When you think of a dream team, what comes to mind?
Maybe you imagine colleagues with impressive degrees from universities like Harvard and Yale; or great peers who make the work day fun and interesting; or coworkers with different areas of expertise and responsibility, but who work together well to accomplish a common vision and mission.
At WannaPixel we typically don’t like to brag, but we think our team is pretty phenomenal, pushing the “dream team” status for sure. We believe the diversity of our team’s backgrounds is our strength.
Our office is based in Denver, Colorado, but only a few of our team members actually live there. We’ve found that in order to secure the best colleagues, we can’t always specify a location. Which is why 63 percent of our team telecommutes and works remotely.
We’d like to introduce you to the WannaPixel Dream Team, the magic-makers behind the scenes of transforming “technology for social good” into a reality every day.
Nathan Porter (CEO), Denver, Colorado
1. What diverse experience do you bring to the WaPix team that helps us serve our clients well?
“I did not choose technology as a career path; it chose me. I grew up working in very hands-on jobs like home remodeling, auto-body repair, and starting my own lawn mowing business when I was 13. At 15, I moved away from home and joined a construction company that built luxury homes in Florida. When I was 17, I was in a sledding accident that broke my spine, causing me to re-evaluate my vocation. An opportunity came up to work at a computer software company as a first-level phone operator, and I jumped at it. In the first year there, I somehow sold a bunch of projects and was promoted to a sales position. In the course of business, I learned everything I know about technology and have started three technology companies since then. Sixteen years later I haven’t ever looked back.”
2. What’s your favorite part of your job?
“Meeting with clients and brainstorming creative solutions to problems.”
3. Why do you think technology is crucial for the social-good industry?
“Technology is a multiplier. It allows people to magnify their effort and their message to an exponential degree. As such, it is an incredible force for good. It is also so much a part of the fabric of our daily lives that anyone who does not have it or utilize it is at an incredible disadvantage. I like to think that we empower the people who make the world a better place.”
Marisa Porter (Founder/Creative Director), Denver, Colorado
1. Describe your role at Wanna Pixel.
“Creative Director and Founder. I’ve always loved using words, art, and code to create apps, websites, and branding pieces. I oversee the creative implementation of our websites as well, with CSS being like a second language to me.”
2. What fun/interesting experience or fact about you do you bring to the WaPix team that helps serve clients well?
“I think it would have to be the combined role of creative and developer. I’ve worked with many designers who didn’t have the advantage of understanding the science of web, and I’ve worked with developers that didn’t understand the science of usability. Having people on the team that understand both is a strength our company has.”
3. Why do you think technology is crucial for the social-good industry?
“Because we all work with technology every day. The digital native generation and younger will never know a world without smartphones and social media, and in the Oregon Trail generation and above, many people have a hard time remembering life before the technologies we’ve all become accustomed to.”
Aniessh Sethh (Developer), Faridabad, India
1. Why do you think technology is crucial for the social-good industry?
“It’s crucial, especially for helping to spread the word. When people see their peers donating, say $20 to XYZ nonprofit, it sets a chain reaction that it’s not about giving away millions, but even $20 is substantial if 100 people give it. Technology increases visibility of what even a small group of people are doing, which results in motivation for the rest.”
2. Why do you think having a diverse team is important?
“I believe with a diverse team, you’re not limited to the mindset you grew up with. You listen to people from different cultures, different ideologies, and different ways of thinking, and I think that helps in developing a more open mindset to serve a diverse world.“
3. If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be and why?
“I believe people would do better in life if they do not have to worry about where the next meal is going to come from. We could have that many more people developing new ideas and creating, if they weren’t worrying about their daily needs. Linux was created by a guy who was born in a country that allowed him the scope to experiment and spend time on things he loved doing instead of worrying about getting a job. He was able to create Linux, which is one of the important factors behind the growth of the internet, which is regarded as one of the most significant inventions of humankind.”
Kelly Kulp (Community Engagement Manager), Lakeside, Montana
1. What is your favorite part of your job?
“I love nonprofits and the good work that they’re up to. Whether it’s writing blog posts, engaging with our nonprofit friends on social media, or helping our clients create content, at the end of the day what I do helps nonprofits multiply their efforts, and that’s something I enjoy.”
2. What fun/interesting experience or fact about you do you bring to the WaPix team that helps serve clients well?
“For the last eight years, I’ve worked with and volunteered for nonprofits all over the world, both locally in the United States and abroad in Malawi, Honduras, Spain, and Cambodia. I’ve focused most of my time in development and fundraising, communications, event planning, and programs. When you work for a nonprofit, you better be ready to wear many different hats. It’s amazing to see how now I can bring all this experience and knowledge together to help our nonprofit clients.”
3. Why do you think having a diverse team is important?
“I believe that when a diverse team works together, something incredible is created. As human beings we can often times get stuck in the same patterns of life, thought, and action, missing a whole world of diverse perspective that can teach us so much. When we bring those different perspectives together, we can create something that’s unique, well-rounded, and the best version of itself.”
Sara Raab (Support Technician), Denver, Colorado
1. What is your favorite part of your job?
“I’ve always been really drawn to behind-the-scenes work. If I had a professional motto, it would be: ’My job is to make sure everyone else can do their jobs.’ That’s exactly what I’m doing here.”
2. What fun/interesting experience or fact about you do you bring to the WaPix team that helps serve clients well?
“I’ve spent years working in the nonprofit sector wearing all sorts of hats in addition to tech: accounting, training, marketing, HR, event planning, and research/evaluation, to name a few. I get what organizations need from their technology, and why.”
3. Why do you think technology is crucial for the social-good industry?
“Technology is crucial for everybody! Our most valuable (and non-renewable) resource is our time. Technology helps us work smarter, faster, and with more time to focus on decisions and priorities that matter most.”
Josh Porter (Project Manager), Pensacola, Florida
1. In your own words, describe your roll at WaPix.
“I’m a Project Manager, the one that tries to keep all the clients happy by keeping the wheels turning at WP.”
2. What fun/interesting experience or fact about you do you bring to the WaPix team that helps serve clients well?
“I was a teacher/principal for 21 years at a small private school, did accounting and computer repair on the side, and currently volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida.”
3. Why do you think having a diverse team is important?
“We provide a lot of different services, and it is impossible to be the best at everything. We need the expertise and balance of other team members.”
Titania Porter (Product Manager), Pensacola, Florida
1. How did you get involved with WaPix in the first place?
“I had done technical writing for another software company in the past. So when my brother needed to find someone to write up the documentation for their CRM, he asked if I’d consider it. I actually wasn’t too sure about it at first, but I’ve been glad ever since that I decided to say yes.”
2. What fun/interesting experience or fact about you do you bring to the WaPix team that helps serve clients well?
“Well, I love trying new things. I’m an inventor at heart. And I find diverse experiences exciting. I’ve taught junior high and high school students for a dozen years, spent a number of years filling in at my parental home acting as nurse and nanny because my mother was so sick with multiple sclerosis, helped Russian immigrants in Sacramento with starting their own private Christian school, worked as a copy-editor for a small publishing house, did technical writing for Advanced Business Computers . . . and now Wanna Pixel.”
3. Why do you think technology is crucial for the social-good industry?
“To me, life is all about relationships. We are here to bless, help, and support each other. Technology is a tool that increases my ability to do that exponentially.”
Gena Dellett (Account Manager), Lawrence, Kansas
1. Describe your role at WaPix.
“I’m a forward-thinking client advocate that will strengthen our existing relationships and shepherd in new relationships and opportunities for WaPix.”
2. What fun/interesting experience or fact about you do you bring to the WaPix team that helps serve clients well?
“I’m a relationship person. I believe in building trust and loyalty. One of my first jobs out of college was working as the primary newspaper reporter in Del Norte, Colorado. I learned so much about what it means to be honest and have integrity. While I was a reporter, I also learned about what it means to be a storyteller. With the right words in the right order, you can turn the mundane into the extraordinary.”
3. If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be and why?
“The change I would make today in the world is that everyone would have a purpose. This is not something that someone else can give you, but something you have to feel and know for yourself. Whether it’s big or small, having a purpose means that you matter in the world. It also requires you to look beyond yourself, which is an important step to empathy. From empathy grows affection. From affection, compassion and care.”
When we bring different perspectives together, we can create something that’s unique, well-rounded, and the best version of itself.
As you can see, each team member brings a unique perspective to their role in our company and in your project. From these diverse backgrounds come real-world application, experience, and good old-fashioned ingenuity. Which is how we at Wanna Pixel can serve such a diverse group of clients with the same high-quality results every time.
