes are huddling-up or tipping-off, game day brings out a whole other side of this hippo. And, if they lose? Well, bad times never seem so bad. Lucky for us, we know how to turn this Hippo’s ‘Hmmmphs’ happy… granola, tacos and Activia. Weird? Maybe. But it’s not half as weird as the fact that this University of Iowa die-hard actually went to Iowa State! (OK. It was only one semester.)

John Anderson

Designer

Despite having a name that Tom Cruise might use to check into a hotel – John Anderson as a person contradicts his generic moniker. John is an accomplished musician who writes and composes ditties that sound like they’re right out of the 80’s…on purpose. He also has serious acting chops and was awarded the Iowa High School All-State Actor of the Year in 2004! With those sort of accolades, John is almost famous! Come to think of it, maybe John Anderson isn’t his real name after all.

Brad Argo

Brand + Marketing Strategist

Step into our office, and you might hear a faint jingle and the pitter patter of paws on hard floor. This is the sound of Brad’s dog, Pepper. It’s funny because Pepper is basically the dog version of Brad. They’re both friendly and will make you smile. They both have dark brown hair with a tinge of gray, and they both like to eat food out of the trash can. Just kidding, Pepper never does that! If you go anywhere with Brad, get ready to have random conversations with people, because he knows basically everyone. Oh, and don’t forget to challenge him to a game of just about anything. But, prepare to lose!

Lynn Cutshall

Hippo Engineer

Lynn lives for food. Seriously. We think the only reason he works is so that he can frequent the many fine dining establishments in the area. He’s developed a very sophisticated palette over the years and claims he can actually taste the difference between a chalupa and an enchilada from Taco John’s! Actually, he’s introduced our staff to a plethora of varied and interesting dining experience. If he could change careers he would love to be a critic of fine eateries and write a daily column for the Des Moines Register. He even came up with a snappy name for the column – “Lynn’s Guide for Avoiding Salmonella.” Hey, a man’s gotta dream!

Ash Duhautois

Web Developer

This Harry Potter enthusiast genuinely believes she didn’t receive her Hogwarts acceptance letter because Voldemort’s ministry destroyed muggle-born records in the 90s. She had her cat packed and ready to go, but alas, the long-awaited letter never came. So while she’s waiting to get lost in the world of witchcraft and wizardry, Ash works her magic in the muggle world of web code and video game development. She focuses on 2D programming and animation, but she’s slowly breaking her way into the 3D space. (We think Hogwarts just didn’t know how much talent was in this little package.) Word around the pod is maybe she’ll have better luck getting into Beauxbatons (she has been known to speak a little French when the mood strikes). Until she gets her letter, she’s definitely a keeper on our team.

Ashley Edwards

Office Manager

Ashley is very nice, smart and pretty, but she definitely has some quirks. For instance, she no longer wears closed-toe shoes because she says her toes were choking from “lack of oxygen” and that this in turn caused a chemical imbalance that resulted in random hiccups. I think I believe her because, until recently, she would periodically let out very loud, bark-like sounds that resonated throughout the office. They resembled hiccups, but smelled like socks. Now that the closed-toe shoes are gone, we’re all better off.

Annie Eischen

Designer

In Annie’s own words (most of them anyway):

I wear glasses with no prescription to make me feel smarter. (Hey, do what you need to do to up the I.Q.!)

I don’t put the worm on the hook, but I fish. (Hint: Don’t ever take Annie fishing.)

I adopted a beta whose name is Samari, Sammi for short. (The fish lived two days before dying of starvation – Annie wouldn’t touch the food.)

I drank un caffe latte every day for 5 months when living in Rome, Italy. (Oops! Can I help you pick that up — you dropped something!)

I sing conversations. As quoted by a co-worker, “Working next to you is like being in an opera. There’s drama, laughter and sometimes tragedy.” (It’s a regular Singspiel around here!)

I show up to work every morning with a smile. (And something up your sleeve!)

Brian Fiser

Director of Photography

Brian, aka Mr. Flip-The-Switch, graces us everyday with the biggest of smiles and most friendliest of demeanors. There’s just something about his aura when he walks in that makes you want to give him a big hug. For fear of litigation, I’ll stop there… do NOT hug this man. The only hug you’ll get from this collegiate wrestler is the air-stopping grizzly bear variety. But, if you do say “Uncle” quick enough, be sure to ask him about his multiple Emmy awards and his biggest passion outside of family, the wrestling team he coaches. You should also ask to see a picture of him in his wrestling singlet. Talk about a pin-up!

Kristen Hemmings

Strategic Storyteller

Have you ever hitchhiked before? Well, Kristen has. In fact, she was by herself while on her honeymoon in Hawaii when she stuck out her thumb to hitch a ride (don’t ask us where her husband was, we’re still not sure he exists). Hypothetically, if you saw Kristen on the side of the road, you’d probably pick her up because she’s just a really nice person. But buckle up! As your passenger she’d chat your ear off about the time she put a slice of pizza in a blender and drank the liquid remains. Yea, that happened. Or maybe she’d enlighten you with a few stories about her two guinea pigs. It’s these unexpected quirks that make us give Kristen a big thumbs up.

Kristin Killian

Account Manager

You know how sometimes you can tell what a person is like just by looking at them? Well, that is not the case with Kristin. By all appearances she’s a buttoned-up professional, but behind the petite, mild-mannered exterior lies a slightly twisted daredevil in heels. Let me paint the picture. She once felt the need to swim with sharks (yes, sharks…with pointy teeth!) Why, you ask? No, stinkin’ clue – I told you, she’s twisted. She also loves the horror flicks. “Slash and gore, give me more!” – that’s her mantra. Her favorite movie? “Jaws” of course.

Nick Mongar

Cinematographer/Editor

Fifth grade was a big year for Nick. That year, he was busy filming, editing and starring in the straight-to-VHS kung fu hit classic, Crouching Tiger Hidden Donkey. If his young start or career choice didn’t give you any indication, you could say Nick is a bit of a film buff. He can quote every line from the movie, Office Space. One time we gave him our broken printer and a baseball bat to see if he could reenact it too. We found out that his acting chops aren’t bad, and he can do a pretty decent impersonation of Chicago Cubs’ former radio broadcaster Harry Caray. Ok, it’s actually an impersonation of Will Ferrell’s impersonation of Harry Caray, but you get the picture.

Nathan Nader

Web Developer

Nathan’s last name is Nader. His favorite sports team is the Florida Gators (don’t ask us why…he’s from Wisconsin). But this last-name-sports-team-rhyme combination resulted in the glorious nickname, “Naderade.” And it’s not one of those nicknames that the person doesn’t like, either. Nathan has embraced the alias. If you email him, you might even be lucky enough to see his Naderade logo! The most ironic thing about this? Nathan isn’t a huge fan of the actual beverage, Gatorade. Maybe he should create a better-tasting competitive beverage named after himself.

Ryan Rogness

Digital Operations Manager

Design, programming, project management – Ryan can do it all. The dude’s got both sides of the brain going full-steam – right side, left side, right side, left side. His noggin’ is spinning away lie a two-sided hamster wheel. Apparently his cerebral hamsters thrive on caffeine, because the guy drinks more coffee than Juan Valdez on a promotional tour. he claims he can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under five minutes – my guess is that the hamsters are helping him out.

Rachel Shalla

Project Manager

Rachel fancies herself as being “rather crafty” and possesses a diverse set of yarn and fabric skills. She can knit, sew, cross-stitch, quilt and crochet. Give her a ball of yarn, some fabric, a couple needles and thread, and…whallah! A pot hanger! A tamborine cover! A leotard! There’s nothing she can’t do! Speaking of scarves…she has so many scarves in her closet that Steven Tyler once stopped by to shop. He picked out a nice pink number and Rachel threw in a couple of left-footed socks and a guitar pick that she had crocheted the day before – she’s just thoughtful that way.

John Shelley

Developer

Have you ever seen one of those musical contraptions where a person plays a bunch of different instruments at once? Picture it: a man with a thick handlebar mustache wearing lederhosen playing the harmonica, accordion, sousaphone and kicking a bass drum all at the same time. Well, with John’s musical talent, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him in a get up like that, performing on the streets of downtown Des Moines on the weekends. Instead of the weird instruments, his contraption would involve piano, guitar, bass and drums. So I’m not sure how that would work together…but he could at least start growing the handlebar mustache.

Cory Witt

Designer

Cory is a self-proclaimed music snob. His musical tastes are very eclectic and sophisticated. On his playlist you’ll find everything from classic jazz, blues, punk, new wave and alt country. What you won’t find (according to him), is anything pop or mainstream from the last 10-15 years. “Music has really gone down hill in the last several years!” he likes to say with his shiny white ear pods in. Interestingly enough though, I swear I saw him click on a Justin Bieber tune the other day when I walked by his desk. Later, when I pressed him on it, he said it was actually a little known song called “As Long As You Love New York” by Frank Sinatra when he was 10 years old…Wow! Who knew?!

David Woolf

Front End Web Developer

Lately David has been into a self improvement program, first with his mind – he’s been learning French (et j’en passe!). And also with his body – he’s been running like crazy and pumping iron. I’ve got to say, I do think he’s a little more buff than when he first started here, but I’m afraid it might be going to his head. I caught him the other day showing off his new and improved “guns” to one of our female co-workers. I’m not sure she was impressed though, as she replied “pas terrible!”. Surprisingly, David gave her a pleasant look, said “thank you!” and strutted back to his desk. Apparently he’s got a little way to go with his French.

Tang Xiong

Designer

Tang is sweet. We’re not talking about the orange drink. No, human Tang is kind to all, soft spoken and super artsy. While Tang has a nice and sweet facade, she’s basically an undercover badass. She once did an illegal hike in Hawaii on a trail called the “Stairway to Heaven.” She had to wake up at 2 a.m. to leave the trail so security wouldn’t catch her. Outside of work, you can find Tang camping, hiking or kayaking. She loves scary movies, and she’s pretty much not afraid of anything…except Chucky dolls.