Matthew Crandall has been busy since he graduated from Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School. He got a computer science degree at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and worked for eBay for a time before leaving to focus on development for iOS, the operating system that iPhones and iPads use. Now, he’s back in Paris at Appy LLC, a company he helped found that makes iPhone apps. Crandall talks about what it’s like making video games and how Appy can help fight the trend of talented graduates leaving Maine for good.

Name: Matthew Crandall

Age: 29

Hometown: My father was in the Air Force and as a child we moved from time to time. Things settled down by my teen years and I was fortunate to be able to call South Paris my home while I attended middle and high school.

What have you done since graduating from WPI? I worked in California for a very well-known corporation. After that, I continued to work in California and then here in small teams specializing in Mac and iOS app development. Ever since Mac OS X Apple has had an amazing toolset available to developers, small teams can create amazing applications that can compete with huge corporations. Adobe Photoshop is an excellent example; a handful of quality Photoshop competitors exist for the Mac that are made by very small teams. Combine the power of the toolset with the reach of the Internet and a few people can create compelling applications that can reach users globally.

What brought you back to Maine? Family, and I missed Maine. California was just too far away.

How did Appy come into existence? Myung Kim and I had discussed doing something software related from time to time over the past few years. Schedules, office space and locations eventually synced up and Myung asked me if I would like to create a software company with him. Aaron Im and one other were interested in joining us and then Appy was formed.

Were there any unexpected challenges in creating Stack King? When we set out to design our first app we wanted to create something simple to get our feet wet. We discovered a deceptively simple game mechanic to build a game around. In order to make something we could truly be proud of, though, we had to dive in and create the best game with that mechanic that we could. We ended up taking our fun, little mechanic and wrapping it in exciting and diverse environments, adding Game Center Achievements and Leaderboards, and creating an online multiplayer feature. The result is Stack King; easy to learn but challenging to master. While most of it was an unexpected challenge, considering our original intention we are proud of the final product.

Are there any advantages to running a technology company in Paris? Any disadvantages? We have found that there is a lot of untapped potential in the people in the Oxford Hills area. Given how friendly the community is, we’ve been able to work with some amazing people, mainly on the music in Stack King. We look forward to working more with the wonderful people in the community. Unfortunately, we miss out in some ways by being so far away from the software communities of Silicon Valley or Texas, but that becomes less relevant as more and more business becomes conducted over the Internet.

What do you see Appy doing 5 years from now? Our aim for Appy is to continue to grow and compete on the global app stage while we become deeper embedded in it. No one in Appy is originally from this area, and because we were all drawn to here and love it here, we feel it is important for Appy to always have a presence in Oxford Hills. We know there is a lot of talent in this area. Instead of that talent leaving, we hope can make them a part of Appy.

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