Full Stack Whatever
Maykel Loomans
Full Stack Whatever is a series of conversations with creatives and technologists about the work behind the work.
Technology, design, and art are all subjects powered by an immeasurable amount of time invested by humans. And too often, we find ourselves only talking about the superficial aspects; job titles, launches, campaigns, etc.
With these conversations, I want to dig deeper and uncover the lessons, insights, and motivations of some of the best and brightest in our industries. I hope to illustrate that the journey is the reward, and that the stories shared will resonate and support some of you.
Technology, design, and art are all subjects powered by an immeasurable amount of time invested by humans. And too often, we find ourselves only talking about the superficial aspects; job titles, launches, campaigns, etc.
With these conversations, I want to dig deeper and uncover the lessons, insights, and motivations of some of the best and brightest in our industries. I hope to illustrate that the journey is the reward, and that the stories shared will resonate and support some of you.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 3, 2024 • 1h 1min
Sana Rao: The Goop Stage
Sana Rao is a contemporary expressionist artist based in London. Her work is a personal meditation and a weapon to guard against the numbness brought on by an entirely mechanised existence. Sana’s artwork draws from the expressionist tradition and depicts the vision of a playful yet symbiotic future.
Before returning to art, Sana spent nearly two decades in the world of design and tech working in companies like Twitter, Deliveroo, Apple and Peanut across three continents.
Sep 17, 2024 • 1h 23min
Craig Campbell: One-man Wrecking Crew
Links:Pastmaps
Jul 9, 2024 • 55min
Jeff Sheldon: Standing Behind Your Product
Links:Ugmonk
Apr 30, 2024 • 1h 22min
Brett Westervelt: Measure Twice, Cut Once
Brett Westervelt is currently the Head of Design at Instagram. We spoke about his life and career, from growing up in Oklahoma, tinkering with his grandfather, to taking a course at Stanford, experiencing startup life, and growing as a leader.
This episode has tons of nuggets about how he thinks of building strong teams to create great software, how he thinks about design at scale, and how to keep craft at a high bar.
Apr 9, 2024 • 1h 2min
Andy McMillan: It's About People
Andy is a creative director, designer, and event producer. He is most well known for XOXO and Build Conference. He also recently started a non-alcoholic craft brewery called Heck.
We spoke about the events that he's created, and how he went from event production to non-alcoholic beverages. Most notably, Andy's career has run parallel to the evolution of the tech industry in the last 15 years, and he shares some of his perspectives on this.
Mar 19, 2024 • 1h 4min
Gabriel Valdivia: Filling The Design Void
Gabriel Valdivia is a product designer, and currently an independent fractional design leader. He partners with founders as their design leadership counterpart while embedding with engineering teams to execute and iterate towards product/market fit.
We talked about the rise of the model of fractional design leadership, the current issues tech teams are facing after bloating their organizations these last few years, and many other takes of various temperatures.
Mar 5, 2024 • 58min
Cat Noone: Responsibility to Your Craft
The podcast explores Cat Noone's journey from designer to CEO of an accessibility tools startup, emphasizing accountability and collaboration in product teams, effective communication in remote teams, navigating enterprise sales, and empowering accessibility through modern software solutions.
Jan 30, 2024 • 1h 4min
Aaron Carambula: Breaking Down Barriers
In the inaugural episode of 2024, Aaron and I explore three compelling topics.
First, we discuss the qualities of our most effective cross-functional partners and partnerships. Then, we delve into the significance of designers considering their work in the context it lives in, and focusing on the impact it can have. And finally, we share insights on the most impactful feedback we've received.
Jan 1, 2024 • 1h 6min
Majd Taby & Jasper Hauser: No Modes
Majd and Jasper are the co-founders of Darkroom, a photo and video editor for iPhone, iPad and Mac.
In this episode we go through the whole history of Darkroom, how they think about the product in the context of the competitive landscape, and how they look at evolving the product going forward.
Dec 26, 2023 • 1h 15min
Brian Lovin & Ryan Nystrom: Surrounded by People Doing Interesting Work
Brian Lovin and Ryan Nystrom are the co-founders of Campsite, a tool for product teams to communicate with increased signal, rich institutional knowledge, and reduced noise.
We talked about the lessons they have learned from starting the company, but also about their past lessons and experiences that inform the way they approach building Campsite. We covered a lot of topics that continuously roam around in my mind as I think of how to support my teams in the best way.
