2013 was a blast. So many things happened during the summer and even before! Professionally it was the busiest year ever and I had so many gigs I cannot even remember all of them.
At the end of 2012 I started Heisenberg Media together with Dan Taylor. We spent the past year kicking really hard to take the photographic experience of tech events to the next level and so we did. Check out the wrap up post by Dan to see how many world-class events we covered in just 12 months. I put a lot of effort into this adventure but Dan was the real key to success. His dedicated passion allowed HBM to grow significantly and I’m so happy to step back now and leave the entire project in Dan’s hands. After more than 10 years of photography and a year of semi/pro activity I decided that photography has a very relevant importance to me and it deserves the right spot in my life: a hobby.
As a trainer I had wonderful clients and events in 2013. I was in many different cities, helping out accelerators, incubators and private companies improving their presentation skills. I helped people overcoming the fear of being on stage, getting investments being more confident. I also had the opportunity to meet amazing people in the industry and contribute value to their projects. Last month in Paris I also spent a few days with my role model and great friend Carmine Gallo. If you want to learn how to present and how to stand out in the tech industry when on stage, Carmine is the master.
As a marketing manager I spent large part of the year at kompany, which absorbed more than 18 months of my time since we started it in february 2012. I contributed to build the team and establish the good practices in terms of marketing and growth. I had wonderful business partners, colleagues and more than that friends. I loved every single minute there, even during the lows, because we knew that the ups were going to come soon. And so they did. Back in September I had to take a painful decision and leave the team, wishing them all the best. It was very difficult but I felt it was time to move on.
So I got at the end of the year 2013 with a ridiculous amount of adventures, travels, pictures, contacts, dreams, hopes and with a little more maturity regarding my future and what I actually want to do.
I spent the first part of my career jumping from one project to the other, looking for the excitement of the moment but already distracted by the new gig coming up. I also travelled a lot and every time I was landing I was already getting ready to take off again. Being stuck at the same place for too long was just not part of the lifestyle I wanted to have. I also enjoy working with small teams on ambitious projects. I love diversity and global ventures.
Today it starts the second part of my career with more focus on a single project and less distractions. It happens at the right time and at the right place, in a way I could not believe even though I saw all the pieces of the puzzle falling together in place before my very eyes. Maturity also taught me that there are things I cannot change and honestly I cannot see myself working on a 9 to 5 office job at all.
A couple of months ago I decided to take a challenge and apply at Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com and many other mind blowing products. I had a few chats, I went through a trial period, completing an amazing project and finally after this “try before you buy” round I’m very proud to announce that of today I’m a Growth Engineer at Automattic.
I want to thank all the people I met in the last few years who contributed to make me grow professionally, all the friends and family who supported me and the people who I know are always there for me as much I will always be there for them. I don’t need to say names, you perfectly know who you are.
So, with no more further ado, let’s welcome this 2014 and let’s get started!
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