I was lucky enough to interview Boy Genius Report founder Jonathan Geller for Technorati, so here’s the interview: 

1)      When did your passion for technology start?

Honestly, as far as I can remember. I have always been passionate about technology and mobile devices and how they evolve. I had my first cell phone around the age of 10 – it was a grey Motorola StarTAC and one of my favorite phones. My parents also have a home video of me using a VCR at the age of 2.

2)      When you started it, did you think BGR would grow to the size that it is today?

I didn’t originally start BGR with the hopes of starting a business, but rather as a vehicle to share information I had access to, and I saw that people became incredibly interested in and excited about it. After this happened, I quickly saw that BGR could be a long-term, profitable business and brand, so I started devoting all of my time to it. I was working 20 hour days 7 days a week managing the entire business front to back, and I only took around 10 days off in the first three years. Now that we’re growing faster than ever, I continue to devote an enormous amount of time to the site and business.

3)      During your years of anonymity, was it a necessity to conceal your identity? Or was it purely a style thing?

The interesting thing about my identity is that I didn’t decide to conceal it for the seemingly obvious reason of being afraid of what would happen after leaking sensitive and highly secret information about upcoming phones and devices sometimes years in advance of their debut. I wanted to create a brand — an online personality that people would enjoy. I think as far as the identity goes, it was a great decision and something I’m very happy I did. It also let me have two personalities before I started working on BGR fulltime, so I was able to work on other things while also constantly breaking news on BGR.

4)      Where did you get the nickname ‘Boy Genius’?

Boy Genius was a name that a close friend of mine, Just Blaze, came up with while we were hanging out when I was 16 years old. I first met Just through a mutual friend of ours and brought him an unreleased (and unannounced) Motorola MPx to play with. He’s a big tech lover and we just hit it off from that point on. He saw how well I understood different aspects of technology and devices, and the industry as a whole. He (along with other celebrities) would normally ask me questions or ask me to come help him or a friend out with a tech issue, and as a result, he started calling me Boy Genius.

5)      How do you feel about being one of the most influential people in tech?

It’s truly flattering to know that the news that my team and I break can literally influence an entire industry, and it’s great to have an avenue where I can speak my mind and share it with all of our readers.

6)      Apple and Google are in a boxing ring; who do you cheer for, and why?

You know, I’m a big supporter of both. I think the competition is great for them and ultimately for us, the consumers. Both companies are incredibly innovative, but they’re very different, and it’s always fun to see how different their approaches are to the same thing.

7)      What hints and/or tips would you give to someone starting out in tech blogging?

It all comes down to your voice, man. Having something original and interesting to say is what it’s all about… there is so much unoriginal content out there and if you’re just starting out, no one is going to care too much about what you have to say unless you’re doing it in a unique and engaging way. Being able to have your own point of view or your own take on things is very important. I’ve never been afraid to speak my mind, and I think that’s one of the major reasons people really respect what I say and BGR as a whole. If you have something unique to say, I think you can get people interested, though the tech space is incredibly crowded right now and being able to provide something that no other sites can is obviously important.

8)      What is your favourite gadget of all time? (can be a phone, laptop, et cetera)

That’s really tough… I’d have to say iPhone 4 is my favorite gadget of all time. It’s truly amazing how capable smartphones are nowadays and how many different experiences there are through apps. I can literally run my business from iPhone 4 in addition to communicate and share moments with family and friends — and that’s invaluable to me.

9)      Anything big plans for BGR coming up?

Always! I’m really happy to have partnered with MMC to continue growing BGR and expanding the brand together. We’re about to launch BGR in two countries outside of the Americas and extend the brand beyond just the website. Definitely stay tuned!

10)  Finally, you drive an Aston Martin and lead a pretty good lifestyle; how how does it feel to have such a rewarding dream job? Does your job make you leap out of bed in the mornings?

It’s amazing on pretty much every level — I love what I do, I work with a great group of guys, and even though BGR reaches millions of people, I try and answer every single email I get from readers, and that’s why I started BGR — to share information and connect with people.

Big thanks to Boy Genius for giving up some of his time to answer my questions. He’s a truly inspiring figure in the tech blogging world. 

Read the original article, written by me, over here.