MEET THE TEAM: PHIL CHARNOCK PR AND COMMS

Q) What is your position in the SwapBots team?

My work involves marketing, communication and business development – so it’s all about introducing SwapBots to the world and explaining why it’s so cool.

Q) Is it challenging getting people to understand such a new concept in toys?

It is and it isn’t really. SwapBots is breaking new ground which means it’s difficult to communicate what it’s all about. However, it’s so exciting and once you see it in action it grabs your attention which makes my job easier. I would much rather be working with the latest technology and a new take on games and toys than trying to justify coverage for a derivative game that doesn’t stand out in the crowd.

Q) You are tasked with taking SwapBots out of the studio to events, what is the best one you’ve been to?

We have been fortunate to find ourselves exhibiting at way larger events than our status as a small startup would suggest, mainly thanks to our partners at HAX sorting out free stands or by being part of delegations as one of Tech North’s Northern Stars winning companies. Gamescom is certainly the biggest – a scarcely believable 400,000 people attend it – but I really enjoyed TNW in Amsterdam recently. The event was in Westerpark, a green space that lent the whole thing a festival-like atmosphere. John (Keefe, SwapBots co-founder) also attended Unity’s Unite conference in the same place; it beats the NEC! There are so many events on the tech calendar at the moment it’s impossible to see them all. They are proliferating as they are the antidote to the amount of time that people in this industry spend looking at screens, we all like to get out there and meet people instead of emailing.

Q) How did you get involved in tech and video games?

By accident! My involvement in tech and games came about by chance, but it turned out to be a world I’ve fallen in love with. I was a DJ, that led to writing about music, that in turn led to writing more generally. This eventually led to me working on a pioneering fitness tech product and it was here that I gained a fascination with innovation. Now I wouldn’t want to work in any other field; it keeps shifting, challenging and never getting old.

Q) So you were not really into games before working in technology?

No, quite the opposite – I was always playing video games, particularly during the ‘90s. Back then I thought that creating games was the sole preserve of boffins in lab coats working for Sega or Nintendo in Japan. With the relative lack of visible auteurs in games it was hard to see who was really behind the titles I was playing. Some of my favourite games were being made right here in Liverpool and it wasn’t until I was out of school that I realised this industry wasn’t a world away, it was on my doorstep. More importantly, it transpired that you didn’t have to be a whizz with programming or able to draw like Da Vinci to find a place in this industry – lucky for me!

Q) What is the best thing about working on SwapBots?

For starters, we have a talented team that it is a pleasure to work alongside every day. That has to be the best thing about the work, but I’m also driven by the potential of augmented reality generally. To have a product that is contributing to what could be the next big tech revolution is such a thrill.

Q) What is your favourite toy of all time?