Andreas Heim is Director of Technology at Smashing Ideas in Seattle and a Macromedia Advisory Board member. He specializes in projects that challenge his Flash expertise—preferably projects that include Flash-server interaction or lead to building reusable components. His insights and expertise in this area have led to numerous contributions to books as well as earned him invitations to speak at several Flashforward conferences. In his time off, Andreas enjoys playing soccer—something that has stayed with him since he left his hometown Hattenhofen in Germany.