That’s the short version.
I started doing freelance web and digital-media work in 2002, then launched NCHurricane.com a year later. I’ve kept it running through a lot of changed code, retired links, replaced data sources, and other surprises that come with maintaining a website for more than two decades. These days, I’m also building a real-time weather app with Python, FastAPI, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
I also edit video, make motion graphics, take photos, prepare images for the web, write social posts, and build email campaigns. When I’m working with a client, I listen, make the changes, ask when something is unclear, and stay with the project until it is done.
The end goal is to create your vision digitally.
My freelance work happens on a screen. My full-time work happens with customers, coworkers, schedules, deadlines, and whatever problem walked through the door five minutes ago. The two have more in common than you might think.
I lead daily operations, scheduling, customer service, and employee development for a 13-person retail team. It has made me pretty good at sorting out what needs attention first, keeping people informed, and making sure the job actually gets finished.
At Walmart, I trained thousands of associates on operations, leadership, and app-based tools. People do not all learn the same way, so I learned to explain things differently, write useful job aids, and meet people where they are.
Customer concerns, technical questions, emergencies, and manager-on-duty problems do not always arrive with clear instructions. Staying calm, asking the right questions, and finding a practical answer works just as well with a broken website.
Labor requirements, audits, regulated records, Teams, SharePoint, and virtual training are not flashy, but they matter. They taught me to document the work, protect information, explain changes, and leave behind a process someone else can follow.
I build and update responsive pages, trace broken links and outside dependencies, and keep digging when the first answer does not fix it.
I edit short and long videos, make motion and still graphics, and prepare photos and video for the web. I also use alt text, captions, and sensible page structure when the work supports them.
I try to use plain language, say what I know, ask when I do not, and give people enough information to decide what happens next.
Honestly, a lot of the work started with something I was already interested in.
I keep up with severe weather, photograph storms and quiet places, enjoy racing (I used to race myself), and spend plenty of time with my wife and our four cats, collectively known as The NCHurricats (opens in a new tab).
Those interests lead me to learn cameras, editing, data sources, code, and publishing tools. Then one project led to another, which is more or less how I got here.
