Following the successful launch of the PGA Championship app, while working at Brightspot I helped create the Ryder Cup app in Swift. The app
featured a dynamic tab bar that displayed different tabs depending on the state of the competition, and different theming based on whether
you downloaded the app from the UK or US app store. Fans could compare player profiles and stats side-by-side, watch the rankings as the
event happened, view highlight videos, and read event coverage articles.
PGA Championship
NBC Sports wanted to reinvigorate their PGA Championship app and leverage Brightspot's proprietary CMS. While working at Brightspot, I
used the Apollo Client with GraphQL in Swift and helped lead the charge in creating a media-centric app. Users could stay up to date with
the event as it progressed by viewing the leaderboard, detailed info on every hole of the course, watch highlight videos using Adobe's
custom video player (which included prerolls and analytics), read articles and receive realtime push notifications (via Airship) for their
favorite players.
Coleman - Get Outdoors
While working at Brightspot, I helped create a CMS-driven React Native app for Coleman (Newell Brands). Users could search hundreds
of campgrounds, create custom trips with checklists for things to pack, read articles with great camping tips and bookmark/favorite
things to return to later.
Giffer
The first version of Giffer was released in the App Store February 2009. Unhappy with the abysmal selection of GIF maker apps
available, I set out to create a solid GIF app that I'd want to use. Hundreds of thousands of users have downloaded Giffer and
hopefully enjoy its feature set as much as I enjoy improving it.
Gifquick
Given the success of Giffer and my unyielding love for animated GIFs, the idea of "disposable" animated GIFs seemed fun. So I
created a super fast GIF maker app appropriately dubbed "Gifquick". Animated GIFs are simultaneously saved on the device and
in the cloud, however they only live on the server for 24 hours. Gifquick is the quickest possible path for turning what's in
front of you into a fun, sharable animated GIF.
Winamp for Mac
Bringing a PC app to the Mac world was a challenge. Both Windows and Mac users have expectations on how things should work.
So our small team of four had a slew of decisions to be made (and re-made). Though its primary focus was to
sync music with the Winamp android app, several key Winamp features found their way into the initial beta client release as
well, including playlist support, the play queue, and album art support to name a few.
Winamp for Android
Re-thinking the Winamp desktop player for Android was no small task. Our driving goal was simple: highlight our core features
and give our global user base the Winamp experience that they know and love, without sacrificing too much. I led the design
direction and UI/UX of our beloved mobile music player, collaborated across teams, created branding and UI/UX for new addons
(eg: lyrics, album washer, etc.) and even implemented some of the app's UI code. With over 40 million downloads, Winamp is
without question the ultimate media player on Android.
The Llama Droid
While brainstorming the branding of the Winamp Android app, given Winamp's history of llama love, it became clear to me that we
needed a "robotic" spin on the classic Winamp llama (aka "Mike"). The "Llama Droid" has made his mark on various Winamp propaganda from stickers
to t-shirts and mugs.
Zombie Pumpkins!
Due to the insane amount of traffic Zombie Pumpkins was generating, it needed to scale. The site was also becoming a bit
of a pain to maintain. After I optimized database queries, added layers of caching, organized the site's code using the
wonders of MVC (thanks to the CodeIgniter PHP framework) and migrated the site to RackSpace's load balanced cloud
hosting solution, Zombie Pumpkins' owner Ryan Wickstrand and his "minions" were a whole lot happier. That made me happier!
Andrew McCaul Photography
After receiving several compliments on his previous flash web site, Andrew again asked me to implement a refreshed site design
as a resizable Flash site. Subtle animations and large photos really allowed his work to be the center of attention,
as it should be. Andrew wanted a way to easily update his site without the extra development effort required
for building a CMS, so I wrote an automatic directory tree mapping tool that allowed him to simply create directories and upload
his photos.
Winamp Skins
Working directly with clients such as Universal, Warner Bros., David Geffen Company, Sony Pictures, Playboy, and Mad Magazine, I was
responsible for the concept and execution of several "sponsored" Winamp skins. I was also honored to lead the redesign of Winamp's
default skin, dubbed "Bento."
For over two decades (sheeesh!) I've had the pleasure of working with clients all over the world on projects big and small from the Finger Lakes region of New York.
I like to compare my unique blend of programming and design to watching a foreign film: I love the visuals, but can't stop reading the subtitles. Whether I'm creating apps, web front-ends or back-ends, icons, fonts, branding, re-designs, or re-re-designs, I'm happy to change gears and keep the plot interesting.
Some of my work has appeared in Print Magazine, The Washington Post, Conde Nast Traveler, GQ EspaƱa, and on slashdot.org (still a web site).
When I'm not working away on the computer I like hanging out at the lake with friends and family, going snowboarding, or watching Netflix. (With popcorn and extra butter!)
Whether you're looking for some help on a project or just want to say "hi" please get in touch! There are a few ways to get ahold of me. If I'm not available, I'll definitely get back to you as soon as possible.