Random interview far from home, Tom & Patrick

Discover 10 things about Thomas Gauthier aka Tom, Virtual Regatta Offshore Manager and Patrick Umba-Kalombo, fullstack developper at BBO in this cross-cultural interview. The distance between Villeneuve D’ascq and Issy Les Moulineaux might be 230 km (yes, we checked), but distance doesn’t stand in the way, when it comes to gaming!

Where are you from?

Tom: I come from the west of France, Brittany, I also lived in the south of France, in Normandy, and spent a lot of time on the oceans. I settled in Paris about 10 years ago when I joined the Virtual Regatta team.

Patrick: I come from Lille in France.

One word to describe your job.

Tom: Fascinating!

Patrick: I’m a developer. I collect functional needs to translate them into line of code.

What animal would you be if you were reincarnated?

Tom: An albatross, this majestic bird that spends most of its life in the most remote areas of the world, above the most mythical seas.

Patrick: I would like to be an imaginary animal: the phoenix to fly and live several lives.

Do you have a nickname?

Tom : Everybody calls me tom since always (Except my mother who gives me another one, but I keep it secret 😉 )

Patrick: Once the “Patrick” barrier is passed, some call me “Patou” and others “Puki”.

The movie that changed your life?

Tom: I am obliged to mention two, which are closely linked: “Le Crabe Tambour”, by Pierre Schoendoerffer, and “Das Boot”, by Günter Rohrbach. These two films have deeply sealed my orientation towards my first career.

Patrick: I wouldn’t say one but all Louis de Funès movies because they rocked my childhood.

The professional achievement you are most proud of?

Tom: The Vendée Globe 2021, on Virtual Regatta Offshore, without hesitation! Where we had more than one million participants in the same part, a record!

Patrick: At 52 I am proud to have been part of the frontend developer team that developed funbridge web.

What song are you listening to on repeat right now?

Tom: I have a very diverse playlist, but at the moment, the song that comes up most often is “Everloving”, by Moby

Patrick: “Love nwantiti” by CKay

Online or face-to-face game?

Tom: The two can be combined perfectly, and that’s how I play most often, racing with friends on Virtual Regatta Inshore, for example, can often turn into some great lyrical flights of fancy between us … and that’s what I like to share with this type of experience.

Patrick: Face-to-face game.

What is the last application you downloaded?

Tom: Virtual Regatta Offshore, of course!

Patrick: Raster on iOS.

Your favorite motto?

Tom: “Those who think it’s impossible please don’t bother those who are trying »

Patrick: ‘”Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life » Confucius