Who is darren mart, anyway?

Professional overview

My software development journey began in 1999 and Microsoft has been my home since 2006. Most of my focus is React and Redux for enterprise projects plus .NET Core and Azure for my own projects. To summarize my technical skills:

Technologies and Frameworks

Additional Expertise

Creativity is my strongest asset. When I'm not building software I'm creating and editing videos with Filmora, Camtasia, and Audacity. See the Videos section for examples.

Personal life

1975 - 1984

Born in the suburbs outside Philadelphia, I was an introvert stumbling my way through elementary school. Huge fan of ColecoVision, Hall and Oates, and wiffleball. At age nine I met my first computer — a TRS-80 Model III — and was profoundly intrigued by text-based adventure games.

1985 - 1992

I graduated to the Commodore 64, a remarkable machine that changed everything. I'd spend countless hours typing in programs from computer magazines and I was completely captivated by games like Maniac Mansion, Zak McKracken, Neuromancer, and of course, The Bard's Tale.

1993 - 1998

Just as the Internet's popularity began to explode, I headed off to college and connected with people around the world. Windows 95 was released and I fell in love with computers all over again. I used FrontPage to build my first web site. It was a horrendous mosaic of animated gifs.

1999 - 2006

My programming career was launched at a dot-com startup. A co-worker introduced me to EverQuest, inspiring me to delve even deeper into the mysteries of software development. Feeling stagnant in central Pennsylvania, I took a monumental leap and moved to the Pacific Northwest.

2007 - 2015

After landing a contract at Microsoft, I was promptly whipped into shape by some of the smartest people in the world. I developed tools for internal teams before traveling to France for several months. Upon my return to the United States I joined Microsoft Research as a full-time employee.

2016 - present

I'm living in Maple Valley, WA with my lovely wife Christina and two adorable kiddos, Kendall and Austin. When I'm not building software I'm learning French, creating videos, and playing with my dog Murphy. Most importantly: I'm always learning!

Get in touch

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