SENIOR WEB CONSULTANT
Jonathan Illig
What’s your story?
I solve the “how will this actually get done” side of the puzzle for our clients: the functionality and systems stuff. I make sure we’re not just just building a website with the right bells and whistles; we’re also anticipating the many ways a site might be managed and used in the future.
I’m all about “thinking outside of the launch” —making sure that our sites are incredible on day one and built to stay that way, remaining flexible & easy to manage over the years.
What do you love most about what you do?
There’s always an interesting new puzzle to solve! No day or project is the same, and I’m always learning and thinking on my feet. It keeps my easily-bored brain moving and engaged! Plus, the flexibility is fantastic: I don’t have to choose between working and traveling the world.
What makes Muletown Digital awesome?
This team genuinely cares about the projects we take on and the people we work with. There’s a real desire to understand what clients need and to help them find the best solution possible, even if that means it’s not with Muletown. I respect that a lot.
What’s your biggest personal achievement?
Seven years ago I sold everything I owned and became a permanent traveller: a digital nomad before the pandemic made everyone a digital nomad. While I’ve slowed down a little in the last couple of years — 29 countries and nearly every state later — I’m still never more than a few weeks away from my next flight.
What about professional wins?
Identifying what I wanted to do with my life (that aforementioned nonstop travel), and building a web development business from the ground up to make that a realistic option.
What surprises people about you?
I’m a HUGE horror movie nerd. I consume an eye-popping number of horror movies — the good, the bad, the irredeemably terrible — and am totally in love with the genre. Every year is capped off by Shocktober, the annual tradition of cramming as many horror films as possible into the month of October, with a minimum of 31. My record is 70 😳
If you had to pick a different career–any career– what would it be?
If it weren’t for all the tradeoffs that come with the food service industry, it’d be bartender, no question. Cocktails are my lifeblood: a lot of my spare time is built around traveling to cocktail bars, experimenting with techniques, and hosting cocktail events.
What do you do that takes you out of your comfort zone?
My comfort zone is pretty large, there isn’t much I haven’t done! Certain types of travel definitely help continue to expand it, though. Large cultural differences and strong language barriers are great, they force me to be more thoughtful and empathetic about the ways my travel affects the countries I visit and the people’s lives I move through.
What’s a new skill you would like to learn, or existing talent/ interest you’d like to develop further? How do you want to grow?
Languages: the human kind, not computer (though those are great too!). Spanish in particular — there are lots of places on my to-visit list where my sad excuse for español just won’t cut it.