Jamie Marsland, a well-known figure in the WordPress community, has been appointed as the Head of WordPress.org YouTube at Automattic. This news has been met with overwhelming positivity from the community, who believe that Marsland’s extensive experience and passion for empowering creators through YouTube make him the ideal person for the role.
The announcement was made by Josepha Haden Chomphosy, the Executive Director of WordPress, who highlighted the success of the WordPress YouTube channel. Since 2023, the channel has experienced a 6x increase in monthly views and engagement, becoming a trusted source of information and inspiration for WordPress enthusiasts worldwide. Chomphosy expressed confidence in Marsland’s ability to further expand and enhance the channel’s content, ensuring its value as a resource for the community.
Marsland is no stranger to the WordPress community, as he is the founder of Pootlepress, a leading WordPress development company. Pootlepress is known for its products such as Gutenberg Pro, WooBuilder Blocks, Storefront Blocks, and WooHoo Bar. Marsland recently gained attention with his WordPress Speed Build Challenge, where participants have 30 minutes to recreate a famous website using WordPress. The challenge attracted celebrities and industry experts, sparking conversations about WordPress and its marketing efforts.
The WordPress community has historically shied away from heavy marketing, but Marsland’s approach has been seen as a breath of fresh air. His Speed Challenge and YouTube videos, such as “Wix’s Masterplan to conquer WordPress: The Inside Story!” and the “Remaking Famous Websites” series, have generated buzz and got people talking about WordPress. This has been seen as a positive step for the platform, which has been urged to consider marketing to stay relevant and continue growing.
Before the official announcement, Marsland teased his Twitter followers with the promise of three big WordPress-related news. The community’s response to his appointment has been overwhelmingly positive, with industry leaders like Matt Mullenweg expressing excitement for the future of WordPress videos. Community members have praised the selection, stating that Marsland is the perfect person to bring focus and energy to WordPress video content.
Looking ahead, Marsland has revealed his plans to continue maintaining his plugins and YouTube channel. He also announced the restart of the WordPress Speed Build Challenge next month, which is sure to attract attention and engagement from the community. Additionally, Marsland hinted at a co-host for the new ‘WordPress Unplugged’ live podcast, promising even more exciting content for WordPress enthusiasts.
Overall, Jamie Marsland’s appointment as the Head of WordPress.org YouTube at Automattic is seen as a positive move for the WordPress community. With his experience, passion, and innovative approach, Marsland is expected to bring new energy and focus to WordPress video content, further establishing the platform as a valuable resource and source of inspiration for creators worldwide.
