Meet the guy responsible for the Burning Man webcast.
#TwelveDaysofISDI: Career advice, interviewing tips, and Silicon Valley secrets to make your 2018 the best it can be.
Day 11 comes with pipers piping and Matthew Reyes, one of our MIB students. We didn’t just bring in Matt to add a “student voice” to our journey, but because he genuinely surprises us every day.
Matt is a Silicon Valley-based private consultant, entrepreneur, and technology program manager with 17 years of experience turning big ideas into productive reality. He is currently an Engineering Program manager at Juniper Networks Development & Innovation, helping modernize product development processes and shepherding creation of the world’s most advanced internet routing & security hardware. Over the years, his very specific tech-focused skillset has taken his career path through many turns landing him at organizations such as GoPro, NASA, the Obama White House Office of Science Technology Policy, and entities within the Department of Defense.
Oh. And if the title didn’t make it clear, he was on the team responsible for the Burning Man webcast this past year (and every year since 2013).
Didn’t we tell you that he surprises us every day?
We’re grateful to have him be a part of our ISDI family, and our #TwelveDaysofISDI story. Read on for his opinions on Silicon Valley and what it takes to be different in the modern digital world.
What are the skills necessary to run the livestream for Burning Man? (For those who don’t know, tell us how one even gets an opportunity like that?!)
To produce any live event, you have to be able to think fast and not get hung up on mistakes. Because Burning Man is a 24/7 experience, a particular kind of dedication is also required to ensure a quality experience!
I started producing the Burning Man webcast in 2013 as a result of doing someone a favor. A friend and former NASA colleague, Charles White, had invited me down to his ranch to develop the remote video avionics systems for a mutant vehicle called the Mars Rover Art Car. This project required knowing how to build a computer network and the associated electronics that could operate a camera while moving in an extremely abusive environment.
Once we got to Black Rock City, the Burning Man organization’s internal camera system had gone a little haywire and suffered electronic failures due to the extreme environment. But because of our art car’s design, we were able to step in and save the broadcast.
I’ve been working with them ever since.
If you had the means necessary to create/build/develop any solution of your choice — what would it be?
I would love to dedicate my professional career toward creating digital solutions that securely educates humanity of their impacts on global systems and provides technological alternatives.
Take for instance global CO2 concentration. Humanity wasn’t initially aware of the environmental effects of modernization and progress. We now can educate individuals of their contributions to this problem and offer them customized solutions that benefit themselves AND the environment.
For someone who wants to be more knowledgeable in the tech and digital space, where is a good place to start? Could you recommend any favorite books, tools, or groups?
It all starts with having a fundamental curiosity on understanding how things work. It is important to release any fear of breaking something and embrace an attitude of play. From that mindset is where the choices begin: do you want to play with hardware or software (or both)!
I have never been formally trained to use any computer hardware or software; I’ve always just hacked away at something until I figured it out. I will ask others for help, and yes, I’ve broken a few things along the way, but I’ve not let that stop me from trying again.
There is a community for every kind of tech project. Here in Silicon Valley, there are places to learn collaboratively about software and programming such as Hacker Dojo. Many local libraries offer software coding resources and hardware design and development, including 3D printers and robotic platforms such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi, BeagleBoards, etc. Maker Faires are worldwide events that highlight some of the best Do It Yourself projects. Recently I’ve begun exploring online education platforms such as Udemy, Lynda, and Udacity for training on data aggregation and analysis tools such as Python, TensorFlow, and Tableau.
Regardless of the approach, it’s important to talk to other people and learn from them. Don’t worry about looking stupid when you ask questions, just make sure you respect others’ time by doing enough research to know what questions to ask.
Finally, share with us something you’re really, really good at — and could teach us a little bit about.
At the end of the day, I’m good at networking in ways that bring technology and people together. I have never had more fun working on technology projects than when I’m working with people with wildly varying experiences. I like to think of projects in their broader, global contexts and how a diversity of people’s backgrounds can contribute to better problem-solving.
Day 1: Former VP of Talent at LinkedIn and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
Day 2: Director of Digital and Social of the 49ers and Two Turtle Doves
Day 3: Three-time Author @britopian and Three French Hens
Day 4: Research Director of Google Cloud and Four Calling Birds
Day 5: CEO of Charlotte Russe and Five Golden Rings
Day 6: Founder of Adobe Analytics Consulting Group and Six Geese A-Laying
Day 7: VP of Marketing at Box and Seven Swans A-Swimming
Day 8: SVP of Digital & Marketing at Zeno Group and Eight Maids A-Milking
Day 9: Agile SCRUM Master and Nine Ladies Dancing
Day 10: Coriant CCO and Ten Lords of Leaping
To learn more about ISDI Digital University and the 9-month master’s degree in digital business program, visit us at www.isdidigital.university.
