In one way or another, I’ve always been a communicator. Through words and images, core messages and assembled designs, I get a kick out of helping people, businesses and organizations reach out to the world and make a meaningful impression. First using print as my canvas, and now WordPress, I’ve paid close attention to what resonates with folks, and what doesn’t. And man, I’ve learned a lot. Glad to have had the chance to pass it along by teaching graphic design, marketing writing, and the Optimized for Humans web marketing presentation.

Find Tom Tortorici online at TortoriciInc.com
Follow Tom Tortorici on Twitter – tom_tortorici

WCATL 2015 Session – Awesome Images on Your Website

When someone lands on your website, the first thing they notice are the images. Are they powerful, compelling visuals that draw visitors closer? Or are they … just o.k.? We’ll look at a slew of before-and-after examples that show what can be done to increase the visual appeal and visceral impact of your photos on the web. From banner images to profile photos to stock photos, you’ll discover tips, ideas and all kinds useful insights for creating ‘eye candy’ that makes your site stand out. This is a non-technical presentation of eye-catching possibilities.

WordPress Rockstar. Farmer, mbira player, father, river rafter, traveler.

WCATL 2015 Session – Put a Little Backbone in Your WordPress

Backbone (and Underscore!) are bundled with WordPress – explore how you can leverage their power to deliver complex user experiences while keeping your code organized and maintainable. When and why should you use Backbone? How can WordPress help?

We will delve into a sample Backbone project and review major WordPress core components built with Backbone – including media, revisions and themes. We will also cover using the JSON REST API to get data into and out of WordPress.

She started making websites when she was 12, but never imagined she’d end up in the digital strategy business. Says Nathalie, “I was blogging online before ‘blogs’ or WordPress were even on the scene. As soon as WordPress was available I loved it and have built all of my sites on it ever since.”

Nathalie Lussier is an award-winning entrepreneur. She graduated with a degree in Software Engineering and a job offer from Wall Street. In a gutsy move, she turned down this job to start her own business right out of college. Now running a highly profitable software and training company, Nathalie helps thousands of people all over the world get techy with it. She’s been featured in Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Venture Beat, Mashable, Business Insider, Yahoo! Finance, and Under 30 CEO.

Nathalie says she went down the corporate path and turned back, and sometimes felt like going back to square one. But now she knows she’s exactly where she was meant to be.

Nathalie has been blogging for over 14 years, and really ‘gets’ the online marketing landscape. She recently partnered with her husband to launch AmbitionAlly, which creates WordPress tools for driven and design-oriented entrepreneurs. They include the polite PopupAlly plugin for WordPress with exit intent options.

We can’t wait to hear Nathalie’s perspectives on how our career paths can take us in fascinating and unexpected directions, as they spiral ever upward.

Follow Nathalie on Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube, Facebook and her website.

Mike Stewart is president and founder of Soundpages Inc., a complete multimedia production facility located in the Atlanta area of Georgia, USA. Mike has composed countless radio jingles, television scores, and produced or performed on music heard all over the world. He has worked with world famous musicians such as Tommy Roe, Joe South, The Shirelles, William Bell (Georgia Hall of Fame Recipient), Isaac Hayes, Eddie Floyd, Bertie Higgins, and Bill Anderson: The list goes on and on of Georgia performers who’s who. He owned and operated a recording studio for over twenty years working in all facets of digital audio and video.

In 1996, Mike became passionate about the future of the Internet and how small businesses could benefit from the web if they just understood how to make it work for their company. He saw how the broadcast of audio and video information on a website was no different than the television/radio industry he had been a part of all his life.

Since that time, he has become very successful consulting with small business owners on how to set up their worldwide TV stations and broadcast their unique marketing message to the world.

WCATL 2015 Session – iPad Video Blogging

Why video blogging is so powerful for relationship building, and how easy it is to embed video in WordPress.

I demonstrate the top 10 video apps that make incredible video content with your iPad and give resources for accessories that vastly improve the quality of your videos. Plus case studies of successful bloggers who turn viewers into customers.