Matt King

Work

I've been building web sites for over 10 years, and have battle scars to prove it. I've worked on a wide spectrum of technologies, from backend programming in Ruby, Python and PHP, to frontend interactive development using JavaScript, HTML5 and CSS3. I've built countless APIs, web applications, and content management systems (and even one that was self-reproducing). I've worked on sites and applications for worldwide brands like Google, Nike and Starbucks. I've recently moved into the startup world, first at Urban Airship, then Boundary, and now a developer at Cozy.

Life

I was born and raised, and continue to live in Portland, Oregon. In the rare times I'm not in front of a computer working on my personal projects, I'm finding recipes and tasty food to cook, collecting and playing retro video games, or spending time with my wife and two cats.

Work

Google Developer Day 2011

Technologies: Python, AppEngine, JavaScript, CSS3

Working with Instrument and their design team, I built the main home page piece using HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript to create a playful interactive globe that highlighted all the cities the Google Developer Day tour was visiting. The look and feel of each city changed depending on real time and weather conditions. There were also a few hidden surprises!

Google I/O Web Site 2011

Technologies: Python, AppEngine, JavaScript, CSS3

Working again with Instrument, I helped develop the content site framework in AppEngine, as well as worked on the the countdown clock visualization on the I/O 2011 home page. The clock counted down for the few months leading to the start of the I/O 2011 conference, each second ticking by saw an explosion of dots that dropped and rolled across the screen. For people who discovered it, you could drag each page element around and the dots would fall and bounce around on them. On US Holidays like Valentine's, the countdown clock changed to floating hearts. At the end of the countdown, the clock phased backward, and the rest of the site fell away. The dots then exploded into a pseudo-3d space and came back together in several formations like the Android robot and Chrome logo.

Interface CMS

Technologies: Ruby, Rails, JavaScript, Linux, Cloud Hosting

I led backend and frontend development on this content management system that Instrument used for several of it's clients. Interface is a CMS that let you...build CMSes. It began as we were working on Weiden + Kennedy's web site, which became a sort of template app for backends for other client sites. From there we built it into an app that let users define data models and fields, from which a CMS was automatically generated. It evolved to have a multi-format API, templating system, and asset caching and hosting platform. In it's peak Interface was being auto-deployed across virtual server instances automatically for both Instrument clients and other companies interested in using it. One huge strength at the time was that it could be deployed, and have an API defined for Flash and JavaScript apps, within hours.

Nike Stream

Technologies: Adobe Air, JavaScript, Flash, Flex, Java, Flash Media Server

As technical director at Instrument, I oversaw development of this ambitious project for Nike. In a span of three months, the team created an image, video and link sharing Adobe Air desktop application that enabled the globally dispersed design group at Nike to share inspiration. The application also included file sharing, video and text chat. In the end it turned out to be very close to what Pinterest is today, with a few extra bells and whistles thrown in.

Urban Airship Revenge

Technologies: JavaScript, HTML5

Working at Urban Airship, an idea for a game that started as a joke ended up living on the UA home page on April Fool's Day 2011. The game is a side-scrolling shooter where you control an airship (of course) through three levels of combat. Urban Airship used the game to drive traffic and raise brand awareness, and to have a bit of fun.

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