Topic: Build your first custom Gutenberg block
Cory Webb is a senior full stack developer at Reaktiv Studios hailing from Waco, Texas, home of Dr. Pepper, Baylor University, and shiplap. Before joining the team at Reaktiv, Cory ran a small web development company specializing in WordPress and Joomla development. His educational background is in engineering and business, but his true passion has been web development since he built his first web page as a freshman electrical engineering student at the University of Texas in 1997. When he’s not busy manipulating 1’s and 0’s, you can usually find him spending time with his wife and 3 kids, traveling, watching movies, and serving at his local church.
How did you get involved in WordPress?
I first looked at WordPress in 2003 when I was evaluating open source CMS’s for a website that I was building. It didn’t quite fit for the site, so I ended up going with Joomla. That decision started years of specializing in Joomla development, but I continued to test WordPress and occasionally build sites with it. Over the past 4-5 years, the amount of work I have done with WordPress has steadily increased, and now I do almost 100% WordPress development.
What do you do with WordPress?
A year ago, I was fortunate to be able to join the team at Reaktiv Studios, one of only a dozen WordPress.com VIP partners, and that has given me opportunities to work with high profile companies on some really interesting WordPress projects. I am a senior full stack developer, and I spend most of my time building custom themes and plugins.
What has your experience with the WordPress community been like?
WordCamp DFW will be my 4th time speaking at a WordCamp, and I have really enjoyed getting to know the WordPress community. Everyone has been very welcoming to this old Joomla guy. In April of this year, I became the lead organizer of the Waco WordPress Meetup, and we have met monthly since April.
Why did you want to speak at WordCamp DFW?
I love speaking at events because it gives me an opportunity to share what I have learned with other people in the community. I also just really enjoy meeting new people and getting to know other people who love WordPress as much as I do.
Why did you decide to speak on your topic?
Gutenberg is coming, and developing custom blocks can be a bit intimidating for WordPress developers who spend most of their time in PHP. I want to demystify the process of building custom blocks and help other developers start to get a deeper understanding of how Gutenberg works under the hood.
What do you hope the audience gets from your talk?
I hope my talk can pique their interest in learning more about custom Gutenberg development, and maybe inspire some developers to build something really cool with Gutenberg.