S1E13 - A Hollywood Tech Fairytale Story with Tim Brandt

🏴‍☠️ Avast ye me hearties, in this here very special episode of your favourite podcast, an old colleague and friend of mine drops by for another one of those lively chats this Captain is known for across the Seven Seas 🏴‍☠️

None other than Tim Brandt joins me in conversation about our checkered past lives and Tim's career trajectory. You see, Tim's story is a true fairytale to begin with. A Hollywood Dream come true.

Tune in as he shares the tall tale of a wee kid from Michigan making it big in LaLa land with nothing else than a computer engineering degree, a tiny suitcase and dreams big enough to fit a proper galleon ⛵️

Gasp in awe as he reaches for the stars, driving around Beverly Hills in a limo packed with A listers and tech venture capitalists, before landing his dream job at none other than the (in)famous Snap 😎

But just like Icarus flying too close to the Sun, he gets burned pretty bad by the gnarly Tech Layoffs of 2023 we've all grown to loath, and the fall down is long and hard...

Fret not, me hearties, for this tall tale has a happy ending after all. Indeed, you'll learn with undivided interest how Tim, like a phoenix raising from its ashes, finds his center again with the help of a headhunter with a heart of gold ❤️

A story for the ages, I tell ye, so what are you waiting for?

Timeline

[00:00] - Introduction and Reunion of 2 old salty dogs

[06:15] - Computer Graphics - a Ticket to Hollywood?

[13:20] - Pivoting into iOS Development on the LA Tech Scene

[16:50] - Building an App in Beverly Hills

[21:00] - Bringing it all together with AR at Neon

[25:58] - Life in the Pressure Cooker that is Snap

[29:30] - The Infamous Tech Layoffs of 2023 rear their ugly heads

[31:56] - A Hero's rebirth with the Help of a Headhunter with his heart in the right place

[36:15] - Parting Words of Wisdom

Links

Walker Smith, a Headhunter with his heart in the right place: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walkertmsmith/