uprisor.podcast

John Winsor, the founder and CEO of Open-Assembly and executive-in-residence at Harvard Business School’s Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard (LISH) explains why the open talent model is successful and how companies can (and must) drive innovation and avoid “passion deserts.”

Topcoder VP of Security, John Wheeler, joins Uprisor to discuss common security concerns about using on-demand talent. How can you trust people in the community? How do you protect your IP? And what does the future of work hold for identity and skills verification across talent platforms? If you’ve ever considered using on-demand talent and crowdsourcing, but had misgivings about how it might impact your IT structure and security, this episode is for you.

Steve Whitty is the Director of Wipro Digital, where he oversees many of Wipro’s customers’ largest digital initiatives, and has an angle towards banking and finance. Topcoder VP Clinton Bonner talks with Steve about large-scale digital transformation initiatives, team dynamics on big complicated programs, evolving old principles, and how to use on-demand talent and crowdsourced freelancers to better serve the end customer.

Alexander Chekspir is one of Topcoder’s most prolific contributors and design competition co-pilots, and on this episode, he talks about the risks, opportunity, camaraderie, and lifestyle of working as a gig freelancer. Based in Chile and known by his handle Chekspir on the platform, he’s worked with companies like Macy’s and IBM, and on projects for NASA. He shares how Topcoder has shaped his life and what it means to work from anywhere, with everyone.

Matthew Mottola is Co-Founder and CEO of Venture L and author of The Human Cloud: How Today’s Changemakers Use Artificial Intelligence and the Freelance Economy to Transform Work. On the episode, Clinton and Matthew discuss the role freelancing has in maximizing cost efficiency, the difficulties and opportunities leadership faces in pivoting to a hybrid employment model, and the benefits such a transition has for every player. Matt shares his insights on how technology disruptions and automation will change the landscape of employment — and how freelancers and employers can take advantage of these evolutions.

This episode is all about Fan Controlled Football League—the first sports league controlled by fans. Steve Adler, CTO of the league, joins Topcoder VP Clinton Bonner to discuss the growing intersection of sports with business innovation, real-time crowdsourcing, and even blockchain technology. Then Clinton chats with Patrick Dees, FCF’s Chief Gaming Officer. Clinton and Steve discuss why he sought to bring crowdsourcing and the insights of fans into the world of football.

In this episode of Uprisor, We talk with Topcoder CTO Dave Messinger about Fast Company’s take on 7 reasons why this year will be even bigger and better for remote workers. They talk the tools, trends, and new norms for work in 2021.

Today on Uprisor we have James DeJulio. James is the CEO and co-founder of Tongal, a virtual studio that assists their clients in video production and amplifying in-house productions. Their partners include LEGO, PayPal, and Sesame Street--just to name a few. On the podcast, James discusses how current remote opportunities for creativity are advancing careers in tech and beyond.

Chris DeLaurentis used to be a crowdsourcing skeptic, and now he is the Global Director of Innovation at Topcoder. He offers invaluable insight into the practical nuts and bolts of working with crowdsourced talent to get technology projects done.

Paul Estes is the Chief Community Officer of Mural and author of Gig Mindset: Reclaim Your Time, Reinvent Your Career, and Ride the Next Wave of Disruption. He joins Uprisor to talk about the digital transformation of traditional staffing, why companies who want diversity and inclusion should embrace virtual workforces and build teams that include freelancers and on-demand talent.

This episode is extra special, featuring Jessie D’Amato Ford, Topcoder’s own Senior Director of Community. Jessie leads the global community team and manages the annual Topcoder Open design and programming tournament. Jessie shares why she’s so passionate about the future of work, and how on-demand talent is shifting how managers and team leaders handle projects. She also discusses what makes Topcoder different, and how she uses on-demand talent in her own day-to-day work.

We talk about the passion economy as those who self-select into freelance work, and this episode is a special keynote presentation by Topcoder CTO Dave Messenger, recorded in November, 2019 at the Topcoder Open 2019, in Houston, Texas. Dave highlights how the modern SDLC has evolved, and why it is so smart to lace on-demand talent into the SDLC.

Renaissance man Jonathan Lipps joins Uprisor to discuss his predictions for the future of open-source technology, and why he’s made it his personal mission to educate developer communities on best practices that are centered on testing automation and artificial intelligence. Jonathan is the architect and project lead for Appium, a cross-platform language-agnostic mobile app testing framework.

Hugo Finkelstein is the Co-founder and CEO of Rise, a digital freelance marketplace focused on design and content writing, with over 1,000 professionals in their talent network. On this episode, Hugo describes how he’s applied his background in blockchain to his work at Rise, and why cryptocurrencies can be a powerful tool that opens up opportunities for freelancers.

Originally trained as a scientist, Jarah Meador now serves as the Director of Open Innovation Programs for the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), overseeing Challenge.gov. Jarah and her team use prize competitions and challenges to engage the general public into solving the government’s most pressing problems. In this episode, Jarah shares why the U.S. government is turning to its citizens for cutting edge ideas, and why leaders need to invest in innovation culture within their own organization before seeking solutions from the outside.

Former partner and head of Northern Europe at ISG, Barry Matthews joins Uprisor to share what he’s learned over 20 years of experience in IT consulting. Barry is an expert in change spotting, focusing his energies on future workforce strategies and teaching enterprises how to plan and thrive in this new world.

Mark Searle is a lecturer and industry fellow at UC Berkeley College of Engineering’s Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and the managing director of the Innovation Acceleration Group. Clinton and Mark explore Mark’s concept of “intentional serendipity”, the importance of business model innovation, and what a future of flexible work looks like.

Marni Baker Stein is Provost and Chief Academic Officer for Western Governor’s University. She has spent more than 20 years developing, implementing, and evaluating innovation for higher education programs and curricula with a focus on promoting skills-based education and talent acquisition. She joins Uprisor to discuss how a shift to skills-based assessments and hiring can positively impact the talent marketplace.

You know about the war for top tech talent—maybe you feel it at your organization—but what if you didn’t have to? Neutrinos are subatomic particles that essentially ignore other forces that dictate so much of our observable universe, and you can be like one.

Topcoder CTO Dave Messinger joins Uprisor to talk through the recent acquisition of Slack by Salesforce and what it means for the future of work and remote workforce collaboration.