For Hire

Howdy folks! 🤠

I am on the quest for my next adventure.

Keep reading to find out what I'm looking for in my next full-time role. In the meantime, I am open to contract or fractional work on a project basis.

(Special thanks to Maurice Cherry, Julie Pagano, Brenna Flood, and Andy Pressman — their “for hire” pages inspired me to do this for myself. Want to make your own? Check out this blog post here.)

I'm a multihyphenate community builder.

I am passionate about finding new and innovative ways to communicate, educate, and elevate others.

I'm a proven expert at bridging teams and industries from media, product, engineering, design, developer relations, and customer success. My nerd heart is never far behind — I'm also a seasoned educator driven by a lifelong love of learning.

• I'm an online creator. From the early days of exploring caches on Geocatching.com and making Sims2 custom content to now, where I regularly host Twitter Spaces or share what I know on YouTube or my online site.
• I'm a storyteller. My formal educational chops come from the journalism world. I first intended to be a political reporter, but a semester of court reporting made me realize it wasn't for me.
• I'm a multihyphenate. I fueled my creative mind working as a graphic designer and director of everything at a creative studio. I bounced between product management, user experience, and client relations. This is where I was first exposed to learning how to code — dipping my toes into front-end development through email templates, Shopify sites and templates, and related work with whatever needed to get done that day. I continue to embrace a diverse set of skills across a variety of industries.
• I'm an academic. I completed my master's of arts in media innovation at NYU's Studio 20 program. I spent a year researching fandoms and creators to understand the business models behind both. At NYU, I worked as a project lead with the Financial Times as a UX + product researcher.
• I am far from timid on a stage. I'm a stand-up comedian, public speaker, ignite talk-giver, adjunct professor, and sketch comedy writer. I've given over 35 professional talks and workshops throughout my career and have no plan for stopping anytime soon.
• I love working with do-ers. I have a passion for those who create: developers, designers, authors, artists, musicians, and beyond. Empowering folks to embrace their thing and do what they do best is very much my thing.
• I’m a quick learner, an empathetic builder, and a strategic thinker. I thrive in cross-functional roles where I'm able to flex my skills as an effective communicator. I'm comfortable under pressure, appreciate a deadline, and am confident in my abilities to communicate needs to complete strangers, executives, and everyone in-between.

I am thought leader and public speaker. I maintain an active practice in sharing what I know through talks, tutorials, and other means of education.

There are things for certain I know that I am not.

I've had the chance to wear many hats throughout my career and, for this, I'm fortunate. My multivariate background has allowed me to discover what I'm not interested in as much as what I am interested in.

• I am not a product marketer, sales professional, or marketing lead.
• I am not a graphic designer or illustrator.
• I am not a videographer, photographer, or animator.
• I am not interested in taking on a full-time role at a web3 organization.
• I am not someone who is comfortable with going with the status quo because it's always been so. I expect individuals and organizations to be candid with their why behind what they do.

I believe in celebrating the big wins.

Here are some of mine:

• Developed and launched Orbit education strategy resulting in leading 6 education events/month focused on developer & product builders.
• Scaled the Orbit community from 7K total members to over 30K total members.
• Experienced content creator across audio, visual, written and technical content mediums, with consistent brand and press mentions across industries.
• Subject matter expert backed by NYU + CUNY focused on creator economy and its viability through user-led research of solopreneurs + fandom communities.
• Leverage viral moments by executing strategy efficiently, becoming CEO of the Elliot Virtual Mall. Generated partnerships + press mentions with STUDS, Jeff Staple, Morning Brew, Taylor Lorenz, Rally Rd., Emmett Shine, Pattern Brands, + more.

Find more about me online

I'm (very) active on Twitter, share upcoming events on my luma page, keep a log of professional activities on LinkedIn and Polywork, showcase conference talks and lectures on YouTube, and live stream on Twitch.

Keep in touch with me and check in on all my sites on my bio page or learn more about where I'm coming from here.

What am I looking for in my next role?

While I am looking for the eventual full-time role, I am open to contracting on a project basis until that perfect full-time role comes up. Here is what is essential to me in the organizations that I work with.

• Kind people doing good things. I value kind > nice. I want to use my talents to bring good to the world. I love helping others do what they do best — whatever that may be. I know the talents and value that I bring to the table, and am additionally self-aware of what my weak spots are.
• Transparency and candor. I expect transparency in process, strategy, and decisions from management and colleagues wherever I might land. I also look for peers, colleagues, and management to practice transparency and candor with me and others they work with. Let's leave the elephants out of the room so we can spend less time in awkward silence and more time focusing on what's important.
• Embrace learning. As a seasoned educator and lifelong learner, being in an environment where we embrace new skills and growth is important to me. I want to be intellectually stimulated through new challenges or opportunities.
• Autonomy and trust. I'm at a senior level in my career and have had proven successes in the past. I ask for an appropriate amount of autonomy and trust to do what I do best.
• Flexible and remote work environment. I've worked remotely even before it was "cool." I'm an early riser and like to get a good jump start on the day. I thrive in flexible and remote work environments and am a skilled communicator in asynchronous formats and would prefer to keep it that way.
• Fair and equitable compensation and healthcare benefits.

Here are some titles that fit what I'm looking to do next.

I'm looking for a senior+ level IC role with room to grow. I envision myself working in a cross-functional role, alongside developers in a position I can embrace my skills as an educator to work.

I also understand that the community and developer relations industry is nascent and still growing, so below is not an exhaustive list of titles. If you feel like you have a role that may be up my alley — please reach out.

• Developer/Technical Community Advocate
• Developer/Community Education
• Educational Program Manager
• Developer Community Program Manager
• Developer Relations
• Community Moderation + Online Safety
• Open Source Program Manager
• Open Source Advocate
• Product Evangelist
• Beta Community Lead

It's an added bonus, but not a requirement if your organization has...

• Unlimited PTO (and a push by the team or company to use it).
• Unlimited sick leave.
• 401K match.
• A home office setup budget.
• A professional development budget.

When can you start?

I'm currently speaking at two upcoming conferences; CMX and How To Web. I'm looking to start a full-time role after those events in late September 2022. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to having conversations and exploring what is out there.

Where are you located?

I'm based in Brooklyn, NYC.🗽 I don't have a desire to relocate, but will travel for work.

Why a for hire page?

If I'm asking for transparency from my employer and colleagues, it's only fair that I do the same. By setting my expectations and wish lists out there, I can open myself to opportunities and help find what will be a best fit for all parties.

How can I get ahold of you?

Drop me an email at erin@erinmikailstaples.com with what you've got in mind and I'll be sure to get back to relevant job offers within 48 hours.