Aaron Hillegass, a former employee at NeXT and Apple, has nearly two decades experience programming and teaching Objective-C, Cocoa, and, more recently, iOS. Aaron is the author of "Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X" and co-author of "iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide." Both best-sellers, these books have helped many people develop and enhance their programming skills. In 2001, Aaron founded Big Nerd Ranch and began developing intensive courses that teach programming in a focused, distraction-free environment. He is currently working on site plans and blueprints for the new Ranch to be located in Atlanta, GA. Mikey Ward is a senior iOS and Cocoa instructor at Big Nerd Ranch. Mikey also convenes the Atlanta chapter of CocoaHeads, a worldwide group devoted to discussion of Apple's frameworks for writing Mac and iOS applications. Big Nerd Ranch is a unique software engineering and training company where monastic principles drive technological development.

Since 2001, the company has been helping students master programming languages through public enrollment bootcamps, private corporate on-site training, and a growing roster of programming books. Big Nerd Ranch offers consultative services to a broad array of clients, shaping their mobile strategies and developing fresh and engaging mobile and desktop applications.