Press

Here's a short list of some various medias that have mentioned me or my work over the years.

  • Brooks ’03 takes advantage of unique opportunities posted

    Derek Brooks ՚03 breaks down the code to his personal growth. Take risks. Step outside your comfort zone to take advantage of unique opportunities... read more

  • Prairie Portrait: Derek Brooks of Modest Inc. posted

    Name: Derek Brooks  Title/Occupation: Founding engineer at Modest Inc. Age: 32.57 Hometown: Port Byron, Illinois Current city: Des Moines, Iowa Twitter: @broox Personal Title of my autobiography: "broox dot com" Thing I can't live without: Music. Always have music... read more

  • Des Moines duo who coded for Obama 2012 pursue own startups posted

    At Big Omaha in May 2011, Derek Brooks (left) and Nick Leeper discussed working for Barack Obama's re-election campaign. They both took jobs with the campaign later that year. Des Moines software developer Derek Brooks never thought he would find himself working on a political campaign... read more

  • Iowans put their tech skills to work for Obama posted - 5 comments

    Derek Brooks and Nick Leeper spent long hours writing code for donation and voter websites. Nick Leeper, left, and Derek Brooks, both software engineers in their early 30s, left good jobs in Des Moines to move to Chicago and work for the Obama campaign. They built software to track voters that helped secure Obama's victory... read more

  • Locals rate bars at DesMoinesAlive.com posted - 2 comments

    REID FORGRAVE NIGHTSHIFT COLUMNIST When Derek Brooks moved from Cedar Rapids to Des Moines in 2003, he asked people one question: What's your favorite hangout? Then he took the question one step further, compiling answers on a Web site, DesMoinesAlive.com, where locals can rate bars, restaurants and other entertainment venues of central Iowa. "We had some favorite bars and restaurants, but we wanted more," said Brooks, 24, who started the Web site along with his pub-loving co-worker, Nick Leeper, 27, of West Des Moines... read more

  • YM Article posted - 2 comments

    YM found my old soap shoes site www.brooksfsw.com, and did a feature article on me and a couple of my friends for the April 2002 issue. I will have more information on this soon. But for now, go pick up a copy and check it out... read more

  • All Hit 98.9 Interview posted - 3 comments

    Back in college, I became sponsored by Soap Shoes which hilariously got me and my friends featured in YM Magazine. This clip is from an interview I did with a big radio station in the Quad Cities after it was published. Taken from allhit989.com: TUESDAY ON ALL HIT 98-9'S MALIBU MARK MANUEL IN THE MORNING...One of the Quad City's very own is featured in the April edition of YM Magazine and we'll talk to him live...We'll dish out the dirt with Celebrity Poop at 7:20am...AND... read more

  • Cornell student avoids same old 'grind' posted - 5 comments

    19-year-old man uses Soap Shoes to glide around the Mount Vernon campus Cornell College student Derek Brooks of Port Byron, IL,"soaps" along a railing on campus. Special athletic shoes witha plastic insert underneath allow him to glide along the surface. Special to The Gazette MOUNT VERNON - Around the Cornell College campus, Derek Brooks is known as the "soap guy," but not because he's a clean freak Instead, when this computer science major is walking to class, chances are he's soaping along the way... read more

  • Riverdale Graduate Brooks slides to SOAP Shoes, Web page success posted - 23 comments

    Derek Brooks, a Riverdale High School graduate, has found unexpected success with his website promoting SOAP Shoes. By Leon Lagerstam Staff writer Derek Brooks doesn't have a soap box to proclaim his support for SOAP Shoes. He has a website... read more

  • Cornellian Combines hobby, Web savvy ... and attracts BBC posted - 2 comments

    Cornell College sophomore Derek Brooks has created an unusual but popular website based on his favorite hobby: soaping (an activity that loosely resembles inline skating without the skates). The site is so popular that it even drew the attention of the BBC recently. Brooks, who has created several websites, learned all about designing websites in a first-year student course at Cornell College called "Computing Practice and Perspective"... read more

  • BBC Interview posted - 4 comments

    Back in 2001, the BBC found out about "freestyle walking" and then ultimately found my old soap shoes website, brooksfsw.com. I agreed to interview with them as they hilariously poked fun at me and my shoes. Interview Transcript Wendy: I'm Wendy Douglas Brendan: and I'm Brendan Coogan and I'm a scary mother... read more