Anthony (TJ) Palazzari

As a Co-Founder and Lead Software Engineer at Assemble, I spearheaded the architecture and full-stack development of a project management platform designed specifically for video production and content creation teams. Over 7 years, my leadership not only navigated the product from concept to a successful market launch but also secured a coveted spot in the 500 Startups accelerator, highlighting our innovative approach and potential for scale.

Key Achievements:

• Drove the platform to achieve thousands of monthly active users and secure six-figure annual revenues.
• Led a development team in employing a robust tech stack, including Angular, Express/Node.js, MongoDB, and AWS services (Lambda, S3, SQS, SNS, CloudFront, Elastic Transcoder), to deliver a scalable, high-performance application.
• Implemented advanced features using Socket.io for real-time collaboration, integrated Stripe/Plaid for seamless payment processing, and leveraged Mixpanel and SendGrid for analytics and communication, significantly enhancing user engagement and satisfaction.
• Recognized for excellence with an acceptance into the prestigious 500 Startups program.

For eighteen months at General Assembly, I dedicated my evenings to guiding bootcamp newcomers through the foundational elements of coding, covering languages and technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Ruby and Python. Instructing over 100 aspiring developers, my role allowed me to not only impart essential technical knowledge but also to hone my skills in communication and teaching others.

The role demanded patience and adaptability. Through collaborative efforts with fellow instructors, I helped curate a dynamic learning environment, fostering a high degree of student engagement and receiving commendable feedback for my ability to explain challenging topics.

As a freelance web developer, I have honed my expertise across a diverse portfolio of projects, cultivating a robust skill set in multitasking and project management. My experience in simultaneously navigating multiple projects has not only sharpened my time management abilities but also my capacity to strategically allocate resources and attention to progress effectively and efficiently. This adeptness in managing concurrent initiatives has been recognized on UpWork, where I achieved the distinction of being rated as "Top Talent," a testament to my consistent delivery of high-quality work and my commitment to excellence in the freelance domain.

I started my journey into tech by founding a startup. Although it was ultimately unsuccessful, I gained invaluable insight into what it takes to start and run a tech company.

After college, I had a couple very successful stints as a manager for a few large companies. I became a strong leader, manager, and communicator during this time. These roles helped me to develop many “soft” skills that I carry with me today.