Both credit RMIT with giving them some of the tools that have been key to their success since leaving university
MacRae in particular remembers Dr Charles Thevathayan at the School of Computer Science and Information Technology as being a key influence.
“Charles really gave us that trust to build our own projects and products. We got our industry experience not just as a cog in a machine, but as entrepreneurs doing our own thing – finding clients, building products for them, and then actually releasing apps,” MacRae said.
Thevathayan recalls MacRae as a student who had clear views that universities should not just be a place to impart knowledge, but an incubator of ideas for students with passion and drive.
“I encouraged Michael and his friend Henry to dream up the challenging multiplayer snakes-based game assignment for the Software Architecture course, which was subsequently displayed on our open day attracting many students to RMIT, Thevathayan said.
“We in the School of Science believe in promoting creativity and innovation at every level especially by empowering our students to participate in the process of setting assignments and projects that are engaging, exciting and challenging.
“RMIT will always continue to remain a cradle for innovation and creativity.”
MacRae and Shostak are passionate about giving Appetiser clients the best possible chance of succeeding in their market.
The goal is to be the number one product agency in the world, focusing on the intersection of design, technology and marketing.
“For us it is about getting a top spot in all three categories; we’re working really hard on design competitions, we’re working really hard on development standards, we have a massive curriculum for developers to learn and improve on an ongoing basis, and of course the same goes for marketing,” MacRae said.
“So much learning came from me and Jamie meeting – just realising what we were missing in our individual businesses and bringing it together.
“When a marketer works next to someone designing and building the technology, that creates opportunity.”
Story: Karen Phelan
