About Me

A wise man once told me, “Whatever you do, make sure to learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.”He explained that “creative types” like myself could be dangerous with such knowledge; one day I would recall those words and take his advice.

I'm a Web Developer and a Media Production Specialist with over 10 years of combined experience in the fields. I began my career in 2012 by becoming a Certified Audio Engineer. I spent the following decade advancing my skills in audio, video, and media production while pursuing the goal of becoming an Influencer online. Along the way, I picked up skills in digital media marketing and maintaining brand awareness with social media strategies. I also continued my academic studies by pursuing a computer science degree online and attending a trade school for web development and eCommerce.

How I Became A Web Developer

“We lived on farms, then we lived in cities, and now we're going to live on the internet!”-The Social Network, 2010It all started with a film.

My passion for web development began in 2016 after watching David Fincher's 2010, "The Social Network" for the first time. I became fascinated by the concept that one could create something from nothing. At a theoretical level, I began investigating the building blocks of the internet, exploring markup languages and the design concepts of social media platforms like Meta's Facebook and Instagram, Youtube, and Twitter. Then, while attending Vidcon 2017 at the Business Tier in Los Angeles, California, I learned about social media strategies for increasing brand awareness and various techniques in digital media marketing.

In 2018, I began pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science with the intent to graduate from Thomas Edison State University. However, after acquiring 33 college credits through Unbound (previously known as Lumerit Unbound), my education was put on hold during the worldwide shutdown of 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. That same year, my financial situation changed, further delaying my education. I transitioned my focus then on preparing for my wedding and getting married. Still, I spent my free time reading through coding textbooks and delving into a new hobby of game development.

Finally, In 2021, I opted for a different educational route by enrolling as a part-time student in a program called Freemote, a Web Development Coding Bootcamp specializing in front-end web development and business strategies on the eCommerce Shopify platform. Through my coursework, I've built several Shopify eCommerce Store demos, learned about store setup and migration, and gained experience coding with Shopify Liquid. I've also worked on other coding projects, building websites from scratch and Webflow templates, including a clone of Instagram's login page and my Official Portfolio Website, where you are now.

How I Became A Media Production Specialist

“With eight seconds left in overtime, she's on your mind, she's on your mind.”-The Fray, 2005It all started with a song.

At heart, I'm a music producer, as music was my first passion brought to life in 2007 when I first heard the song “Over My Head (Cable Car)” by The Fray. From then until I graduated high school, I spent the following years studying music; I taught myself to play guitar and piano, and how to sing. I studied music theory and common lyrical patterns for song composition. Further inspiration from musical artists like OneRepublic and Owl City led me to discover music production with synthesizers using DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations), like Cubase and FL Studio. After high school, I attended The Pennsylvania Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences or “PARAS” (now known as The Academy of Media Production or “AMP”), where I became a Certified Audio Engineer, specializing in sound and recording technologies with ProTools. I started my career, then, by volunteering at various churches to operate their audio soundboards (my favorite being the Behringer X32), lighting boards, and various software for digital media presentations.

In 2012, after discovering British Youtube Vloggers Charlie McDonnell (a.k.a "charlieissocoollike" and Alex Day (a.k.a "nerimon"), I began writing and filming, editing, and publishing my own YouTube videos. I started filming with a laptop and editing with iMovie, all with the goal of developing a presence online to build an audience with which to share my music. After several years, several camera upgrades, and nearly a hundred videos produced, I had gained many skills as my eye for aesthetics and perfectionist nature drove me to learn how to produce higher quality content with more eye-catching graphics for my online presence. I moved from iMovie to Adobe Premiere Elements to finally Vegas Pro. I taught myself to use Photoshop for creating title cards (or “thumbnails”) for my videos and acquired professional lighting and audio-capture equipment for filming. The quality of my work also gained the attention of local business owners, leading to several freelance opportunities to produce videos for businesses like Ace Hardware and Fresco Cafe.

In 2016, with only 200 subscribers to my YouTube channel, I altered my strategy from filming lifestyle vlogging videos to gaming videos under a new username, Nicklefritz, after discovering famous gamers like Markiplier and Jacksepticeye. Gaming content was popular at the time and could produce more lucrative results in audience building. After a few years, I tripled my subscriber count, published another several hundred videos, and had some mild success in producing a few viral videos, the most successful of which has amassed 29,136 views and garnished over 100 new subscribers to the channel. By no means have I gained financial success through my endeavors to become an Online Influencer, but over the last decade I've developed invaluable skills in media production and digital marketing, and through networking, I've had the pleasure of experiencing such rare opportunities as international travel to meet with fellow YouTubers, sharing lunch with a leading professional of Facebook's Video department, and being invited to a Youtuber party in the Hollywood Hills.

My Education History

Traditional Education

Additional Training

As a forever student, I am constantly looking to expand my knowledge base and improve my skills in both web development and media production. I am a self-improvement enthusiast and always looking to advance my personal growth. I enjoy taking courses for the development of new skills from Udemy, Coursera, TutorialsPoint, and Programming Hub. Also, I frequently reference MDN Web Docs and W3 Schools for documentation on the most up-to-date web technologies. In addition to these sources, I am also quite fond of CSS Tricks and Kevin Powell with his teachings on building the web in a CSS-friendly way.

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