Chris Cortez
Director of Software Development
Chris Cortez joined us as our Director of Software Development in 2010 from Schematic in Austin, TX. Chris graduated from Southern Arkansas University with a BA in Theatre and English. He then switched to the software development world, where he has built and led teams creating enterprise software across a diverse set of industries including Financial Services (JP Morgan), Arts and Culture (Guggenheim), Pharmaceutical (GSK), and Telecommunications (Polycom). He won a Webby Award for Guggenheim.com and Tolerance.org, and has directed software development efforts for interactive agencies Razorfish and Schematic.
When not developing, Chris is a partner in a documentary film production company that is currently working on a feature-length movie about the late Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis.
When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun." — Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh
Education
BA in Theater and English, Southern Arkansas University
Other Interests
- On- and off-road cycling
- Gardening
- Cooking
- Small-guage film production
Networks
Posts by Chris Cortez
Farewell, Xmarks
I got a bummer of an email a few nights ago from my favorite web service Xmarks. As they explained on their blog and sent to users like me via email, they are closing their doors. The service will stop working in January of next year. As I write this, it’s a typical Sunday here at [...]
Remembering Matthew Simmons
Since I moved to the West Coast, even my sleepiest Texas friends are up before I am. And so it was that I awoke on the morning of Monday, August 9 to a disturbingly short email: “Apparently, Matt Simmons is dead.” Messages from other friends arrived throughout the day, a mixture of shock, sadness and [...]
The Tao of Pop Art: Part Two
Surviving Innovation: Development Strategies for Emerging Technology When I arrived at Pop Art in April, the team was hard at work on a campaign for the Oregon State Lottery. Megamillionizer.com is unique – a 3D interactive experience that combines augmented reality, community participation and social sharing to create awareness and engagement for the Lottery’s newest game, MegaMillions®. The campaign [...]
The Tao of Pop Art
Living Small: A Four Part Series Part One: Introduction I am Chris Cortez, the new Director of Software Development for Pop Art. I moved to Portland six weeks ago with my wife and two daughters from Austin, Texas, where I was Director of Technology for the interactive agency Schematic. I am writing this initial blog series to [...]
