It’s been a while since we’ve profiled one of our team members for our 20th Anniversary “Get to Know RCS” series, but the great thing about an anniversary is that you get to celebrate it all year long. This week, we spoke with programming guru Jeremy Torres, or JT as he’s better known around here. It wasn’t easy to get him to take a breather from coding, but we were finally able to lure him into the conference room for an interview with lunch. See what he had to say below; we promise it won’t disappoint.
When did your career at RCS start?
I started working at RCS in September 2005, almost 12 years ago.
At the time you joined RCS, what was a popular trend you remember?
It may not seem like much has changed in a decade, but when I joined RCS, it was practically the technology stone age: YouTube had just been introduced, Netflix was just for renting DVDs and Spotify was still in the distant future. A person might spend an entire day just updating their Myspace page to look better than their friends. Facebook was just that other site where you could connect with people that went to your school.
How did you learn about RCS and why did you ultimately accept a job with the company?
I was lucky in the sense that RCS found me. I had just graduated from college, was green and inexperienced but eager to take on the world. Somehow my resume ended up at RCS (thanks, monster.com!), and I was given the opportunity to “work” at a company where I get to go sporting events across the country, create graphics for live TV and play with computers all day. It was a dream job for this 22 year old rookie!
Tell us about your background.
I graduated from UC Irvine with a BS in Computer Engineering. RCS was my first job out of college, and I spent my first year here as the “IT guy.” Over the years, I started doing a bit of pinch hitting software development, then spent many late nights writing code and writing even more bugs! That’s when I uncovered my sweet spot at RCS. Now I’ve been given the opportunity to lead a team of amazing software engineers.
What have you learned while working at RCS?
Any problem can be solved with duct tape and WD-40.
If you had to describe your team in three words, what three words would you use?
Fearless, versatile and agile.
Tell us what a typical day looks like for you on the job.
Coffee, code writing, lunch (my favorite and most important part of the day), followed by more code writing.
Why do you enjoy working at RCS?
I like being part of a great team. Everyone suffers through rigorous requirements and crazy deadlines together, yet as a team we always figure out how to succeed. It’s always a great feeling at the end of a project to step back and see all of the hard work we put in to produce some amazing results. I also love that RCS thrives on trying exciting new things, and doing things even better than the last time; it never gets old. Then there’s the excitement I get heading into the unknown on a daily basis! Keeps me on my toes.
What advice would you offer to RCS clients?
Let us figure it out. We’re pretty great at figuring stuff out, especially the hard stuff!
Tell us about the places you’ve visited while at RCS.
At least half of the US, London, Milan, Melbourne, Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo.
What’s your all-time favorite RCS memory?
My first trip to Atlanta to support an NFL launch — but more specifically, my first trip to Cracker Barrel. It is hands down the greatest breakfast in existence!
Out of all the RCS projects you’ve worked on, which has been the most memorable, and why?
DTV Hotpass. It was the first Uppercut project that I personally worked on and an exciting culmination of so many things that we do well to boot– graphics, control, hardware and a whole lot of data — all wrapped up into one slick package. It was a “take literally everything you’ve learned so far and apply it” kind of project, which was really fun to do!
How has the technology you work with changed since you started at RCS?
Quite a lot. When I started, the iPhone didn’t exist and our laptops weighed 20 pounds. Now, there aren’t any more computers to lug around. I hear there’s some mythical cloud in the sky where all the data goes these days.
What is your all-time favorite movie, and what movie are you looking forward to seeing this summer?
All time: “Gladiator.” It’s a perfect movie. I’m looking forward to “Dunkirk.” I’m a huge fan of Chris Nolan these days.
In your spare time, what do you like to do?
In our spare time, my wife and I like to go to Disneyland. We’ve been annual pass holders for almost eight years, no to mention, we live five miles away from the Happiest Place on Earth, so why not? I also enjoy running, biking and watching the Dodgers win.
Who is your favorite sports team?
I have two favorites: The Dodgers and whoever is playing against the San Francisco Giants.
What is your favorite sport to watch, and to play?
I love watching baseball, especially if the Giants are losing. Basketball is my favorite sport to play.
If someone were to play you in a movie, who would it be, and why?
WALL-E…I hope computer animated robots count? Like me, Walls-E doesn’t say much, but the guy knows how to solve some technically complex problems and get stuff done.
What did you last Google?
Disneyland current crowd index. I’m that much of a Disneyland nerd… Some people look up sports scores, the stock market… I like to see how crowded it is at Disneyland right now.
What’s your favorite emoji?
Hmmmm…. need to think about this one for a minute… {inserts thinking face emoji here}… probably the thinking face emoji.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Why?
The chicken. Rather than thinking this one through, I figured it’s safe to take a guess with a 50 percent chance of getting it right.