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          This has been my motto as a digital creative. I refuse to settle for less simply because a better solution isn't available; I make my own. I believe technology gives every person the ability to do and create amazing things. Combined with the immense power of the Internet and a heavy dose of curiosity, the only limit is what you dare to acheive. And that is what Cerrax.com is all about.

          My name is Charlie Koch. Since 2005, Cerrax has been my online moniker for all of my creative endeavours. This website is where those projects are put on display for the world. From music and movies, to websites and video games, these are part of the world I am building.

SOFTWARE
Phylo Card Generator

In collaboration with ThinkColorful.org, this webapp allows you to create your very own deck for the educational nature card game Phylo. Featured in a talk at LibrePlanet 2021 as well as the Hackers & Designers Summer Academy 2021.

Corndog & Ketchup

A collection of Python modules for code documentation with wiki-like markup. All of the doumentation on Cerrax.com is generated by the Ketchup markup module.

Cerrax Display Library

A Javascript/CSS library for quickly and easily creating reponsive and dynamic website layouts. In fact, all of Cerrax.com is done with the CxDL!

Cerrax Cloud

A collection of useful apps for organization, such as a list app and personal planner.

TextTool 2

An HTML5/jQuery-powered text file filtering app. TextTool 2 uses regular expressions that can be color coded to make it quick and easy to scan a list of results and find exactly what you need.

Project CX

A lightweight project management and issue tracking web app.

Star Faux

A tech demo homage to the 1993 gaming classic, StarFox. This simple game engine was created from scratch in C++ using OpenGL and SOIL frameworks for macOS.

VIDEO
YouTube

Various videos including video game trailers, music videos, and other video editing projects.

Filmaka.com

Monthly short film contest in which our films (Crawlspace and InstruMental) were $1500 finalists!

Dawn Ave.

A 45-minute comedy about 4 roommates and 1 troublesome tree! (Contains some inappropriate language)

MUSIC
Bandcamp

Miscellaneous works (both original and remixes) that don't really fit under any specific category.

Overclocked ReMix

OCR is a community dedicated to the appreciation of video game music and features a tightly curated catalogue of high-quality remixes from the entire span of video game history.

Remix ThaSauce

ThaSauce provides a portal for news about video game music and their Remix site features remixes from a wide gamut of styles and regions.

The Missingno Tracks

A remix album from Overclocked ReMix features tracks from 18 artists and a website that I designed as well!

Maverick Rising

A 5-disc remix album feauring remixes of tunes from Capcom's popular Mega Man X series of video games.

CONTACT
Charlie Koch

Cerrax  is the moniker used by Charlie Koch to represent his work across many different disciplines of digital media and interactivity. Currently, Charlie is a Staff Software Engineer for Blackhawk Netowrk, where he maintains tools and workflows for their development pipeline and deployment operations.

EDUCATION
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science − University of Pittsburgh
graduated Magna Cum Laude in December 2014
SKILLS
  • Software Engineering
  • Graphic & Web Design
    • Vector & raster graphics
    • Page layout & website design
    • Web application design & programming
  • Music & Sound Production
    • Music composition & arrangement
    • Studio performance recording
    • Digital mixing and mastering
  • Digital Video Production
    • Video and production equipment setup
    • Digital video editing and effects
  • Team Work & Leadership
    • Collaboration in various disciplines: Music and video production, software design, system deployment
    • Management of small design & engineering teams
    • Employee training and documentation management
WORK EXPERIENCE
Staff Software Engineer − Blackhawk Network
November 2022 - Present

  • Design and modify development tools, CI/CD piplines, and business infrastructure for development tasks
    • Establish good development patterns by providing templates for common project types and languages
    • Provide clear instructions for the use of development tools via comprehensive documentation
    • Build and maintain workflows that automatically build, test, and deploy repos to Amazon Web Services
    • Maintain and iterate the CI/CD pipeline and infrastructure with necessary features and quality-of-life improvements
  • Implement in-house applications which improve overall development monitoring and use
    • Provide asynchronous, cloud-based solutions which integrate many different tools together in a single UI
    • Streamline development, testing, and deployment tasks with automation so that projects have a standardized process
    • Present and demonstrate new features and modifications to audiences with a mix of technical and non-techical personnel
Senior Project Engineer − Mountain Leverage
November 2021 - November 2022

  • Lead architect of the OpsWare Connect middleware solution
    • Manage a small team (4-6 developers) to develop, test, and continually improve the OpsWare Connect platform
    • Research cutting-edge technologies and industry standards to create a powerful and stable product
    • Full-stack development of a web application, backend server, and voice-directed application
  • All previous responsibilities at Speech Interface Design (company was acquired by Mountain Leverage in late 2021)
Senior Project Engineer − Speech Interface Design
January 2018 - November 2021

  • In addition to responsibilities as a Project Engineer:
    • Survey customer sites and meet potential customers to implement new systems and improve existing ones
    • Identify project requirements and write design specification dcouments
    • Provide leadership, mentoring, and technical expertise to other engineers
    • Investigate different and emerging technologies in related areas
Project Engineer − Speech Interface Design
November 2014 - December 2017

  • Design and modify software to interface between voice recognition systems and warehouse management systems
    • File-based and message-based data mapping in various formats (XML, CSV, flat files, etc.)
    • Coordinate data and logic between voice-operated devices and servers
    • Create and maintain relational database schemas and data
    • Provide powerful and efficient UI for visual interaction with voice systems
  • Create and maintain several in-house applications and tools used by clients, partners, and employees
    • Design, develop, and maintain data analytics application for client voice systems
    • Script tools for partners and employees such as a log parsing/analysis tool and data generation tools
    • Introduce new processes and tools such as code coverage and test-driven development
  • Install and implement voice software systems at customer sites
    • Remote and on-site installations and implementations across the United States and Canada
    • Coordinate with networking and other IT personnel as well as operational managers and site director
  • Provide support and training to users of the voice systems
    • Patches, upgrades, troubleshooting and training on-site and remotely
    • Lead on-site user acceptance testing and end user training on voice devices and software
Technical Consultant − University of Pittsburgh
August 2013 - November 2014

  • Provide technical support and service to over 40,000 students, faculty, and staff
  • Resolve software and networking issues on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iOS, and Android devices
  • Establish relationships with customers and help educate them on proper maintenance
  • Encourage teamwork and communication with coworkers to improve service and workplace
Computer Lab Consultant − University of Pittsburgh
August 2012 - August 2013

  • Maintain all printers, computers, and peripherals
  • Assist students with use and troubleshooting of printers and lab equipment
  • Advanced to Technical Consultant in 2013