Hi – my name is Andrew Hillman, I am a data and visual journalist working for GlobalData Media. I created The Debata in 2020 as a means of developing and sharing my design, development and storytelling skills.

My passions

My passion for data-driven storytelling stems from my belief in the power of data to help people better understand the complex world in which we live. I am particularly interested in the potential of interactive and social-first data-driven content to engage hard-to-reach audiences and challenge misconceptions.

I am happiest when searching for impactful and fascinating patterns that are not evident from a surface-level view of the data, when designing data visualisations that get to the heart of an issue, and when building applications and interactives that grab readers' attentions and get them exploring the data for themselves.

My skills

During my career I have extensively used R, SQL, Python and (the indispensable) Excel to analyse data. My frontend technical experience came later and was driven by envy - I wanted to be able to create the types of graphics, interactives and applications that I was increasingly seeking out to help me understand nuanced issues. This website is built from scratch, mostly using vanillaJS, D3.js and Node.js. I have also primarily relied upon D3 for past interactive visualisations but in recent months I have migrated to using Svelte for new projects.

Please explore...

You can learn more about me and my work by exploring the interactive below. You can also view my CV here, and if you would like to contact me, the best method is via a DM on Twitter.