Tell us about your job at fredflare.com.
Basically I am the go-to girl for all of your funbot needs. No, but seriously, I’m the tech girl. I make sure everyone functions on a daily basis… Doctor Julie, if you will. Recently we have thrown a little video editing in the mix and I’m totally loving that! I edited a bit back in college and was really itching to get back into it. I’ve been editing those cute little podcasts you have seen since December! I also manage our Amazon boutique! What else…. Oh yes, I am becoming a Dreamweaver pro to help bring you those amazing weekly ecards. Keith does all the artwork and he constantly impresses me with all that goodness he comes up with! My typical day consists of tons more nerdy things… but we could be here a while. SO yes, let’s just leave it at that. I am Doctor Julie and I have a good bedside manner!

How did you come about working here?
I’m originally from the Philadelphia area but I always knew I would end up in New York. Right after I graduated college I was playing the job hunt game. A friend of mine saw a position listed on the website and I jumped on it! I mean, come on, how much fun does it look like to work here!?! I drove in from Philly and was sooo incredibly nervous. At that time Charles had just kicked off this department so I was interviewing to be his assistant. Chaz and I totally hit it off. I think my interview lasted 2 hours!! Shortly after I began the big move to NYC.

How do you like living here so far?
I have to admit it really was not too much of a transition for me. I have a lot of friends that have lived here for a while so they kind of showed me the ropes! Learning the subways was tough at first, though. I was always so scared of getting lost. I have the worst sense of direction ever! My best friend Alex is a human map and she always makes fun of me. It is no joke though – I’m really bad! But yeah, I landed this sweet gig right away and before I knew it I was working in New York without a place to even live! Luckily my friend was kind enough to hand over his keys and let me play housesitter for a couple of weeks. My new fred family was so amazing too. They really made me feel relaxed and at home. I have been here for almost a year now and I absolutely love living in New York. Spring in this city is my favorite!

You call yourself a nerd. What is your favorite nerdy website?
Umm, hellooooo gizmodo.com! And yes, Mac is definitely my computer weapon of choice. I still use my little iBook and I would not have it any other way. I am pretty attached. Well, unless you want to buy me a new MacBook Pro… in black… Anybody, anybody?

So what is it with this nickname you have?
I honestly do not really remember the exact day it came about. I know everyone would make fun of me and say I was soooo super sweet on the phone with people… I do have a pretty soft and quiet voice. And then I think one day some supplier totally pissed me off – whoops – and I gave them some MAJOR ‘tude which no one had ever heard from me before. Chris looked over and seemed kinda happy. I then said something along the lines of, “See! I can be a betch when I need to… Well, a sweet betch!” And so now I’m known around here as a “sweet betch”. Those that know me will tell you just how fitting this nickname really is! I’m happy with my title.

We hear this “sweet betch” has a sweet tooth. What’s your candy of choice?
I must say I am a fan of the gummies. Gummy candy is definitely the way to my heart! I’ve been cutting back recently but I need to relaunch that addiction! My grandfather loved gummy bears and used to always buy them for me when I was little. I think I just wanted to be like him!

Is it true this past summer was the first time you ever flew in an airplane!?
Yes, yes I know… Crazy, right? I mean when I was a baby I flew once or twice. That doesn’t really count though. I decided back in August to finally be brave. I flew out to California (home to Vanessa and Sammy Joe, shout out alert!) and I kept saying how bad I was going to feel for the people sitting next to me. It wasn’t that bad at all though. I think I could pretty much be a pro traveler now. Australia anyone?

Do you have any strange rituals?
Actually I currently have an “eating blanket” on my couch. I really like coming home from work and making a big dinner – I find it really relaxing – and then I curl up in a ball on the couch to eat it. My roommate makes fun of me because without fail I wrap this blanket around me and usually drop food all over myself! She started calling it my “eating blanket”. It has chocolate and pasta stains on it but I love that thing! Us little girls can eat a lot too! One day I will have a big dining room table… but until that day comes my “eating blanket” works pretty well!

What is the craziest thing that has happened to you in your time working at FF?
Today was probably the craziest of the craze. As most of you know, we recently moved to our new home in Greenpoint. Have I mentioned yet how much I love Greenpoint? No? Well, yeah, I love it! Anyway, I think my life just flashed before me. Here at fredflare.com internet equals survival and our lifeline was cut down! I came into work this morning to find our cable dangling outside of our warehouse building. It was hanging over the street! I quickly got on the phone with the internet company to let them know they needed to get their butts out here asap to fix this – the sweet betch defs came out – and as I was on the phone with them I see this HUGE sanitation truck barreling down the street. Needless to say that big guy wiped out our lifeline completely! Jen said she’d never heard me scream so loud.

Any final thoughts?
Optimism gets you far. Just be cool, relax, mix in a bit of sass at times, laugh a lot, and you’ll be set for life… or something. Please email me at julie@fredflare.com. I’d love to hear from ya!

04/2007