LOS ANGELES

Jessica works on user interface (UI) frameworks for the Apple Vision Pro operating system, visionOS. “We’re working on an entirely new platform — you can’t get more exciting than that.”

In addition to her engineering background, Jessica is also influenced by her passion as a painter. “When most people look at an object, they tend to see it with some pre-conceived notion, but artists will likely find another perspective, then work to form a new expression based on that. This is very core to who I am personally. And professionally, because that’s what I do as an engineer: innovate on novel experiences and interactions.”

So it’s no surprise when Jessica notes another parallel: “In painting, I’m a fan of classical realism, and Apple’s level of craftsmanship and attention to detail aligns with that. The care is just astonishing. In my own work on the Apple Vision Pro user experience, I appreciate our high standards for detail, colour, animation and design.

“Before this Apple position, I played major roles in a couple of successful startups, but there’s nothing like being part of a talent community as deep and wide as Apple’s. We have direct access to top experts in their fields. You can actually talk to the person who engineered important technology that you’re trying to understand. I love that. It’s illuminating. As an engineer, I think Apple’s culture gives us the freedom to explore together, and that leads to innovation.

“There are lots of smart people in tech, but at Apple they’re also super-humble — and that’s a rare combination. The attitude isn’t ‘I’m right and you’re wrong.’ It’s more like ‘Oh, you must know something I don’t, so this is a chance for me to learn something.’ That openness really boosts collaboration, which is one of the most important ingredients for building the best teams with the best people.”

In her latest role here, Sydney manages partner communications for the Apple Music Content Programs and Activations team. “We focus on original and live content campaigns. I’m leading initiatives for some of our favourite recording artists, helping them expand their stories, as only Apple can. We have so many ways to elevate their work by teaming with folks across Apple’s services teams.”

Collaborating with such a wide range of teams has helped Sydney discover new opportunities. “I’ve built relationships with people in so many lines of work at Apple. After starting here over 10 years ago as an administrative assistant, and then growing along with Apple Music, I’ve had five different roles — I think it’s impossible to get bored at Apple.

“I think one reason you can meet so many people here is that Apple is organised horizontally, so we’re more collaborative across teams. We really depend on each other, and that removes barriers to dialogue — with leaders too. That kind of access also has led to mentorships for me, both formal and informal, and that’s been so helpful.”

Sydney grew up in New York — Brooklyn, to be precise — so she’s no stranger to the excitement of big-city living, but she’s found both professional and personal reasons to build her life in Los Angeles. “For what my team and I do, there’s no better place to be, with our finger on the pulse of culture and the creative industry. LA just has this unique balance of inspiring energy and reflective, calming spirit.”

As a new mum, Sydney is a fan of the area for other reasons. “We enjoy the outdoors here all year round. I’m always telling people you can even swim at the beach and ski in the mountains in the same day. It’s going to be a fun place to raise a family.”

“As a teenager, as much as I wanted to be an award-winning video and music producer, I could see the creative possibilities of the digital tools I was using for those pursuits.” The phrase award-winning wasn’t far off: today, Justin is part of the Apple TV team working on a product that’s won an Emmy Award for technology and engineering.

He was attracted to Apple’s commitment to thriving at the intersection of arts and technology. As a product manager for the Apple TV app, Justin is deep into both worlds. “I’ve got creative skills and tech skills, but it’s empathy that allows me to succeed on this team. The engineers know I understand the tech challenges, and the designers know I understand the creative process.”

After an earlier Apple role, Justin had left to work elsewhere, but when he came to a crossroads, he returned to the intersection. “The arts and tech combo is what drew me in the first place, and it drew me back. It impacts the products 100 per cent, and it’s also celebrated in inspiring ways. For instance, our team gathers weekly in our creative library to listen to vinyl records through a warm tube amp and share what we love about the music. Bonding over shared interests in a creative setting allows our humanity to shine through, which is crucial for effective collaboration.

“As a personal passion, I’ve done music creative direction for video projects, and sitting just a few doors down from me here, people are doing that for Apple TV+. So we get to talk about this stuff all the time — how great is that?

“At Apple, and in Los Angeles, I’ve never felt so much anticipation about what’s around the corner for me — sometimes literally. You’re bound to run into a kindred spirit, and that leads to beautiful things.”

Montse came to the US when she was five years old and growing up in Los Angeles it wasn’t long before she developed a connection with one particular pairing of entertainment and technology: “TV really helped me learn English. Then I actually did TV commercials for years as a kid, and now I’m one of the marketing leads for Apple TV+, working on our scripted series like Ted Lasso, Shrinking and Lessons in Chemistry.

“Though I went to college on the East Coast, I came back to LA because there’s always been so much production happening in LA, and there are so many career opportunities in TV here. It’s important to be located where the action is while creating the advertising — not only for day-to-day meetings, but also for visiting the shows on set, in studios or on location.”

Los Angeles is known for its variety of cultural communities, and after starting her career in Hispanic broadcasting, Montse was glad to have a sense of belonging at Apple too. “As our LA marketing team started to grow, I helped found a chapter of Familia, one of our Diversity Network Associations. We work to develop professionally by building connections, growing through learning and supporting with mentorships. Mentoring Apple colleagues has been super-rewarding for me. Of course, we also love building community with cultural events, when we come together for food, drink and dancing.”

Whether it relates to her Familia community, Ted Lasso fans or when she learned a language from TV as a toddler, communication has been a connecting theme for Montse. That includes her public policy studies at university: “I realise now that my degree was about creating a message that advocates a concept for hundreds of millions of people. In a sense, that’s what my work is about today — using communications to bring something great to hundreds of millions of people.”