Backblaze continues to grow, and B2 Cloud Storage is growing rapidly right along with it. One area where B2 excels is offering simple, low-cost storage for media and entertainment companies. To help foster those relationships, we’ve brought on Skip to help steward the M&E side of B2 Cloud Storage. Lets learn a bit more about Skip shall we?
What is your Backblaze Title?
Director of Product Marketing, B2 Media and Entertainment.
Where are you originally from?
I was born in San Diego, and raised in both San Diego North County and the Bay Area.
What attracted your to Backblaze?
I’ve always admired Backblaze — the people, the approach to growing a business, the openness and transparency. I’ve always looked for ways to work with the company while at previous companies, and am so excited to join.
What do you expect to learn while being at Backblaze?
Everything! By which I mean everything about Backblaze, and what a truly open, inquisitive, approach that focuses on what the customer wants to accomplish in media and entertainment will lead to, and how to deliver incredible new ways for our customers’ storytelling and production in the modern age.
Where else have you worked?
At Apple I was a Technology Evangelist for their media and entertainment ecosystem, including Final Cut Pro, Xsan, Xserve and Xserve RAID. Before that I drove Alain Pinel’s Marketing and Technology using NeXT workstations! Since Apple I’ve worked at large companies like Quantum, and small M+E storage startups.
Where did you go to school?
I graduated from Berkeley High, then San Jose State. The Marine Corps sent me to a ton of schools, too.
What’s your dream job?
A place where ideas and values matter, smart, customer-focused and unconventional ‘reach for something truly great’ wins over rote, ‘turn-the-crank’ and ‘good-enough’.
Favorite place you’ve traveled?
Devon Island — the largest uninhabited island on earth, only a few hundred miles from the North Pole.
Favorite Hobby?
Lately it’s been cooking! But writing, and personal software projects, usually.
Of what achievement are you most proud?
Leading the Virginia Tech team to build the worlds fastest supercomputer in Education on a terrifyingly short timeline.
Star Trek or Star Wars?
Star Trek. I’ve always been drawn to the ‘let’s explore’ ethos and mission.
Coke or Pepsi?
Coca-Cola BlaK! It was crazy good — coffee infused Coke!
Favorite Food?
Margherita pizza.
Why do you like certain things?
I’m drawn to learning how things work. As a kid I took everything apart to see how it worked. I’ve learned that the one thing you’re most afraid of is exactly what you should explore next.
Anything else you’d like to tell us?
I’ve been based in the Hill Country outside of Austin Texas for several years, and can’t wait to home-base in the Bay Area again.
Welcome aboard Skip. While we can’t really keep Coca-Cola BlaK in stock, we will certainly have some strong coffee and Coke Classic around!
