BRZO Labs

DevRel / DevEx – Freelance & Consulting

Empower Developers Worldwide

Phil’s Mission:

Empower developers and tech companies by enhancing developer relations and experience through strategic engagement, education, and community-driven growth.


Articles and Recent Work

  • 2024 AI Impact Survey on Developer Relations

    Executive Summary This survey explored the impact of AI on Developer Relations (DevRel) by gathering insights from industry professionals. The responses indicate a growing adoption of AI tools, highlighting their benefits and challenges. The feedback reveals a significant shift towards efficiency and content generation facilitated by AI. Ethical considerations and the need for industry standards…

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  • DevRel Assessment: GitLab

    Recommendations for Improvement: GitLab Developer Relations Program Assessment 1. Overview: 2. Developer Community Engagement: 3. Developer Resources and Documentation: 4. Open Source Contributions: 5. Support and Community Building: 6. Educational and Training Resources: 7. Performance Metrics:

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  • DevRel Assessment: FlexAI

    Quick Assessment of Flex.ai’s Developer Relations Program Overview Flex.ai is positioning itself as a leader in AI infrastructure by simplifying the deployment of AI applications across various hardware configurations. Their commitment to “more compute, less complexity” is geared towards empowering developers with seamless, reliable AI compute resources. DevRel Areas for Improvement Conclusion Flex.ai has laid…

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  • DevRel Assessment: Curiosity.ai

    Areas for Improvement for Curiosity.ai Developer Relations Program 1. Enhanced Community Engagement: While Curiosity.ai has a solid foundation in open-source contributions, further fostering a community through more interactive forums, regular developer meetups, and hackathons could enhance engagement. Providing more platforms for user feedback and discussion could also help identify new features or areas needing improvement.…

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  • DevRel Assessment: Audiomob

    AudioMob Developer Relations Assessment Recommendations: Strengthen Community Engagement: Enhance Developer Resources: Foster Open Source and Community Collaboration: Implement Robust Support Systems: 1. Company Overview: AudioMob 2. Developer Community Engagement: 3. Developer Resources and Documentation: 4. Open Source Contributions: 5. Educational and Training Resources: 6. Support and Community Building: 7. Performance Metrics: 8. Competitive Analysis: To…

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  • Survey: AI Impact on Developer Relations

    ๐Ÿš€ Exciting News for DevRel Professionals! ๐Ÿš€ As AI continues to reshape the landscape of technology, its impact on Developer Relations is becoming increasingly significant. I am conducting a survey to explore how AI tools and technologies are influencing DevRel practices across the industry, and I need your insights! ๐Ÿ” What’s the Focus? The survey…

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Packages

While I can create custom offerings, here are a few of my off-the-shelf packages that can transform your Developer Relations / Developer Experience initiative.

Developer Relations Health Check and Strategy Optimization

  • Comprehensive Audit: Evaluation of current DevRel programs, including community engagement, developer support, content strategy, and event participation.
  • Benchmarking: Comparison against industry best practices and competitive analysis.
  • Strategy Development: Tailored strategic plan with actionable recommendations for optimizing community engagement, advocacy programs, and content delivery.
  • KPI and Metrics Framework: Development of a metrics framework to measure and track the effectiveness of DevRel activities.

DevRel Content and Community Engagement Boost

  • Content Strategy Workshop: Hands-on workshops to refine the content strategy, ensuring it meets the developer community’s needs.
  • Content Creation Services: High-quality, technical content production including tutorials, documentation, blog posts, and video content.
  • Community Building Initiatives: Strategies to grow and energize the developer community, including ambassador programs, contribution guides, and recognition mechanisms.
  • Engagement Plan: Customized plan for increasing active participation through forums, social media, and direct engagement.

Developer Experience (DX) Transformation Package

  • DX Audit: Comprehensive review of the current developer journey, from onboarding to ongoing engagement.
  • Tooling and API Review: Evaluation of the existing tools, SDKs, and APIs for usability, documentation, and integration friendliness.
  • Improvement Roadmap: Detailed roadmap with specific enhancements to tooling, documentation, and overall developer touchpoints.
  • Feedback Loop System: Implementation of a system for collecting, analyzing, and acting on developer feedback to continuously improve DX.

About

BRZO Labs, LLC is operated by Phil Johnston an accomplished Developer Relations (DevRel) and Developer Experience (DevEx) professional with a robust background in building and scaling developer programs across various high-profile companies (BMW, GoPro, HERE Technologies, and ORCA Digital Services).

With a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Portland, Phil’s career spans leadership roles at GoPro, BMW, HERE Technologies and as a co-founder of ORCA Digital Services.

  • His tenure at GoPro as Director of Developer Relations saw him launching and expanding the Developer Program to over 330 companies, including tech and automotive giants.
  • Leading BMW Group’s Developer Relations, Phil established a forward-thinking application integration program, enhancing automotive experiences through strategic partnerships.
  • At HERE Technologies, he successfully onboarded 15,000 developers during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to a significant increase in published maps and media coverage.
  • As a co-founder at ORCA Digital Services, he demonstrated his entrepreneurial spirit by building a comprehensive e-commerce and digital rewards platform, culminating in a successful exit. Phil’s expertise in fostering developer communities, driving product innovation, and executing strategic partnerships positions him as a leader in developing and nurturing technology ecosystems.