The oldest of three children, I was born in Doylestown in January, 1975. Early in my childhood, my family moved to Philadelphia, where I attended Catholic elementary and high school.

I first experienced the Macintosh during my elementary years. A friend of mine had a Mac Plus, and we had a IIgs at school. My first computer at home was a PC, and my second was a TRS-80. With each of these, I mostly played games and wrote small games of my own.

In 1993, I entered West Chester University (WCU) to study criminal justice. However, after about a semester, I was drawn toward my love of art. I changed my major to studio art, and focused on graphic design and painting, receiving a painting scholarship. I once again had the opportunity to work with Macs, using Photoshop, Illustrator, and Quark in my graphics classes. As I learned how to manipulate images and graphics, I knew this was where I belonged, and purchased my first Mac, a PowerPC 7100.

As a freshman, I met my wife Jenifer, who was majoring in Music Education. In May of 1996, we had our first child, Elizabeth, moved to Downingtown, and I began working for Mellon Bank. Jen and I both remained full time students. I was also interested in television and video, so I enrolled in some instructional media classes, and did an internship with a company that produced shows for TLC and the Discovery channel.

In 1997, I graduated from WCU with a BFA in Studio Art and a minor in Instructional Media. That summer, Jen and I were married, we moved to Phoenixville, and in the fall, I took a job in the Advertising Production department at TV Guide Magazine. Throughout the next year, I worked, Jen took classes, and in 1998, she graduated.

At TV Guide, my first job was working on a PC, inserting times and channels into ads appearing in different television markets. I was in the right place at the right time for an amazing opportunity. In the scanning department, ads were being manually scanned, a very tedious and time consuming process, with a lot of limitations. We were being pressured to accept ads digitally, which we were not able to do. A single computer was set up in the scanning area, and an AppleScript-based method for ads to be processed digitally was introduced.

At the time, I knew nothing about AppleScript, but was eager to learn. I worked my way into the digital area, improving and expanding the workflow, and teaching myself AppleScript. I formed an AppleScript users group, now known as the Philadelphia Area AppleScript Users Group (PAASUG), in order to network with other AppleScript developers.

I became very proficient with AppleScript, and began automating many areas of Advertising Production, saving the company money and allowing advertising revenue to increase. During my time with TV Guide, as a direct result of the automation that I implemented, advertiser volume increased by over 20,000 ads per year.

I was asked to join TV Guide's IT Department, making me a full time AppleScript developer for the entire company. I also devoted time to educating people about AppleScript. I spoke about TV Guide's use of AppleScript at events like Seybold Seminars and Macworld Expo. I taught local AppleScript classes, and authored an "Introduction to AppleScript" training CD for The Virtual Training Company.

In 2000, I left TV Guide to pursue a career with a small company that offered the ability to do AppleScript consulting full time, while working remotely from home. Jen and I bought our first home in Phoenixville, and in December 2001, our second daughter, Madeleine, was born.

I worked on AppleScript-related projects for a variety of clients, including Adobe, the Associated Press, and BMG. However, I became unhappy with the management and structure of the company, and in February 2003, I left the company to set out on my own.

In March 2003, I announced Automated Workflows, LLC, a company offering AppleScript and workflow automation consulting services to Macintosh-based businesses. My company now provides services to a wide range of businesses of varying size, including Adobe Systems, Apple Computer, NASA, and PC World Magazine.

The formation of my company has allowed me to once again take on tasks that are fulfilling for me. I have become more involved in the Macintosh user group community. In addition to being President of the PAASUG, I rejoined MLMUG. While I am unable to attend very many meetings, I monitor the mailing list, and interact with MLMUG members frequently. I am also involved with MacBUS, and was nominated to serve on their board.

I regularly present AppleScript sessions at Macworld Expo and other events, and I travel to user groups to educate people about AppleScript. In 2003, I spoke to 14 user groups about the benefits of AppleScript. I contribute to MacScripter.net, one of the largest and most well known AppleScript web sites on the Internet, and I am the author of the "AppleScript Essentials" column in MacTech magazine.

Today, AppleScript is becoming more and more popular among Macintosh users. I look forward to spreading the word about AppleScript to even more Macintosh users, to continued success with my consulting firm, and most importantly, to a happy life with my family.

— Ben Waldie