Hello World
We Are Ticketfly Tech
We’re a passionate mix of engineers, designers, and product people working to build the most open, intuitive, and innovative platform for live events. Our software empowers fans to discover, purchase tickets to, and attend some of the best events across North America; enabling venues & concert promoters to run successful live event businesses.
The work we do from our small corner of the world in San Francisco keeps the lights on at venues and festivals across the continent (more than 1,200 of them), helps elevate touring artists to new heights, and connects fans with unforgettable memories that come from being in the moment.
Over the years we’ve developed a strong internal culture, the foundation of which revolves around three key ideas: curiosity, transparency, and community. This environment formed thanks to the folks who work here, but something was missing: a way to share our thoughts.
But before we get too deep into thoughts and sharing them, let’s get a better understanding of what we value.
We Value…
The Totems of Ticketfly Tech
Curiosity
From discussing philosophy in a book club to a weekly code dojo of mob programming on a problem, everyone here loves to share learnings and try new things, unhindered by failure.
Beyond technology, folks here have wandered the world as musicians, comedians, writers, and poets. We can be seen performing across the ocean on stage, or on some DJ decks right here in San Francisco.
Many of us head off to events throughout the year to learn about a plethora of topics such as: Scala, security, Ember.js, mobile, and others. This is all in an effort to tie various concepts together in order to solve the problems we face.
As you might imagine, designing modern systems for live events can seem like a Gordian knot, but we won’t falter. As Ella Fitzgerald once sang,
Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.
Transparency
Without curiosity, asking questions and the possibility of continuous improvement stagnate. Asking the tough questions and realizing that asking when something isn’t clear or when stuck leads to greater success. As a result, we’re always talking about the good and the bad; building an emotional resilience together upon a layer of transparency and trust.
For example, as a group we’ve recognized our tech cholesterol, identified owners, and continuously refined an execution plan for leaning up the platform to be fit, trim, and extensible as it evolves.
Now we’re adding a new layer of transparency to our org by writing a blog and reflecting even further on the internals of our operation.
We’re determined to create a transparent workplace. Oftentimes that means paying closer attention: reading between the lines, connecting through communication both spoken and unspoken. As Miles Davis once decreed,
Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there.
Community
Community brings it all together.
Our organization molds itself into autonomous groups of like-minded individuals from knowledge domains to professional foci; groups called Squads, Chapters, and Guilds.
Keeping an eye on ways to grow, we look for new ways of connecting both internally and externally (our new blog!). Our hope: to inspire each other and create even greater cohesiveness from within, sharing what we learn with the world.
Above all, we value the people that work here. By building a foundational story, we can all dream together. As John Lennon once prescribed,
A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.
Come On In
Today, we begin the adventure of expressing our passions and eruditions externally by joining Medium: Hello World!
From this vantage we will give onlookers a peek backstage at our musically-styled office in SOMA, and get to know the people who make it a place worth going to work every day.
We will also…
…share our thoughts on aspects of technology today — including design, UI/UX, architecture, and data — and discuss specific lessons we’ve learned by paving a new path for live events.
…explore the demands of our ever-evolving industry, how to write code that works today and tomorrow, and the obstacles along the way. As David Bowie once said:
I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.
Curious to explore more of the Totems of Ticketfly Tech? Good, that’s a start; next, stop by our bar and say “Hello.”
Written with love by Eddie Freeman, Editor-in-Chief of Ticketfly Tech
