Team Profile: Scott McCann

From mixologist to web developer - meet Scott McCann: gamer, dog lover, Umbraco fanatic, and all-around nice guy.

Scott McCann grew up in Germantown, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The eldest of three children (Scott has two sisters), he came into the world with an extra bonus for his parents: his New Year’s Eve arrival ensured a tax deduction for that year. Scott’s childhood was filled with typical pursuits like video games, hacky sack, and paintball. He is currently considering a Legend of Zelda tattoo as an homage to one of his all-time favorite games.

Scott was a bright student, though his motivation began to wane a bit by the time he was a senior in high school. He didn’t have specific dreams for his career path and future, but it was always assumed that he’d attend college. His dad was an engineer and since Scott was good with computers, majoring in software engineering seemed to make sense. He tried that for a while, then switched to graphic design. He switched back to software engineering, but continued dabbling in graphic design as well. In other words, the journey was not without a few curves. 

While in college, Scott took up bartending to support himself. A lifelong introvert, he also wanted to challenge himself by talking to people - a definite requirement of bartending! Scott excelled at many different drink styles, but martinis were his specialty. On the other hand, you would not want to ask him for an ice cream drink. “If you ask for anything involving a blender, you are dead to me,” he says, reminiscing about his bartending days.

It was during this period that Scott happened to meet David Dimmer, Managing Director of Fyin.com. Scott was working on his graphic design portfolio and expressed interest in an internship. David liked what he saw, and Scott spent the next year as an intern at the Fyin.com offices in Milwaukee. Although Scott enjoyed graphic design work, he found himself drawn to Umbraco and began to travel down the path of software and web development instead. Recognizing that innate talent, David encouraged Scott’s growth and hired him as a full-time developer once the internship wrapped up.

When David decided to move Fyin.com’s headquarters from Milwaukee to Denver in 2015, Scott did not hesitate to make the leap as well. He was drawn to Colorado’s sunny weather (perfect for a guy with a motorcycle) and snow-capped mountains. He enjoys being outdoors and has played his fair share of disc golf and cup-in-hand kickball. Scott is currently training for a Tough Mudder event.

His girlfriend, Miranda, eventually joined him in Denver. They have two adorable Huskies named Loki and Akira. Scott’s childhood love of video games is still going strong. He attended BlizzCon in December so that he could hang out with his people (AKA fellow gamers). Scott is currently a Twitch Affiliate and is moving towards Partner status. For the uninitiated, this means that people actually watch him play games (and, even more incredibly, pay for the privilege).

When he’s not gaming, playing disc golf, or sampling craft brews (Milk Stout Nitro from Left Hand Brewing is a personal favorite), Scott is wowing Fyin.com’s partners with his Umbraco skills. He wears his Umbraco Master title with pride and has achieved virtually every certification that Umbraco offers. He deftly handles all forms of development including front-end, back-end, and server architecture. You’ll even find him running our laser engraving machine. Scott is not someone we hide in a back room so that he can write code all day; he interfaces directly with our client partners and shares his expertise firsthand. “It’s rewarding to put in the time and see your efforts pay off,” he says. He revels in positive feedback on his work and strives to get better every day.  

"Scott is enjoyable to work with; we consider him part of our NewRez team and count on his expertise in helping us make the best decisions for the NewRez Websites. He takes the time to fully explain a feature and ensures we understand at the level of detail we need." - Mark Sienkiewicz, NewRez

Scott also enjoys working in a team environment. He speaks highly of the other Fyin.com developers and benefits from the collaborative setting. Team members bounce around ideas and solutions, drawing from that collective knowledge base. Of course, Scott also absorbs some good-natured ribbing from his colleagues. He seems to come down with the plague on the regular, despite having a big pile of supplements on his desk. He also gets a bit angsty when he is challenged with a higher-than-usual stack of work tickets. However, Scott’s knowledge and expertise kick in every time and he quickly conquers those tasks, leaving happy clients in his wake.