James Cuda is the CEO and co-founder of Savage Interactive, a software develop­ment company best known for creating the popular iPad illustration app, Procreate, which is used by millions around the globe.

Why did you build Procreate in Tasmania and why is it important for you to keep it here? Procreate started quite organically with an idea when Apple released the first iPad. Once we grew here in Tasmania with just a few people, it was on our radar to leave and head to Silicon Valley. That’s where the action’s at in the industry. But it was pretty obvious in the early years when we were starting out, that if we moved to the Valley, that would absolutely and fundamentally change our culture. Because the Valley culture is very different to Aussie culture. What we were trying to do was build creative tools that were accessible to everyone at an affordable price. It was in conflict, and in about 2013 we decided, you know what? We’re going to stay in Tassie and we’re going to invest in Tassie, and we’ll see how this goes.

What have been the benefits and challenges of keeping it in Tasmania? There’s a lot of challenges. The biggest one is recruitment, because the software we make is quite technically complicated. So we have to try and attract the people who specialise in those fields to Tasma­nia. It was challenging in the early years because we’d say, ‘Hey, do you want to come to the end of the civilised world and work on this little product that we’ve been making?’ It wasn’t a great value propo­sition in the early years, but as Procreate grew, as our customer base exploded, as we hit number one in the app store and al­most all major markets, then we got some traction and we started recruiting people from all over the world. These kinds of people could work anywhere. They could work with Google, they could work at Facebook, wherever they want, but the value proposition we give them is come and work with an independent company and let’s make the best work of our lives.

How does it feel seeing the art people create with the apps? Oh, dude, it gets me out of bed every day. When we see the stuff people produce with the tools we make, it’s like you’re a rock and roll band on stage, you’re playing, and the crowd’s coming at you cheering, then it makes you want to play harder.

How is the move to Collins Street going? It’s so good. It’s been challeng­ing to grow a business across separate locations when you’re trying to have one culture and one mission. So we’re all focused on getting into Collins Street, to physically unite the teams together. We find that working together is the most potent way to deliver a beautiful customer experience. You get that serendipity, you get those discussions in the hallways, you get excited and share news, and you get energy within the group. We think by the end of the year we’ll have our new headquarters online.

What’s the vision for the future? The vision is, how do we bring creativity around the world, and how do we amplify human creativity? We’ve got to bring Procreate products to more platforms. We’ve got to make it more accessible. We’re also working on a third product that I can’t talk about. There’s a big ambitious roadmap ahead.

What’s something you wish more people knew about what you do? We’ve been responsible for a lot of user experience innovations that our competi­tors have stolen over the years, but we’ve never put our hand up and said we actual­ly made that. It’s often said to my team, if we’re not being copied, we’re not leading. Because it can upset some of the team when it happens. Sometimes we labour on something for years, and it was a really hard feature that we finally cracked, we shipped it, and then a few months later, competitors were claiming it as their own. It’s very easy when you can piggyback off the research and development of another company.

Where are your favourite local places for food and rink? Well, I’m going to be biased and say the best coffee is probably here at Procreate HQ. We’ve got a kitchen and coffee that’s free for everyone who works here. We are very lucky to have some of the best in the hospo indus­try here in headquarters. The coffee is amazing. Seriously. For the other spots, I love North Hobart. It’s got a really good scene. One of my favourites is this little Vietnamese street food joint called Cyclo.

Parting words? For people who are hav­ing a hard time with the world situation at the moment, I’d say two things. One, disconnect from the internet. I don’t think we’re meant to be plugged into every comings and goings of everything hap­pening on the entire planet every minute. We have a beautiful island, some of the best natural beauty in the world, and I love to get amongst that to recharge. And the other thing I’d say is creative pursuits can be so healthy, mentally. Whatever cre­ative pursuit is it, whether it’s music, art, poetry, whatever, I’d encourage everyone on our little island to dabble and play. If you’re disconnected from the noise and you start going inward and try to be cre­ative, it can be so satisfying for the soul.