Gray Media director and web developer Jesse Gray. Photo / Michael Cunningham
A Whangarei website developer has set up a freelance networking group for small start-up, creative entrepreneurs. Gray Media director and web developer Jesse Gray has started the Whangarei Freelance Network to help connect people and skills.
It all started when he was approached by a friend on Facebook asking if he knew of a graphic designer who could do some work for her.
The 29-year-old knew the right person for the job but she was too busy.
This led to the creation of the Freelance Network.
"I figured I could build a network of freelancers in Whangarei who I could outsource work to and who could use the network in the same way to find other freelancers," he said.
"This allows us to keep in touch and know who's out there and available with which skills."
Born and bred in Whangarei, Mr Gray was introduced to the internet in 1998 while at Kamo Intermediate. He built his first website at age 11.
He went on to study graphic design at Tikipunga High School and was tempted to go from there to media design school in Auckland to do graphic design. He says he wasn't quite ready to make the financial commitment as he didn't know if that was what he really wanted to do.
He then spent several years doing different automotive-related jobs in Whangarei working out what he really wanted to do with his life.
Around 2009 he started the Degree of Applied Information Systems at NorthTec but after the first year it was pulled.
"This gave me the chance to realise I was interested in a more technical programming side of the web."
In May 2011 he began studying for a Diploma in Digital Media at Auckland's Media Design School from which he specialised in web development.
After graduating in 2012 he struggled to find a job, constantly turned down because of a lack of industry experience.
"Everyone wanted three years minimum industry experience. I started taking on small jobs to feed myself and get necessary experience and through word of mouth that slowly got bigger and bigger and I got busier and busier.
"During that stage I ended up doing microsites for IRD and Transfield among other companies," he said.
Mr Gray went on to create Gray Media and had a crash course in learning "the ropes of running a business".
Most of his work came from a classmate at Media Design School "who is an amazing graphic designer and had her own business too; Jess Moore from Scizzorface.
"My skill set and hers complemented each other with her coming up with crazy ideas and my job was to write the code to bring them to life."
In September 2014 he went to work for a local web company during which he could learn from senior team members and evolve as a web developer/programmer.
"I also learned a huge amount about doing business," he said.
Mr Gray's business spent 18 months in hiatus during this time and in May this year he went out on his own again with newfound skills.
"Everything seemed to fall into place for this new direction. The day after I left my previous job an opportunity to contract to another company came up so I told them I was interested and started my first contract for them.
Mr Gray says he has enough work to keep him going until at least the end of the year and is making a decent living that is only really limited by how hard he is willing to work.
"I have done quite well just by spreading the word among my friends on Facebook and there looks to be a bit of work coming my way through relationships I have built at Workspace [a shared office space in Finlayson Street where he is based].
My clients are a mixture of local and national and I have done work in the past for a couple of Australian clients. Depending on how well things go I may even need to take on staff as early as the start of next year."