About

Hello, I’m Brad.  I’m a 24 year old Austin resident and recent graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, where I received a Bachelor of Arts in the Plan II Honors Program (click here for even more information on the program and why its students are considered some of the brightest in Austin).  In addition to my Plan II degree, I had a concentration in Biomedical Engineering and took several classes from the McCombs School of Business.

Why the random assortment of classes?  I tailored my degree program to suit two of my passions in life: technology and writing.  Growing up in Dallas, I was a tinkerer at a young age, striving to take things apart and learn how they worked.  I grew up around computers and became intimately familiar with both hardware and software.  Although I enjoyed my engineering classes, I really loved writing intensive courses.  Many engineering professors complimented me on my writing and suggested I pursue techical writing. Unfortunately, the University of Texas does not offer a major related to technical writing.  I decided to take relevant courses in the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Business and Engineering in order to establish the closest thing to one.  I am currently seeking employment as a technical writer or something similar.  If you have any advice, please contact me at brad[dot]temple[at]gmail[dot]com.

While at UT, I worked for three years as a Resident Assistant at the Dobie Center.  Every year, I looked over 35 residents and planned an end of the year function with a budget that exceeded $25,000.  Some of the more notable events that occurred during my tenure at Dobie include the pool deck catching on fire, a massive flood, and the death of John W. F. Dulles (an incredible man who relocated his office to Dobie after UT outlawed smoking in the 1960s).

In addition to my collegiate background, I spent a great deal of time in high school as a public speaker.  As a member of the National Forensic League and the Texas Forensic Association, I competed in Cross-Examination Debate as well as Extemporaneous Speaking for four years.  I was the captain of my high school debate team for three years and earned a Degree of Special Distinction in the NFL (including the maximum amount of points possible in Debate).  I enjoy using the critical thinking skills I developed over the last eight years to analyze issues objectively and in great detail.

In my free time, I engage my other passion: improvised comedy.  I took 18 weeks of improv classes at the Hideout Theatre starting in August 2006.  Shortly thereafter, I helped found The Starter Kit.  Shortly after forming, The Starter Kit won the Summer 2007 Austin Improv Cagematch, defeating seven other groups.  My improv troupe recently celebrated its second anniversary in April.  On average, we perform once a month at either the Hideout or ColdTowne Theater.  Last August, our troupe was selected to perform in the 7th Out of Bounds Comedy Festival.  In addition to shows with The Starter Kit, you can find me playing in the occasional Maestro, an elimination-based improv game show, at the Hideout on Saturdays at 10 PM.  In April, I was elected to the position of Managing Director for the Austin Improv Collective, a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering improvised theater in the greater Austin area.

My love of improvised comedy also extends to improvisation in general.  I decided to study the principles of improvisation during my senior year of college and even wrote my thesis about the effects of improvisation on modern organizational business structures.  You can view it here.