Media
Meet the Team - 5 Minutes with Content Producer and Researcher Matthew Warner
July 2020
Join us as we sit down and have a chat with one of the Blockpass team to find out about them, their work, and their thoughts on blockchain technology.
Where are you from and where do you live now?
I’m from the UK, although I've spent some time in a number of different countries. I currently live just outside London.
What is your work background and how did you first get involved in Blockpass?
After leaving school I participated in the Year in Industry programme and was placed with DSTL before attending the University of Warwick to earn my Engineering degree. Afterwards I decided to pursue another path and worked as a SEN assistant in a school before taking a PGCE course with Buckingham University and training to be a teacher. Following this I changed direction once more and began writing for a couple of online cryptocurrency and blockchain news sites. Whilst I was working in the area I was introduced to Blockpass and shortly after, as Blockpass was preparing to launch, I was asked to join the team!
What is your role at Blockpass and what does a typical day look like?
I have a variety of roles and responsibilities at Blockpass which mostly includes researching, editing and writing articles and blogs; giving and covering presentations and talks; attending, assisting and hosting events, and a number of other duties. On a typical day I'll either be looking at bunch of sources for an article I'm writing, writing said article, or putting together the Blockpass newsletter.
What is something you’ve been proud of whilst working at Blockpass?
There are quite a few accomplishments that I’ve been proud of during my time at Blockpass - helping with the initial product launch, the Blockpass Identity Lab launch event, and a number of articles I’ve researched and written - but I think the thing I’ve been most proud of was an event in Gibraltar I attended as a speaker on behalf of Blockpass. The feedback on my presentation was some of the best I've ever received and even included a group approaching me at a different event months later to compliment me on my talk!
What do you think blockchain or crypto’s biggest potential is?
I think the potential of decentralisation to open up new markets, improve efficiency and enable automation is key. On top of that there are all the other opportunities it brings in revolutionising the way transactions happen and opening up an economy which can create opportunities for everyone, regardless of their social or political situation.
Where do you see the industry headed over the next 5 years?
Hopefully we’ll see the increased adoption of blockchain solutions and cryptocurrencies until they begin to be a normal topic of conversation rather than a novelty to the majority of the population. The huge potential benefits and opportunities they could bring are not yet being fully realised, so with any luck some of the amazing work being done in numerous areas will receive the recognition it deserves soon.
Which hobby or activity are you particularly enjoying at the moment and why?
At the moment I’m really enjoying RPGs - particularly Dungeons and Dragons (5th Edition) and Star Wars (Saga Edition). They’re a great way to be creative, tell stories and hang out with friends, and they seem to be enjoying a resurgence in popularity with some excellent streams like Critical Role, and more accessible game systems. A number of online methods of playing have also allowed my games to continue through lockdown here in the UK which has been a welcome relief to the isolation of social distancing.
If you could spend a day with anyone, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
The temptation to spend the day eating with Bilbo Baggins in Bag End is pretty high but I don’t think I could pass up the opportunity to meet Archimedes, the mathematician and engineer from Syracuse who lived in the third century BC. I'd love the chance to talk to him and find out how his mind worked, or maybe even hear about some of his findings and ideas that have been lost over the past couple of millennia. I’m sure if he’d been born in modern times he’d be working on blockchain and other cutting edge technologies.
I’m from the UK, although I've spent some time in a number of different countries. I currently live just outside London.
What is your work background and how did you first get involved in Blockpass?
After leaving school I participated in the Year in Industry programme and was placed with DSTL before attending the University of Warwick to earn my Engineering degree. Afterwards I decided to pursue another path and worked as a SEN assistant in a school before taking a PGCE course with Buckingham University and training to be a teacher. Following this I changed direction once more and began writing for a couple of online cryptocurrency and blockchain news sites. Whilst I was working in the area I was introduced to Blockpass and shortly after, as Blockpass was preparing to launch, I was asked to join the team!
What is your role at Blockpass and what does a typical day look like?
I have a variety of roles and responsibilities at Blockpass which mostly includes researching, editing and writing articles and blogs; giving and covering presentations and talks; attending, assisting and hosting events, and a number of other duties. On a typical day I'll either be looking at bunch of sources for an article I'm writing, writing said article, or putting together the Blockpass newsletter.
What is something you’ve been proud of whilst working at Blockpass?
There are quite a few accomplishments that I’ve been proud of during my time at Blockpass - helping with the initial product launch, the Blockpass Identity Lab launch event, and a number of articles I’ve researched and written - but I think the thing I’ve been most proud of was an event in Gibraltar I attended as a speaker on behalf of Blockpass. The feedback on my presentation was some of the best I've ever received and even included a group approaching me at a different event months later to compliment me on my talk!
What do you think blockchain or crypto’s biggest potential is?
I think the potential of decentralisation to open up new markets, improve efficiency and enable automation is key. On top of that there are all the other opportunities it brings in revolutionising the way transactions happen and opening up an economy which can create opportunities for everyone, regardless of their social or political situation.
Where do you see the industry headed over the next 5 years?
Hopefully we’ll see the increased adoption of blockchain solutions and cryptocurrencies until they begin to be a normal topic of conversation rather than a novelty to the majority of the population. The huge potential benefits and opportunities they could bring are not yet being fully realised, so with any luck some of the amazing work being done in numerous areas will receive the recognition it deserves soon.
Which hobby or activity are you particularly enjoying at the moment and why?
At the moment I’m really enjoying RPGs - particularly Dungeons and Dragons (5th Edition) and Star Wars (Saga Edition). They’re a great way to be creative, tell stories and hang out with friends, and they seem to be enjoying a resurgence in popularity with some excellent streams like Critical Role, and more accessible game systems. A number of online methods of playing have also allowed my games to continue through lockdown here in the UK which has been a welcome relief to the isolation of social distancing.
If you could spend a day with anyone, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
The temptation to spend the day eating with Bilbo Baggins in Bag End is pretty high but I don’t think I could pass up the opportunity to meet Archimedes, the mathematician and engineer from Syracuse who lived in the third century BC. I'd love the chance to talk to him and find out how his mind worked, or maybe even hear about some of his findings and ideas that have been lost over the past couple of millennia. I’m sure if he’d been born in modern times he’d be working on blockchain and other cutting edge technologies.