What is your name / organization / title?
Jonathan Cutrell, Director of Engineering, PBS
What motivated you to become a maker?
I wanted to make my message connect with anyone who would listen.
Looking back on the early stages of your journey, what advice would you give yourself now?
There is always more than one way, and almost always more than two.
What is your favorite thing you’ve ever made? Why?
My podcast. It is genuinely a raw expression of my thoughts over multiple years.
What’s the next evolution for you (or your industry) going to look like?
Honestly, probably better integrated tooling for engineers.
Who would you partner with (living or dead) for your dream collaboration? And what would you work on together?
I would probably want to just watch Von Neumann. Or I could totally get on board with writing a book with Shankar Vedantam, host of Hidden Brain.
You're on death row and it's time for your final meal. What'll ya have?
If my wife is alive, I would have Indian with her. If she's not, I would probably have Indian without her.
In a world where you have two hands, all of your pets and loved ones are safe, and your studio is on fire, what do you try to save?
My Martin acoustic first. My Fender Tele second. My Gretsch third. My SM7b next.
What is one piece of pop culture (movie, tv, artwork, song, etc.) that no matter how many times you return to it you still draw excitement, movement, or inspiration?
"My Own Worst Enemy" cover by Get Scared. But more seriously, some of the older Bon Iver music.
I love useless facts. Impress me with a seriously useless fact!
Dogs jump up on their owners when they arrive home because they think you just came back from hunting for their pack, and they want to grab some of the meat.
If you could try any profession other than your own, what would you choose to do?
Possibly a pilot, but I think I would probably become an author.
What is your personal strategy/philosophy when it comes to using social media for your work?
Listen more, talk less.
Speaking of social media, where can people find you?
@jcutrell + @developertea
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