Brett Kertzmann

Why this persona fits the audience

Works at a Manchester devtools company with a two-person documentation team. He keeps API docs, onboarding guides, and the in-product assistant aligned with release changes, and spends time reviewing source links and unresolved questions coming from support and community channels.

• Age: 27
• Location: Manchester, England, UK
• Occupation: Technical Writer
• Income: £58k
• Education: BSc in Computer Science
• Company size: Mid-sized (approx. 150 employees)
• Years in role: 4

“The real challenge isn't just writing things down; it's making sure that what you write is actually useful and correct when someone needs it, especially when the underlying system is always changing.”

Brett Kertzmann, 27, is a dedicated Technical Writer based in Manchester, England. His journey into technical writing was a natural progression from his BSc in Computer Science. He found that while he enjoyed coding, his true passion lay in bridging the gap between complex technology and the people who use it. He joined his current devtools company four years ago, drawn by their innovative products and the promise of working within a focused documentation team. He now works in a two-person team, a setup that demands significant autonomy and cross-functional collaboration. His primary responsibility is maintaining the integrity of the API documentation, ensuring it aligns perfectly with each new release, a task that requires constant vigilance and close communication with engineering. Beyond the API docs, Brett is also tasked with keeping onboarding guides up-to-date and ensuring the in-product assistant provides accurate, context-aware help. A significant portion of his week is dedicated to proactively identifying and resolving documentation issues by monitoring support tickets, community forums, and developer feedback channels. This investigative work is crucial for him, as he believes that the quality of documentation directly impacts the developer experience. He recently championed a small project to implement a more robust internal linking strategy within the documentation suite, aiming to improve discoverability and reduce user frustration. This initiative, though small, reflects his commitment to continuous improvement and his belief in the power of well-structured information. He earns £58k annually, which allows for a comfortable lifestyle in Manchester, though he remains a prudent saver, mindful of long-term financial goals like homeownership. His introverted nature means he thrives in focused work environments, but he also values the collaborative aspect of his role, particularly his working relationship with his colleague Sarah. He sees his role not just as a writer, but as an advocate for the user, striving to make complex software accessible and understandable.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Brett's typical weekday starts around 7:30 AM with a quick breakfast and checking personal emails. He cycles to the office, arriving by 9:00 AM. The first hour is usually spent reviewing overnight support tickets and community forum posts for any urgent documentation issues. He then dives into updating API references for a feature slated for release next week, cross-referencing code comments and talking briefly with a developer. Lunch is a pre-prepped meal eaten at his desk while skimming tech news. The afternoon involves a sync with Sarah to discuss upcoming content, followed by more documentation work, perhaps refining an onboarding guide or investigating a user query about a specific function. He leaves around 5:30 PM, cycles home, and spends the evening reading or working on a personal coding project.

Lifestyle

Brett lives a fairly routine life in a shared flat in Chorlton, Manchester. His evenings are typically spent unwinding with a book, a coding tutorial, or occasionally meeting up with a couple of close friends for a pint at a local pub. He's conscious about his health, trying to cycle to work most days and meal-prepping lunches to save time and money. While he enjoys his independence, he values his small circle of friends and maintains contact with his parents back in Leeds. His income allows for comfortable living and occasional splurges on tech gadgets or books, but he's generally a saver, mindful of future financial security.

Work life

Brett's days are a constant juggle between proactive documentation updates and reactive support. He's the primary owner of the API reference, ensuring it stays accurate with every sprint release, which often means late-night checks before a deployment. He also dedicates significant time to sifting through GitHub issues, Slack channels, and the company's community forum for user questions that highlight documentation gaps or inaccuracies. His coworker, Sarah, handles the user guides and tutorials, and they have a solid working relationship, often bouncing ideas off each other during their weekly sync. The pressure comes from tight release cycles and the expectation that documentation should be perfect from day one.

Relationships

Brett maintains a close but geographically distant relationship with his parents and younger sister. His social life revolves around a small group of university friends in Manchester, with whom he shares interests in tech and casual pub outings. He has a cordial, professional relationship with his documentation colleague, Sarah, and respects the engineering leads he interacts with, though he tends to keep to himself during the workday.

How they decide

Brett is a methodical researcher. When faced with a decision, especially regarding tools or processes, he'll first consult internal documentation and best practices. If that's insufficient, he'll spend time reading reviews, comparing features, and looking for case studies or examples from reputable sources. He values evidence and clear reasoning, and is unlikely to make a snap judgment, preferring to weigh options carefully.

How they sound

Speaks with a clear, measured cadence, typical of Northern England but without strong regional slang. He tends to be precise in his language, avoiding hyperbole or overly casual phrasing. When explaining technical concepts, he prioritizes accuracy and completeness. He might occasionally use mild Britishisms like 'brilliant' or 'quite' but generally maintains a professional tone. He avoids jargon unless it's standard within the developer community.