While working at local app development company Aloompa, Belmont senior Bryn Bodayle partnered with photographer Jeremy Cowart as the primary IOS developer for OKDOTHIS, an iOS app that provides an idea community for photography. The app has been steadily climbing the Apple App Store charts since its launch in late November. Aloompa, which was co-founded by two Belmont alumni, specializes in mobile apps for music, food, conference and community events.
OKDOTHIS allows users to share both their favorite photos and the creative ideas (“DOs”) that led to it. Users can connect with other photographers, become inspired by their DOs, and watch as their DOs spark the creativity of others. Recent examples of inspiring “DOs”include “Use car headlights to light a subject” and “Show off a piece of art that a friend made.”
“It has been great to work on an app of such scale and potential. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how users have used the app as a creative tool,” Bodayle said. “It’s really a new kind of social network, and I’m excited to see it continue to grow.”
Bodayle, an honors student focusing on design communications and computer science, began studying the development of iOS apps when he was a freshman at Belmont.
“I had never programmed before coming to Belmont, but even before the first smartphones, I was captivated by the potential for mobile phones,” Bodayle said. “After my first introductory programming course, I was hooked.”
The first smartphone app Bodayle created was for a project with fellow Belmont student Andrew Trask. The two were recruited to build an iPhone app for a charity fashion show at Belmont. Although Apple never approved the app, the experience earned Bodayle an internship at Aloompa.
Bodayle has been at Aloompa for almost three years. In addition to his work on OKDOTHIS, he has worked on dozens of apps for the iPhone, iPad and Mac along with working on apps for clients such as John Mayer, Kenny Chesney, Coachella and Bonnaroo. He will graduate from Belmont this summer.
