About us

The short version:

After a rewarding career in one of the world's largest multinational corporations writing everything from computer programmes to video scripts, S. K. Harrington set up Aproprose in 2003 near London, England to focus on creative writing and enhancing websites for small businesses.

The long version:

Birth: Maternity nurse inks foot and stamps birth certificate. A lifelong love of writing begins.
Age 6: Teacher keeps poems and reads them out at author's wedding reception 17 years later.
Age 15: Edit school newspaper The Savage.
Age 16: Write and direct Nativity Play Oh Holy Night performed in churches and on television.
Age 19: Begin career at IBM in Palo Alto, California. Prepare sensitive documents for major clients, some of which become competitors when Silicon Valley emerges in future years.
Age 21: Stop counting birthdays.

Technical

Develop multi-million dollar software programme to manage large computer networks in the pre-internet age.
Write technical manuals and educational materials to support the software.
Transfer software project to Dallas, Texas. Become its international spokesperson, writing and presenting technical and marketing papers for symposia and seminars.
Write bespoke poems for promotions and retirements.
Transfer to IBM Telecommunications Division in London. Adapt software for use in European computer networks. Learn British English.

Marketing

Secondment to IBM Research Laboratory near Nice, France (tough assignment!). Write and present marketing briefings to international customer executives. Develop a world-class demonstration suite to complement the briefings. Write scripts, brochures and other marketing collateral. Train international speakers to give briefings in six languages. Write and produce video used around the world.
Translate French IT articles into English.
Back in the UK create "IBM - Business is our Middle Name" suite of video, demos, marketing presentations and brochures showing benefits of IT to small business.
Complete postgraduate Diploma in Marketing (DipM) with distinction. Become Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCIM) and Chartered Marketer. Prepare worldwide marketing materials for launch of IBM eServer brand.
Co-publish Launching and Re-launching High Technology Products (Technovation, Pergamon, 2002) with Christopher Easingwood, Professor of Marketing, Manchester Business School.

Bringing it all together - Aproprose

Become frustrated with out-of-date info on websites. Leave IBM and establish Aproprose. Master high-quality web development techniques. Build partnerships with web designers and web marketing specialists.
Create websites and write copy for charities, small businesses, leisure industry.
Add poetry, short stories, press commissions and scripts to body of work.
Complete Diploma in Literature and Creative Writing with distinction.
Work with Surrey Libraries
Win National Novel Writing Month by crafting 50,000 words of a novel during November 2012.
Complete Oxford Continuing Education course Writing Young Adult Fiction.

We choose Aproprose because we enjoy what we do. Our clients choose us because we're good at it.