2001 – 2023
Web developer, colleague and friend.
Jack Gilbert sadly passed away in his sleep on 31st May 2023. Jack had worked as a web developer for The Studio 4 for the last 4 years.
He arrived as a fresh faced 17 year old on a web and software development apprenticeship. He fitted in with the team straight away and was always a hard worker and eager to learn.
His first job was managing the regular eBulletins we send out. This helped with his communication and organisation skills and he quickly became a valuable team member for both The Studio 4 and our sister company TSP Media.
Within the first 12 months of his employment Jack, like us all had to struggle with the challenges of Covid and the office remained shut for many months. This did not hamper Jack and he quickly got to grips with the online chat and video calls, as well as pushing on and completing his apprenticeship course. He was pivotal during these difficult months and despite his young age, performed beyond his years.
Once Jack had mastered creating eBulletins, website development quickly followed, many of these being in WordPress to start with but more recently had started to code in Laravel, following in his Dads footsteps who is also a web developer.
There are probably upwards of 60 sites that Jack was involved in during his time with us. His code will remain on those websites for as long as those clients remain with us so he will always have a place on the internet where he loved to be.
Jack was a quiet lad but at office parties he would quickly come out of his shell and often be seen walking back from the bar with a tray of shots! Despite his quiet nature he had become far more involved in meetings in recent months, discussing eCommerce sites with clients, App development, even fixing clients printers. Jack was always someone who people quickly warmed to and no one, staff or colleagues, ever spoke badly of him.
Jack had also gone from apprentice to mentor as we welcomed Sam in 2022. Sam completed the same apprenticeship as Jack and Jack was more than happy to pass on his knowledge and help Sam through his course. Along with Justin their team leader, they were quickly becoming an indispensable trio who could have quite easily developed together for many years.
Outside of work Jack liked gaming but more recently had got more into music. He had started to create his own ambient Drum and Bass tracks and enjoyed going to raves in Birmingham and further a field. Jack was planning to go to a rave in Nottingham just before he passed.
In memory of Jack we will be looking to raise money for Air Ambulance in the coming months and are planning a fundraising event in October which was the month of his birth.
The picture is of Jack’s Motherboard which is out of his computer and will remain in the office as a memory of him. The other picture of him was his “meet the team” photo. Jack rarely dressed like this and had not worn a shirt since Covid. Despite the top half being smart, he was probably still wearing jeans and trainers below.
Jack was liked by all our staff and his subtle sense of humour and love of life shone through in his personality. He will always have a special place in our hearts.
