uProfile February 2020: Alex Vilmur

For how long have you been working with Umbraco?

I’ve been working with Umbraco for the last 5 years at Marcel Digital.

Before joining Marcel Digital, I hadn’t heard of Umbraco. I was sceptical about using Umbraco after using other platforms that had a high learning curve or platforms that were not very extensible. 

After using it for the first couple of projects, I was won over and became an advocate for anyone looking for a best in class CMS.

What’s your favorite Umbraco moment?

My favorite Umbraco moment is travelling to Codegarden for the first time. 

Though it was not my first conference, Codegarden was the first conference in which I had the opportunity to travel internationally. 

It was amazing to see the Umbraco community first hand after reading about it for so long. Not only did I get to meet HQ people and community members, but I made lasting international friendships! 

What in your Umbraco career are you most proud of?

I'm most proud of the XML sitemap generator that I released to the community. 

Initially, the generator was just a pet project that our team used internally. After using it a couple of times, we decided to move it on GitHub and NuGet for us to consume easier and have a place to document how to use it in the future. 

It wasn't until I received an issue from a community member about a culture issue that I realized people all over the world were giving it a try and using it in their own projects!

What about Umbraco keeps you coming back for more?

I think that the openness of the platform is what keeps me coming back. It's never a question of "can we do it", it's “when can we start?”

What are you currently working on?

Currently, the team and I are working on a couple of new Umbraco 8 websites. We are also working on rebuilding the XML sitemap generator for version 8 leveraging the composer and component system.

What are your top 3 best tips for an Umbraco newbie?

1. Don't feel intimidated by the platform. Any .NET fundamentals will go a long way with Umbraco.
   
   
2. Get on the community forum and ask questions when you need to. 
   
   
3. Go to a conference or Meetup near you. You might find out you live next to an Umbraco celebrity like Bob Baty-Barr!

Any aspirations for your future?

I would like to contribute to the Umbraco Core in the near future. HQ has been making it easier over the years to get involved, and I think it would be a great way to get started with an open-source project.

Tell us something unexpected about yourself!

I'm a driving coach for the Sports Car Club of America's track day program and take my car out on racetracks around the Chicagoland area during the summer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D2QaJfmiVY

What’s playing on repeat on your headset?

Uptown Funk, that song never gets old.

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Wup wup, thank you for letting us get to know you better, Alex 🙌 We can't wait to see you at the Umbraco US Festival! If you’d like to connect with him, you can find him on LinkedIn 

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