Speaker Spotlight: James Hipkin

James is an accomplished, forward-thinking marketing professional with 25+ years of multi-disciplinary experience in marketing and marketing communications companies serving high-profile, global brands and B2C clients in consumer packaged goods, durables, transportation, telecommunications and financial services. He has been involved in digital for more than ten years, first as President of a direct marketing agency in San Francisco, where he led the evolution of the agency from traditional direct marketing to digital. Clients included Apple and Wells Fargo online bank. And then as the head of a mid sized agency’s interactive group, with Toyota as the main client. He joined Red8 Interactive (http://red8interactive.com), a long term vendor, as an owner and managing director, 3.5 years ago.

James is presenting: WordPress for Designers

1) Why do you like using WordPress?
Great support network / eco system. Most of our customers need a dashboard that’s straight froward, and WordPress delivers.

2) Why did you decide to speak at WordCamp Ottawa?
I grew up in Manotick, but since I left home my career in advertising and marketing has taken me to South America, Europe, Chicago and now San Francisco. I saw this as an opportunity to bring some of my experience back to my home town. It’s also a great excuse to go see my mother.

3) What is the one thing you want people to walk away with from your talk?
Successful website design doesn’t happen in a vacuum; collaboration with developers early and often is key.

4) What is your favourite WordPress plugin or theme? Why?
We build custom themes almost exclusively so no favorite there. Advanced Custom Fields with its extensions is top of our list. Gravity Forms and its extensions are right up there as well.