Menu
ReverentGeek

Developer Relations

David Neal

Developer programs that developers trust, and that leadership can measure.

I'm David Neal, a developer advocate, author, and illustrator. I've spent more than a decade in Developer Relations, helping companies build better experiences for developers and helping developers get their work done. I'm currently a Senior Developer Advocate at MongoDB, and I'm always up for a conversation about DevRel, whether that's a talk, a workshop, some writing, advice on a program, or just comparing notes.

Let's talk Résumé

"So, What Does DevRel Actually Do for Us?"

If you've worked in or around Developer Relations, you've heard that question. Maybe you've asked it! DevRel covers a lot of ground: content, docs, samples, events, community, product feedback, and more. It's hard to decide what to do first, hard to staff, and hard to explain to the people funding it.

I don't think that question is unfair. That's why my co-authors and I wrote Developer Relations Activity Patterns. The book covers 39 DevRel patterns, and each one includes how to measure whether it's working.

What I Bring to a Team

On the developer experience side, I've:

  • Built SDKs and reference applications for numerous programming languages
  • Published reference documentation, guides, and tutorials
  • Produced video tutorials and live streams, and conducted workshops
  • Built custom integrations and automation tools, and contributed to production APIs and services
  • Pushed for improvements on customers' behalf

On the leadership side, I've:

  • Mentored developers, advocates, and cross-functional teammates
  • Helped shape technical strategy for developer-facing projects
  • Helped teams translate customer pain into product and platform improvements
  • Created clarity across engineering, product, marketing, and community efforts

The Experience Behind It

  • More than a decade in Developer Relations at MongoDB, Plaid, Slack, Asana, and Okta, among others.
  • More than 20 years of developer and IT experience, mostly at startups and smaller companies where I wore many hats, from engineer to Chief Geek.
  • Co-author of Developer Relations Activity Patterns (Apress), a practical guide to the strategy, execution, and measurement of DevRel, written with Ted Neward, Scott McAllister, and Chris Woodruff, with forewords by Scott Hanselman and Mary Thengvall. I also illustrated the cover and every chapter.
  • Speaker at more than 170 events since 2011, often with several talks, a keynote, or a half-day or full-day workshop at the same event. That includes conferences like CodeMash, KCDC, THAT Conference, NDC Oslo, NDC Sydney, DevSum, Build Stuff, DevTernity, and All Things Open, across the US, Europe, Australia, and South America. See my speaking history.
  • Active in the developer community since 2010, and a longtime Microsoft MVP.

"It's basically the encyclopedia of DevRel, and mine gets used."

From a five-star Amazon review of Developer Relations Activity Patterns by Lindsay Brunner

The Illustrator Advantage

Here's something most developer advocates can't offer: I draw. A good drawing can explain a tricky concept faster than a page of text, and developers remember it (and share it) long after they've forgotten the slide it was on.

  • Visual explanations: An Illustrated Guide to OAuth and OpenID Connect walks through one of the most confusing topics in web development, one drawing at a time.
  • Books: I illustrated two books for Lars Klint, Microsoft Azure in Action and Automate Everything, Notice Nothing, the covers and a matching sticker set for Kyle Simpson's You Don't Know JS Yet (second edition), and the cover and chapter art for Developer Relations Activity Patterns.
  • Sketch notes: I draw sketch notes of conference talks and keynotes, and Sketchnote Army featured me as "the Geek Visualizer."
  • Events and swag: event planning, sticker and t-shirt designs, and hosting for Pluralsight Link/ 2022 and 2023, plus logo and swag designs for the Okta CLI.

"158 pages, illustrated throughout by David Neal, who somehow draws the joke I was trying to make rather than the one I actually made."

Lars Klint, Principal Developer Advocate at Atlassian, and author of Automate Everything, Notice Nothing

What People Say

Randall Degges, who led Developer Advocacy at Okta:

David is one of the kindest, most empathetic, and all-around best people I've ever met or worked with.

He's an incredibly talented developer, teammate, and friend -- and an absolute expert when it comes to building and growing developer communities. David is always calm, cool, and relaxed, and always knows exactly what to do to help solve problems.

I can't tell you how fantastic it has been working with David. We worked together to solve complex problems: both technical and business-related, and David was always an absolute champion at getting things done.

I don't know what else I can say except that I vouch for David 100% in whatever it is he wants to do. The guy is an absolute beast, and no matter what he does I'm sure he'll be incredible at it. It's not every day you run into someone like David, and I'm so thankful to have gotten to know and work with him!

Stephen Franklin, then CIO of LeanKit:

David is a true gem of the technology industry. I am inspired by his commitment to getting out on the speaking trail and spreading his wisdom and knowledge. And I know that he has inspired many, many others in the industry as well.

David is so talented in so many ways. As a technologist, he cranks the dial to 11. He can do it all: any layer of the stack, any development technology, any platform. And if he currently can't do it, give him a few hours and he'll be fully up to speed. He is a great team member, mentor and developer. It's just amazing what he makes 1s and 0s do.

Not only that, he is an amazing speaker and communicator. His ability to empathize and connect with the audience is astonishing and why he is always one of the most popular speakers wherever he goes.

Did I mention that he is an amazing artist and is changing the way people are building their presentations?

Oh yeah, an incredible musician too. And the list goes on.

But what I'll cherish most of all is getting to know David personally. He is kind, caring, humble, funny, empathetic and wholeheartedly committed to his faith, family, friends and his craft. He is one of those people that makes you a better person just knowing him.

Thank you David for letting me be a small part of your life.

Selected Work

There's lots more in my DevRel portfolio.

Let's Talk

Building a developer program, rethinking one, or looking for a speaker, a workshop, or a second opinion? I'd love to hear about it.

Let's talk Résumé