Bradjward.com was launched in 2002 as a personal website designed to keep friends and family up to date. When I arrived to college at the University of Illinois at Springfield, the website turned in to a central hub for pictures and videos that took place in the dorm and around campus.
I then became an RA, I launched a new site called Twosouth.com, named after my wing. Pictures and videos went on that site from every event on campus, which saw hundreds of thousands of hits worldwide each year (this was pre-YouTube and Facebook). I integrated a forum into the site which served as a way for prospective students to ask questions about UIS and network with other current students, which was wildly popular as well. During that time my hobbies of photography and video editing took off, and I developed very strong skills in many software products.
I went on to graduate from UIS with a Bachelors in Business Administration and a minor in Management Information Systems. I joined the staff at UIS for 15 months as the Marketing and Recruitment Specialist, using my knowledge and abilities to help showcase the campus to the world.
Shortly after college another big event happened in life. I married my best friend, Jennifer. We have been happily married since 2006, and I treasure every day with her and our 2 daughters.
After my time at UIS I took a job at Butler University as the Electronic Communication Coordinator, where I continued to develop my skills and knowledge of the higher education world and social networking/media/marketing. I finished my MBA at Butler University in 2009.
In February 2009 I left Butler to launch BlueFuego, Inc. with my good friend and business partner Joe Gaylor. It's been a blast and we've seen success beyond my wildest dreams in the past 5 years.