We’re proud to announce our speaker lineup for WordCamp Los Angeles 2015!
Robert Gillmer
My name is Robert Gillmer, and I’m a WordPressaholic. Yup, that’s right, I’m addicted to WordPressahol. I’ve been building websites for five years now, and have been using WordPress to do so for 4 years and 51 weeks. (Don’t hold that against me.) For those that know the release schedule, Thelonious introduced me to WordPress. I founded Shiny 9 Web Design 2 years ago, catering to small and mid-sized businesses.
When I’m not WordPressing (can I use WordPress as a verb?), I’m consuming pop culture. Like, a lot of it. My brain overfloweth with pop culture references. I’m a Whovian, a Sherlockian, and a Browncoat. I believe that the Deathly Hallows are real, that the turtle moves, that the odds are never in your favor, and that all things serve the Beam. I know that winter is coming, that there’s always money in the banana stand, and that the owls are not what they seem. I know that if Joss Whedon, Steven Moffat, and George R.R. Martin walk into a bar, then everyone you ever loved dies. And I know that if you’re not watching Archer on FX, you’re missing one of the most consistently funny shows on TV.
Jeffrey Zinn
“Jeff is a front-end web developer and co-owner at Pixel Jar, a custom WordPress development firm in Orange County, CA. He is also a developer for AdSanity, a premium ad management WordPress plugin. He has co-organized WordCamp Orange County from its inauguration in 2010 to the present and helps run the Orange County WordPress Advanced Developer Monthly Meetup.
When not online, you’ll either find him out surfing, camping, or hiking all that California has to offer. And on an especially ideal day, you’ll find him camping at the beach with a burrito and a cup of delicious coffee. Unless there is inclement weather – then you will find me at a museum or playing board games.”
Brianna Privett
Brianna Privett is the founder of TechnoSiren and a front-end developer for WebDevStudios. She’s been building websites and applications since 1996 and developing for WordPress since 2005. She lives on a small farm with her family, a bunch of animals, and a greenhouse with killer wi-fi.
Fred Meyer
“Fred Meyer is co-owner of Press Up (pressupinc.com), a boutique agency that services all kinds of web development needs, and specializes in WordPress projects.
He is also co-executive editor of WPShout, which offers weekly WordPress technical tutorials, and which recently released an online learning package, Up and Running (upandrunningwp.com), that aims to make learning WordPress development clear, logical, and quick.”
Jordan Quintal
Jordan Quintal is a seasoned WordPress Developer, Contributor and Community Member with over 10 years of Web Development experience. He is currently the President of GeniusMedia, the Founder of AgentAccelerate, as well as a Freelancer through JordanQ.ca. Jordan is also a huge Web Accessibility advocate and very active in various a11y Communities. He has presented and attended dozens of Meetups, Camps, and Conferences across Canada and the U.S.
Glenn Zucman
I teach Art at Long Beach State. All of my students “turn in” their work via WordPress blog posts. I’m currently developing “ePortfolios for Artists” for Spring ’16. This course will focus on representing more students from the School of Art in cyberspace. My students tell me that Instagram is too oppressive, but they really feel free and empowered by Snapchat. I work on a lot of blogs. A lot. I’d really love for them to not be taken down in the years to come. I love putting WordPress buttons in Geocaches I place around SoCal.
Jerrett Farmer
I have been employed as a Producer, Project Manager, Software Architect, Programmer, 2D/3D Production Artist, Art Director, and Lead Technical Artist. I’ve worked for Image Comics: Top Cow, Activision, and FOX studios. I have worked on licensed properties for Marvel, Universal, and Warner Brothers studios.
Currently I work as the Marketing Production Manager at InMotion Hosting. I over see the creation and maintenance of their main websites and WordPress blogs.
Justin Welch
Justin is a WordPress consultant and designer/developer working with small businesses, entrepreneurs, and creative agencies through his business, Pixablaze. His favorite work is both designing and developing WP themes for clients, and he has plans to launch a theme store next year. If he’s ever not working in WordPress, he’s probably hiking up a mountain somewhere.
Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson is co-founder and CTO of Alley Interactive, a full-service digital agency in New York City that works with large media companies and non-profit organizations, where he leads company technology strategy and outreach to the open source community. Matt has run the development of many large content sites with, including Capital New York, The New Republic, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Chalkbeat, Foreign Policy Magazine, and Kveller.com. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Andy Fragen
Raised in Southern California, husband of one and father of two. Like my Twitter slug says, “Just a geek Trauma Surgeon.” Really.
Unlike most, my day job is totally different than yours and I do this coding stuff for fun.
NB: Alex can substitute or append whatever he desires and I’ll roll with it.
Linda Sherman
International, multicultural marketing pro, Linda Sherman, brings a distinguished background of multinational corporation subsidiary CEO/CMO to her Social Marketing expertise. These include CEO Club Med Japan, Barilla Japan and CMO Wal-Mart Japan.
Linda has been featured and quoted in The New York Times, Forbes, The Christian Monitor and other leading publications.
She devised and implemented an innovative guerilla marketing plan for ZIMA in Japan that produced a lasting, profitable success. Linda has herself made the transition from traditional marketing to incorporating social media marketing and she understands clearly how social media fits into a strategic marketing plan. Not only does Linda know strategy, marketing and business but she also has hands-on technical skills in building and search optimizing WordPress websites that are integrated with social media platforms. Linda has an influential on-line presence. She consults to businesses for social business and social marketing strategies and training.
Executives familiar with Linda Sherman’s mastery of the big stage applaud her depth of knowledge, willingness to share critical information and engaging delivery. Linda’s company, The Courage Group, specializes in WordPress websites, digital film and marketing strategy.
Find Linda on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook @LindaSherman. http://LindaSherman.me http://CourageGroup.com
Sarah Pressler
Sarah Pressler is a digital project manager and professional copy writer, with an wide range of experience and know-how. After surviving corporate and agency life, Sarah co-founded CodeBrain Media, with Cindy Kendricks, in the fall of 2014. Together they are building a premium plugin while wrangling various enterprise level WordPress projects. Sarah also works with the teams at ServerPress.com and the GetBarley.com. She’s been building communities and working online since the mid 90’s.
Dallin Harris
Dallin has been involved in web design, development and Internet marketing since the late 90s. Over the years, he has had the privilege of doing digital work for a number of national brands including Banner Health, American Express, Subway, the 2015 Super Bowl Host Committee, Make-A-Wish Foundation, AT&T and The Salvation Army. He is active in the community, having served as lead organizer of WordCamp Phoenix 2012 and currently running the local Advanced WordPress Developer meetup group.
Dallin is a principal at Skyhook Interactive, a up-and-coming high-performance WordPress design & development shop located in Mesa, AZ. His daily responsibilities include high level client strategy, relationship management and new service development. In his spare time, Dallin is a father, a part-time minister and an RC aircraft enthusiast.
Mike Schroder
Mike Schroder, known as Shredder to many, is a cross-cultural kid, coffee-drinking sailor, and lover of Open Source. He currently works as WordPress Platform Lead at DreamHost and contributes to WordPress core and community projects. You can find him blogging on geeky things at http://getsource.net
Andrew Behla
Andrew has worked in the fields of graphic and print design, publishing and web development for over twenty years and has passed on his knowledge of the industry as a teacher at Santa Monica College and UCLA Extension where he was named Outstanding Instructor of the Year. He has also been invited to speak at national and international conferences and has worked in training and support for hardware and software companies.
Andrew’s degree in Philosophy and Business from Trinity University has given him the know-how both to run Behla Design, a successful Los Angeles graphic design and web development business, and to cultivate meaningful relationships with his clients. His experiences as a teacher come out in everything he does as Andrew is always enthusiastic to pass along his expertise to both clients and his team. He is the founder of the Topanga WordPress and Los Angeles WooCommerce Meetup groups.
Scott Bolinger
Scott is the co-founder of AppPresser which allows you to build iOS and Android apps with WordPress.
He loves products, and has sold everything from themes to plugins to SaaS. He loves developing with WordPress and javascript, and learning how to grow his product businesses. Scott has presented at Macworld, New Media Expo, Loopconf, and WordCamps around the country.
Learn more about Scott at http://scottbolinger.com
Chris Do
Chris Do is an Emmy award winning director, designer, strategist and educator. He’s the Chief Strategist and CEO of Blind, co-founder of the Skool, an online education company that teaches the business of design.
Steve Zehngut
Steve founded Zeek Interactive in 1995 and he has been the creative technologist behind the Huntington Beach based company since its inception. Under his direction, Zeek has grown from an apartment bedroom to one of Southern California’s leading WordPress and mobile development shops.
Steve is the organizer of the OC WordPress Meetup and has helped build the community to over 1,300 members. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and has taught interactive courses at UC Irvine, USC, the American Film Institute, and Cal State Long Beach. Steve has a BA in Film from Cal State Northridge.
Jasmine Powers
Jasmine Powers is the founder of J Powers Marketing & Publicity LLC, a small digital marketing agency specialising in content marketing. Her company has also been responsible for producing experiential PR events, developing cohesive marketing and ad campaigns, orchestrating profitable strategic partnerships, and providing marketing consulting for startups. She stays involved in grassroots marketing efforts, having supported organizations like Blogging While Brown, Black Girls Code and Blogalicious. She served as the communications board member in 2012 for the Independent Writers Association of Southern California and sat on the advisory board of Duke Media Foundation, a youth organization teaching new media and financial literacy to teenagers. She resides in Southern California.
Roy Sivan
Roy Sivan doesn’t like long walks on the beach because sand gets everywhere. Roy does like coding, because there is no sand in his office. Usually you will find Roy coding WordPress themes and plugins at Disney, but don’t be fooled, he spends a lot of time yelling at his computer too. He is also co-founder of ARC(CTRL), creators of CodeCavalry.com
Alicia St. Rose
“Alicia St Rose began her adventure with WordPress when a UX friend offhandedly suggested using the CMS for a mutual friend’s website. That was nearly six years ago and the adventure has turned into a torrid love affair. Now she is a freelance developer, exclusively powered by WordPress, and has yet to find a limitation in this magical piece of software.
She currently lives in Santa Barbara, California with her two rambunctious cats, Oscar and Milo.She divides her time between that seaside town and Black Rock City, Nevada.
Oh, and her favorite color is red.”
Cody Landefeld
My passion is helping organizations solve problems creatively. I am a user experience problem solver by nature and have over 10 years of experience in the creative field. I currently lead the team at codyL where we are privileged to work with some amazing clients.
John P. Gamboa
John is an Enterprise Support Specialist at WP Engine in Austin, Texas. He lived in Singapore, South Korea and China for the better part of four years, while working as a technical editor, writer, teacher and developer. John was also a founding member and WordPress developer for Shanghai Beer Week, China’s first-ever craft beer week, where he learned (almost too much) about how Web censorship works in China.
Josh Koenig
“Josh Koenig is a veteran web-developer, with over 15 years of professional experience building the internet. He is the co-founder of Pantheon, the Website Management Platform for WordPress and Drupal.
As Head of Developer Experience, he works closely with professional developers to better support their projects, focusing on workflow, best practices, and cutting-edge tools and techniques. He has helped shepherd multiple plugin contributions to WordPress.org, and is an ardent believer in the power and importance of Free Software and Open Source.”
Sé Reed
Sé Reed has been a passionate small business advocate and educator since opening her first small business in 2003. In 2007, she combined a background in web development and marketing into web consulting company, Sé Reed Media, and began creating web development strategies and custom WordPress themes for fellow small businesses owners. Now, Reed helps small business owners create and implement on- and off-line business development strategies, through Sé Reed Media and as a business advisor with the Small Business Development Center at Long Beach City College.
Reed speaks nationally to small business owners and consultants about small business, web development and marketing, including WordPress, ecommerce, social media, and SEO. Reed is also a regular cast member of WPwatercooler, a weekly webcast about WordPress with more than 4 million views.
Joe Chellman
Joe Chellman has been using WordPress since time immemorial, making themes for a good long time, and developing plugins for several years now. He’s the supreme dictator for life of ShooFly Development and Design, purveyors of fine web goodness since 2000 or so. He’s the author of *Introducing WordPress: Learn by Video* and *Getting Started with Macaw*, both on Peachpit, and many titles on JavaScript and more at lynda.com. He’s one of the co-organizers of the Advanced WordPress LA meetup group, and a not-frequent-enough volunteer with the LA chapter of Girl Develop It. He is constantly looking for room in his closet for more hats.
Andrew Bergeron
Andrew Bergeron is a Branding and UI/UX Designer with a tool-belt of front-end development skills. Currently, he is based in San Diego, CA where he spends his free time surfing, creating FontAnimals, and scouring YouTube for rare James Brown videos. You can see his latest-and-greatest work on his website (Visual Rhythm) and his Dribbble profile.
Bill Gadless
My name is Bill Gadless. I am President/Co-Founder of a 45-person+ agency called emagine (headquartered in Boston). 15+ years ago started as a very typical “2 guys in a garage” firm building small websites on a proprietary CMS. Today, we develop WordPress-powered websites for multi-billion dollar, multi-national companies in the areas of B2B, High-Tech, Healthcare, Manufacturing and Professional Services. We’ve built roughly 1,000 websites over the years (over 100 since adopting WordPress a couple years ago).
Dustin Meza
Dustin Meza is the Director of Customer Experience Operations at WP Engine. He has been in the hosting industry for 7 years and has been with WP Engine for 2 years. At WP Engine, Dustin oversees many aspects of the WordPress platform including WordPress upgrades for over 100,000 WordPress installs.
Outside of WordPress, Dustin loves being outdoors in Austin with his wife Megan, and black lab, Maddy. He enjoys all kinds of sports, both watching and playing, and has been known to play some video games when time allows.
Devin Walker
Devin Walker is the founder of WordImpress, a San Diego based WordPress development company. He and the WordImpress team also serve as WordPress Community Consultants for Media Temple.
Walker has extensive experience creating free, premium, and commercial WordPress plugins and themes. Popular plugins include Give WordPress Donations Plugin, Google Maps Builder, Yelp Widget Pro and WooCommerce Quick Checkout. In total, his plugins on WordPress.org have been downloaded more than 100,000 times.
Outside of work, Devin enjoys traveling the world, going to concerts and playing a leisurely round of disc golf.
Cemal Tashan
“Cemal Tashan is a Turkish-American businessman and Electrical Engineer. Being an early adapter and technology lover, Cemal has designed, developed and tested software for all kinds of computers and mobile devices since the dawn of the computer era.
He ardently believes in the participation of the seniors in today’s high-tech world.
Cemal has published three books on photography and travel.”
Matt Cromwell
Matt is Head of Support and Brand Ambassador at WordImpress.com. He and the WordImpress team also serve as WordPress Community Consultants for Media Temple.
He’s the author of many free WordPress plugins, a popular blogger at mattcromwell.com, an Admin of the Advanced WordPress Facebook group, Lead Organizer of the San Diego WordPress Meetup, and a frequent WordCamp speaker and attender.
Looks like an exciting and diverse list, can’t wait to absorb all this knowledge at the event.