As founder and CEO of SpireMedia, a Denver-based Web application development firm, Michael Gellman is responsible for ensuring the success of every client -- and, since he prides himself on nurturing his staff, every employee. He also directs the management, vision and strategy; his leadership has made Spire, a multi-million dollar company, profitable from day one without funding.

Gellman earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Florida in 1994. In 1996, he founded GIG Media, one of Colorado's first interactive agencies. Prior to GIG, he served as a writer and producer for television and film with companies including Troma Pictures and The Teaching Learning Network. He also performed stand-up comedy and had small acting roles in productions throughout New York City and is a published novelist and an avid photographer.

02.13.08

Watching World Opinion Form

If you have a degree in what field is it? I was an English major, but I really learned everything I know about Web development from actually doing it. In 1995, when I started my career, the Internet was new and the industry was wide open to people who had a passion for technology and a desire to push the limits of what it could do. Being around at a time like that allowed me to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to eventually build my own company and make it a success

What's the best site you've seen lately? What's so great about it? Ask500People. The fundamental difference between Web 2.0 and what came before it is that there are a lot more people online and they're actually interacting. A site like Ask500People is a perfect example of it. The fact that, at any given moment, a question can be posed and get 500 responses, is truly incredible. Furthermore, it has a really clean interface and fully utilizes the latest technology in exactly the way it should be.

If you were to change professions, what would you choose to do? I'd work in private equity as an investor, advisor or venture capitalist. I truly have a passion for new ideas and there's nothing more gratifying than seeing an ingenious concept realized. Over the years, I've been lucky enough to work with hundreds of start-ups on the development end; if I weren't doing it at Spire, I'd have to be doing it somewhere.

Design or technology? Which is more important? Why? I know it's cliché, but they go hand-in-hand. Neither is more important. If you have great technology with bad design, nobody will be able to use it. If you have great design without great technology, there will be nothing to use. The greatest innovations of the past ten years (the iPod, Google, Facebook) have been a perfect combination.

From where do your best ideas originate? From the users. When we're developing a project we assume nothing until we've asked the people who will be using whatever we're building. It makes sense. What we think is cool or innovative may be useless or distracting. Sam Walton said, "There is only one boss. The customer." That couldn't be truer in Web development.

How do you overcome a creative block? I have fun. With an office in Colorado, we can ski and snowboard in the winter and mountain bike and rock climb in the summer. When it's not happening at the office, we get out to remind ourselves that we work to live, not live to work.

In one word describe how you feel when beginning a new project? Prepared.

What well-known site is most desperately in need of a redesign? MySpace. I never thought it was well-designed but they had the users. Then Facebook came along with a better design and better technology and MySpace pales in comparison. It's a perfect example of how an inability to innovate can destroy a successful site.

Do you have creative outlets other than Web design? My father is a photographer. And although I worked for him from the age of 14 to 21, I never wanted to take pictures for a living, I just wanted to take pictures. So, when I'm not working, I'm traveling with my camera. My photo essays.

What music are you listening to right now? Aside from technology, music is my passion, so I'm always listening to something, whether it's on iTunes, Last.fm, or Guitar Hero. Lately, I'm loving Wilco, Eels, Beirut, Vampire Weekend, New Pornographers, Silversun Pickups and Kiss.

What product/gadget can you not live without? My Blackberry Pearl. A lot of people assumed that, being such a big Mac guy, I would switch to the iPhone but I like the size and functionality of the Pearl.

What's the strangest thing you've bought online? I don't know if this is strange, but I recently registered my new puppy with The American Kennel Club online. I thought it was pretty cool that my three-month-old Boston Terrier was somehow lurking in Cyberspace.

What's your favorite quote? I have a few, all from Steve Jobs. One of them: "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."

Do you have any advice for people just entering the profession? Get busy! When you're starting out in the Web development industry, you need as much experience as you can get. Build sites for your friends and family. Study Web sites you love. Start a blog. Start an e-commerce store. Do as much as you can online and eventually you'll become a part of the industry.

What's one thing you wish you knew when you started your career? I actually wish I knew less. When starting a business, naivete is a beautiful thing. The less you know, the more risks you're willing to take.