Interview with Mark Brown, Founder and CEO of Editors Keys

Lifestyle - Interview

by Mehmet Kaplan

When there are too many shortcuts to remember while using a software, they are mostly useless, although they are very useful. At this point, it really makes our life easier if we know what shortcuts are. Mark realized this need and designed the keyboards and keyboard covers that the user could easily see the shortcuts that make the hundreds of pixel mouse movements unnecessary. In order to learn more about keyboards that make users' life easier, I talked to Mark Brown, Founder and CEO of Editors Keys. Enjoy this interview and use the shortcuts that save you time.

Mark, before start talking about Editors Keys, could you tell us about your background and industry experiences?

So I'm 35, from a little English city called Norwich (which is where Editors Keys was born) I started out in television and always loved video editing.

How did you come up with Editors Keys idea? What inspired you?

Well when I dropped out of university, I started my own production company and saved up every penny I had for a new PC for editing to get started... The final thing I wanted was an editing keyboard, however, they were over £350 / $450 USD at the time! I thought there had to be a way to transform your own keyboard and at the time there wasn't. So I and a friend decided to design a special type of sticker which could go over your own keyboard. (mainly for ourselves.) We sold the excess ones on eBay and people loved them, so it all started there! We now make actual keyboards and have sold to almost all of the worlds top movie and tv studios.

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP KEYBOARD

Could you tell us about Editors Keys?

The idea behind an Editors Keys keyboard is that it helps you edit much faster by showing you all of the keyboard shortcuts right at your fingertips. When you're in a program like Final Cut, you don't need to type, so it makes sense to have all of those program shortcuts in front of you. Microsoft carried out a study some years back which showed using keyboard shortcuts increased productivity by over 40%.

The keyboards are also great to type on, so even if you are just after a better keyboard, an Editors Keys is a great choice.

We also make a selection of keyboard covers for MacBook Pro's and iMac keyboards too.

How many different products do you offer under Video, Audio and Design styles? What are their common features?

We have around 200 products however these are mainly variations of the same product (so, for example, we have a Photoshop keyboard for PC, a Photoshop Keyboard for Mac, then the same keyboard in multiple languages for users around the world.)

We also sell a wide range of recording gear which is broadcast grade but very very easy to use. We just wanted to create 'no hassle' gear. The kind of thing you can just plug in and it works.

LOGIC PRO KEYBOARD

Could you tell us about keyboard covers? What type of computers is compatible with your covers?

So we make keyboard covers for all of the Apple MacBooks, iMacs as well as the Microsoft Surface as these computers are the most popular with video editors, audio producers and designers.

The covers offer all of the shortcuts as well as offer protection against dirt, dust, and spills.

What type of other products do you offer to your customers? Please tell us about your recording equipment and their features.

We started Studio Series around 5 years ago with the aim of making amazing quality recording products that were easy to use.

We often spoke to a lot of video editors, who were great at video and editing, but didn't know a lot about audio. They knew they needed to record some amazing vocals but just were not sure about the best way to do this.

So Studio Series was born! We now have a range of vocal booths, pop filters, headphones and more.

SERATO DJ KEYBOARD

Do you have any new designs on the drawing table? What should we wait?

We have a really exciting product in the works, however, I can't give anything away at the moment. Let's just say, it's going to be an industry game changer!

Social media has become an integral part of technology. How do you use social media for Editors Keys? How can our readers follow Editors Keys?

We have really started to go all in on social media and have now set up a video studio at our offices. Each week we're going to be putting out content to teach people how to make better videos, better songs and even how to improve their content for Instagram, FaceBook, and YouTube. @editorskeys

How can our readers buy Editors Keys? Do you have a worldwide delivery option?

Yes we can ship to almost any country in the world from www.editorskeys.com

Thank you Mark.

For more information, please visit website of Editors Keys

This interview was conducted in a Question-and-Answer format. The answers were checked for grammar and punctuation and published without any additional editing. Monday, August 27, 2018. All photos are the property of their respective owners.