The Résumé & Portfolio of Dan Heisel
Thanks for taking the time to stop by to view my tiny little slice of the interwebs. As you can tell from the site name, my name is Dan and web design/development is my passion. I love everything about the process and am more than happy to turn a small idea into a content rich and highly interactive experience. Though if I had to pick one aspect that made me giddy each time I start working on a project then I could do that. It's problem-solving. I am a big fan of solving problems. Throw me at any size project where previous developers have become stumped or a marketing department has a complex PSD file that needs to be transformed into a vibrant user-friendly interface and I will work tirelessly until the project has been completed.
Feel free to look around and take your time exploring my skills and previous work. There are many more projects coming along that will be updated soon. Some will be built on WordPress or Drupal while others will be built on either PHP or Ruby on Rails. As you look around you may also notice that I have a kid’s book coming out soon. It is being illustrated and should be ready to order by the end of April. I am really proud of this book and am already looking forward to writing my next title. Allow me to summarize some of my skills before this introduction gets too long. This is a short list of what I can offer.
- Passionate about problem-solving.
- More than 5 years of web development experience.
- My favorite technologies include PHP, mySQL, Ruby on Rails, HTML5, and CSS3.
- Amazingly efficient and consistently reliable.
- Able to work on teams or independently depending on the project.
- Thoroughly enjoy cooking.
- Enjoy photography.
- Avid cyclist and cyclocross racer.
Feel free to give me a call or send an email if I can assist on your next project.
My Résumé
Web design and development is what I live for. I am a problem-solver. I thoroughly enjoy taking complex ideas and turning them into innovative and creative web sites. My attention to detail, creative ingenuity, dedication, and skills are exactly what you need for your next project.
Atcore Systems - Junior Developer & Content Creator
May 2012 - Present
- Develop web applications and solve problems using ExpressionEngine, Subversion, NuSphere, NetBeans, Expression Engine, SugarCRM, Putty, WAMP, PHP, jQuery, HTML, and CSS.
- Create innovative web marketing content for in-house modules which includes testing the modules, writing scripts, recording audio, recording video, editing the footage, and delivering properly encoded videos for public viewing.
Georgia State University - Application/Web Developer & IT Manager
June 2011 - June 2012
- Completely redesigned and developed a preexisting static site, drvkumar.com, with nearly one thousand entries around a dynamic PHP and relational MySQL database backend with HTML, CSS, AJAX, and jQuery for the clean, user-friendly front end.
- Completely redesigned and developed a preexisting static site, imcinternational.com, around a dynamic PHP and relational MySQL database backend with HTML, CSS, and jQuery for the highly creative front end. This site was also connected to the drvkumar.com database on a separate server so the data from drvkumar.com would mirror the content following updates.
- Coordinated, successfully created, and managed a remote Linux server installation for a Ruby on Rails project.
- Provided daily, expert problem-solving skills for any technology needs.
- Maintained, organized, and updated the department’s internal site within GSU.
- Planned, developed, and implemented many applications for in-house use which included personnel trackers for hours entered, financial and marketing calculators, calculators to determine the effectiveness of a social coupon campaign, PDF and Excel export options for an up-to-date CV for my manager, and printer usage tracking that could be exported to Excel, PDF, or as an email to the user.
- Maintained a Windows 2008 server with over 14TB of confidential marketing data.
- Wrote, recorded, and edited marketing videos for the department.
- Provided fast, courteous, and reliable desktop support for 25 Windows desktops and 2 Mac Books.
DBH Creative - Application/Web Developer
January 2004 - Present
- Develop and design many creative, user-friendly sites for clients using PHP, MySQL, CSS, jQuery, AJAX, and Flash.
- Implement the use of CMS when applicable (Wordpress, Joomla, and Drupal).
- Maintain a hosting account for 20 clients.
- Skillfully repaired other sites that were either broken or left unfinished.
Oxford College of Emory University - Multimedia Specialist, Sr.
January 2004 - June 2011
- Acted as the resident problem-solver for hardware and software issues across campus.
- Proactively maintained and managed 34 technology enabled classrooms across campus which included projectors, SMART Boards, PCs, DVD/VHS players, Crestron touch panels, Crestron control processors, videoconference systems, and SMART sympodiums.
- Served as project manager for all AV installation projects across campus.
- Provided expert troubleshooting skills and technology support for urgent calls
- Provided group and one-on-one training on all classroom equipment.
- Served as the department videographer where I wrote, recorded, edited, and encoded training, faculty spotlight, and department information videos.
- Expertly performed both simple and complex equipment repairs.
Avondale Veterinary Hospital - Office Manager & Veterinary Technician
April 1998 - January 2004
- Assisted during routine animal examinations and surgeries.
- Kept a well-organized inventory of all saleable items, medical supplies, and kennel needs to prevent any shortages and keep the budget balanced.
- Managed, scheduled, and maintained the payroll 6 employees.
- Developed, designed, and maintained an HTML, CSS, Javascript site for the hospital.
Georgia State University - B.A. in Film/Video Production & Journalism
May 2003
My studies here focused mainly on film/video production and journalism. I also studied French and computer science as my elective courses. I take pride knowing that I was able to keep high marks while taking a full load of courses and working full-time. During my last semester I participated in a semester-long, broadcast news internship. During this time I served as teleprompt operator, camera operator, and floor manager for the local morning news broadcast as well as numerous live events like MLK celebrations and NASCAR races.
Broward Community College - A.A. in Journalism
January 1998
I received an excellent education from BCC and enjoyed my time sent there. I received an A.A. degree with a major focus in journalism. Many courses taken were core requirements, though I was able to take many courses in live video production, scriptwriting, print journalism, and radio broadcast.
Have I mentioned how much I love technology? Every aspect of it fascinates me and I always want to learn as much as I can. Using new technologies to provide innovative services is what I am all about. Here are some of my favorite skills and a quick self-rating of my skill level.
Programming & CMS
HTML 4 & 5
CSS 3
PHP
WordPress
jQuery
Javascript
Joomla
Drupal
Ruby on Rails
Software
Windows
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Premiere
Adobe Fireworks
Adobe Audition
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Power Point
Filezilla FTP
NetBeans
Mac OS
Linux (Ubuntu)
Adobe Dreamweaver
Putty
NuSphere
Adobe Flash
Adobe Designer
Adobe Illustator
Services
The services that I can provide vary widely, but here is a very focused overview of what I can do. Soemthing may not be listed here. If it is not, then send me an email or give me a call. More than likely I can offer that service to you.
Website Design & Development
Need a Website?
I can do that. Website design and development is something that I get excited about and I am always willing to push boundaries when possible. I would love to work with you on your next roject, so give me a call or send an email so we can get started.
SEO
Need to be Found?
Search engine optimization is a tricky business. I can help clear out the murkiness of it all and get your business headed in the right drection. It's tough to guarantee 100% successful results for an SEO campaign and you should steer clear of anyone who makes such a claim. SEO is not an exact science, but success can be achieved if done correctly. That's where I can help.
Video Creation
Need Some Videos?
Yes, I can do a video. Bring your footage my way and we can edit it down to whatever length you need, add audio, create DVDs, publish for online sites, or whatever you may need. I can also assist with your technical demonstration videos from start to finish. I mostly work with Adobe Premiere and their CS branded products, but am able to work with Final Cut Pro if need be.
Portfolio
Featured Work
Well would you look at that? Here are many excellent examples to show the awesome work that I have completed. Not to toot my own horn too much, but I am proud of the work that I have done. Some of these sites are 100% custom and built on PHP, others are built with Ruby on Rails, and some are based on a Wordpress install. The same amazing attention to detail is provided for each. Have a look around.
Tire Dock
A Loganville, GA tire company that has been family-owned and in business for quite a long time. Drop by and have some work done when you are in-town.- Wordpress
- PHP
- MySQL
- CSS
- jQuery
- Hosting
GA Bike Rides
Cycling is one of my favorite activities, so naturally I jumped at the chance for this site. The site is the go-to place for all recreational cycling events in Georgia. It is a custom backend using the following items:- Ruby on Rails
- HTML 5
- CSS 3
- jQuery
- Google Maps API
- Hosting
Vegan Unicorn
Cooking is a passion of mine as well. I love cooking for family and friends. This site was created as a way for me to share my creations as well as make most of the recipes easily accessible for my wife.- Wordpress
- PHP
- MySQL
- HTML
- CSS
- jQuery
- Hosting
Dr. V Kumar
This site has so much information, that I thought it best to create a custom PHP CMS for data entry. VK is a very smart marketing person and this site easily reflects his major accomplishments.- PHP
- MySQL
- HTML
- CSS
- jQuery
- Flash
FitMapped
This was one tough site, but a real learning experience. The site aggregates data from SpaFinder and provides locations of fitness facilities and scheduling. I did the backend of the site and a bit of the front in 2011.- PHP
- MySQL
- HTML
- CSS 3
- AJAX
- SpaFinderAPI
IMC International
IMC International is a big marketing firm with offices in India, Texas, and Georgia. They are very busy and I was fortunate enough to work on the site. The request came for a clean simple site that connected to another site owned by the CEO, V Kumar. Both sites share some data from a single database, but IMC also runs its own.- PHP
- MySQL
- HTML
- CSS 3
- jQuery
Gonzoriffic
Gonzoriffc, an Athens, GA based film collective, is not one person, though I have known its main writer and director for quite a long time. He and I have been in quite a few bands together. In fact, my first band was his second. Check out their work and pick up some DVDs.- Wordpress
- PHP
- MySQL
- CSS
- jQuery
- Hosting
Sharks and Minnows
This was the last band that I was in. We recorded 4 records. The last was unreleased, but it would have been amazing. I made the site as a way to play around as well as post some photos and reviews of the band. By the way, I play the drums and have for a long time.- Wordpress
- PHP
- MySQL
- CSS
- jQuery
- Flash
- Hosting
EcoLightingUSA
I have done so much work for this company from hosting to site edits to page creation. They are all super nice and fun to work with.- PHP
- MySQL
- HTML
- CSS
- Image editing
- Hosting
I managed to get back into video production recently and have been enjoying it. Since graduating from Georgia State University I have served as a director of photography on quite a few productions, written a few movies, directed a couple, edited quite a few, and created many demo videos for the web. Here are some of the things that I have done over the years.
GroundBreakCRM Demo
Demo videos right? I have three of them posted here. I enjoy making them though. I try to keep them a bit more fun than usual with nice effects and good editing. This one was created for Atcore Systems for their our awesome custom CRM based on SugarCRM.
ResuPost SugarCRM Module
Atcore Systems made a resume posting module for SugarCRM and I made a nice little video demonstrating its abilities. As with all the Atcore videos, I write the script, record the audio, create the graphics, record the video, and then bring it all together.
GetSocial SugarCRM Module
Atcore Systems made a nice little module for SugarCRM that allows awesome Twitter integration. I got to make the fun video. As with all the Atcore videos, I write the script, record the audio, create the graphics, record the video, and then bring it all together.
Sharks and Minnows
This was my last band. We rocked and this is one of my favorite songs from our reunion show. It's called Eva Braun. I recorded the video with a static camera because my usual show videographer was at home being 7-months pregnant. The show was then edited down a bit. I mixed the live sound from the board with the sound from the camera to really good results.
Boxed In
A long time ago, I wrote, shot, directed, and edited this fun little movie. It was my first foray into directing and it was a blast. We made the flick for under $50 and found some good friends. Be warned that it is a bit bloody at times, but in the silly microbudget cinema sort of way.
Why Did I Take a Night Class?
My first real movie. I mean real. It was shot on 16mm film and edited by hand using razors and tape. Everyone should learn how to shoot on film first. It was a good experience. It's black and white and has some bloody bits. It's silly too.I have always been a fan of writing. In the past I have written screenplays, teleplays, short stories, web content, technical documents, and technical demonstration scripts. Now I am adding children's books to the list. I thought I should at least try.
The Happy Campers
Yep, I wrote a book. It's a kid's book. Well it's a horror-themed kid's book that older kids will enjoy as well as many adults. It is currently being illustrated and should be ready for purchase in the coming months. Check back for updates and a site dedicated to the book.Contact Information
Now that you ave had a chance to browse my work, why not request some more information. Better yet. Let's go ahead and commit to a project. I'm here to provide my innovative services on your next amazing project.