Rick DuBuque-Konopelski

Why this persona fits the audience

He leads a 6-person London product studio that prototypes AI features for retail and legal clients. The team already mixes direct API calls to Gemini and Claude with hand-written routing logic, and he tracks each client's model spend in Notion and Sheets.

• Age: 36
• Location: London, UK
• Occupation: Technical director at a product studio
• Income: £92k + bonuses
• Education: Bachelor's in computer science
• Company size: Small (approx. 15 people total studio)
• Years in role: 4

“The real challenge isn't just building with AI; it's building *smartly* with AI, making sure the foundations are solid and the costs are manageable.”

Rick DuBuque-Konopelski, 36, is the Technical Director at a boutique product studio in London, a role he's held for four years. His journey into this position was a natural progression from senior development roles, driven by a fascination with how emerging technologies could solve real-world business problems. Armed with a Bachelor's in Computer Science from a reputable UK university, Rick quickly distinguished himself with his analytical prowess and ability to translate complex technical concepts into actionable strategies. He leads a compact, high-performing team of six, specializing in rapid prototyping of AI-powered features for clients in the retail and legal sectors. His current operational reality involves a sophisticated, yet sometimes unwieldy, tech stack. The team directly interfaces with powerful AI models like Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude, but crucially, they've developed bespoke, hand-written routing logic to orchestrate these interactions. This custom approach allows for fine-grained control but introduces significant maintenance overhead. Rick meticulously tracks each client's expenditure on these AI services using a combination of Notion databases and traditional spreadsheets, a task that consumes valuable time but is essential for client transparency and budget adherence. He is deeply invested in the studio's reputation for client trust, adaptability in the face of rapid technological change, and ensuring clean, well-documented handoffs to client development teams. His personal life is grounded in a pragmatic approach to finances, focusing on long-term security and quality experiences over ostentatious displays of wealth. He views his career not just as a job, but as a continuous learning process, constantly seeking to refine his understanding of product strategy and the practical application of cutting-edge technology.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Rick's typical weekday starts around 7:30 AM with a quick scan of Hacker News and industry newsletters over coffee. He commutes to the studio in Shoreditch by 9:00 AM, often listening to a tech podcast. The morning is usually dedicated to team stand-ups, code reviews, and tackling urgent client queries. Lunch is often a quick affair at his desk or a nearby sandwich shop. Afternoons involve more in-depth technical discussions, architectural planning for new prototypes, and client calls to discuss progress and requirements. He spends time updating Notion and Sheets with model usage data. He aims to leave by 6:30 PM, but late client calls or urgent issues can extend his day. Evenings involve dinner with his partner, perhaps some homebrewing experimentation, or catching up on technical reading.

Lifestyle

Rick lives in a well-appointed flat in Hackney with his partner, a graphic designer. Their routines are fairly structured, balancing demanding work lives with shared evenings and weekends. He’s recently taken up homebrewing craft beer, a meticulous process that appeals to his scientific mind. While not a big spender on luxury goods, he invests in quality tech and experiences, like annual trips to Japan or Scandinavia. He’s conscious of his health, aiming for a few runs a week in Victoria Park and trying to limit late nights, though client demands sometimes disrupt this. Money is managed pragmatically, with a focus on long-term savings and investments.

Work life

As Technical Director, Rick’s days are a constant juggle between hands-on development, team management, and client communication. His six-person product studio is lean and agile, focused on rapid AI prototyping for retail and legal sectors. The current challenge is integrating disparate AI models – Gemini, Claude, and others – into cohesive client solutions. He’s constantly evaluating new model APIs and wrestling with the overhead of custom routing logic versus the simplicity of unified platforms. Tracking client spend across multiple models in Notion and Sheets is a daily, often tedious, task. The pressure is on to deliver innovative, cost-effective prototypes quickly, ensuring smooth handoffs to client development teams.

Relationships

Rick is in a stable, long-term relationship with his partner, who provides a grounding influence. He maintains a close-knit circle of friends from university, mostly in tech, with whom he shares industry insights and occasional pub visits. His immediate team at the studio is his primary professional network; he values their technical input and collaborative spirit. He has a good rapport with the agency's founders, who trust his technical judgment.

How they decide

Rick is a methodical decision-maker. He gathers information from multiple sources, weighs pros and cons carefully, and often seeks input from trusted colleagues or peers before committing. He prefers solutions that offer a clear path to implementation and demonstrate tangible benefits, avoiding overly complex or unproven technologies unless the potential upside is significant and well-understood.

How they sound

Speaks with a measured, clear cadence, often using precise technical terminology but can simplify complex ideas for non-technical audiences. Avoids hyperbole and overly casual slang, preferring a professional yet approachable tone. His accent is standard Received Pronunciation, occasionally tinged with a subtle London inflection. He tends to pause thoughtfully before answering complex questions.