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Each month, we recognize one of our Most Helpful Human Beings in Hosting®.
Meet Ricky Smart
Born, raised, and currently residing in Houston, Texas, Ricky Smart has a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Initially out of college, Smart was hired as an illustrator, developing designs for hotel gift items in Las Vegas. After that, he worked as a graphic designer for several different companies and spent a few years as a freelancer before landing a job at a design agency that specializes in WordPress.
Smart is a multimedia designer with Nexcess and has been in this position for a little over a year. His work ranges from making updates and design changes to the website, designing backgrounds and collateral for trade shows, creating graphics for social media, video and motion graphics, and writing and producing commercials. .
Why did you join Liquid Web?
A friend of mine told me that Nexcess was looking for a designer. After researching it, I found out how much Nexcess and Liquid Web fit with my mindset and ethos about building on open source platforms and being highly engaged, helpful, and friendly. I had previously dealt with many other hosting companies on behalf of clients and knew how important a proactive and engaged stance was for a hosting company. It was very refreshing to see that the mentality of being useful was deeply embedded in the foundation of this company.
What attracts you to the hospitality industry as a career?
Initially, I didn’t even think about it, as my occupation as a designer usually leads me to work with hosting companies rather than working for them. Previously, my impression of hosting companies wasn’t too favourable, or at least, I generally didn’t imbue them with a sense of personality or warmth until I came across Liquid Web and Nexcess.
Is there something specific about Liquid Web that you love?
My team is remote, but I feel connected to everyone and to the company. The sense of community extends to everyone in the company. That’s a rare thing these days.
What is your favorite part of the company culture at Liquid Web?
They are all happy to be here and love their job.
In your opinion, what is the difference between Liquid Web and other employers?
The value that the company places on both its employees and its customers is a true key difference.
What is the biggest milestone you have achieved?
I am very proud of the commercials I have produced for Nexcess.
We’ve all been open to anyone and everyone coming up with ideas and concepts, and some of these ideas were seeded by things that were just an early sketch of an idea. We then determine how the idea and message fit with our brand tone and the overall personality of the company as a whole. It’s been interesting finding the right balance between specifically describing what we do and giving people an idea of who we are.
Of course, our personality has to emerge through all of those talking points, so producing most of the creative direction in-house helps us collectively discover core messages that we might never have found otherwise.
Tell us about an amazing customer experience you’ve had at Liquid Web.
We are currently in post production with a video that is a customer testimonial for Nexcess. Reviewing the footage, I was blown away by how easily they could talk about Nexcess and how much Liquid Web’s shared model of being helpful and having experts available had, in many ways, transformed their business and relieved their stress.
What are you known for on Liquid Web? What specifically do people come to you for?
I am comfortable generating concepts and ideas and iterating on those ideas quickly. I have extensive experience in different types of design. I’m not sure how that translates to how others perceive me, but I hope it means I’m open to tackling almost anything.
What is something you would like our clients to know about your accommodation?
That we really care about your site and your business.
Apart from work, what are some of your hobbies?
I play the guitar and make music. True to the technology theme, I use both an analog and digital (MIDI) signal for my guitar and play everything through a computer using virtual instruments and digital effects.
What is your favorite TV series?
Right now, I’m really enjoying Ted Lasso. Other favorites are Barry, Westworld, The Rehearsal, Arrested Development, and Last Man on Earth.
What’s your favorite app?
I found myself going back and spending more time on Reddit. The ability to upvote and downvote content and comments makes the platform much more interesting and positive.
If you could have dinner with a famous person [dead or alive]Who could it be?
Joseph Campbell. His book, “The Hero’s Journey,” and the idea of the Monomyth were very influential to me.
We hope you enjoyed our series and stay tuned for the next helpful human profile.