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Employee Spotlight: Scott Padgett, Director of Experience Design

September 18, 2020
Lily Caffrey-Levine

At Cloud Construct, we are a talented and fun-loving group. Though we all work remotely from our homes each day, we still maintain a high level of camaraderie through daily conversations, virtual happy hours, and work together days (when safe to do so).

In this installment of the Employee Spotlight Series, meet Director of Experience Design, Scott Padgett. Scott talked to us about his role at Cloud, the importance of teamwork and collaboration, and about some of his favorite things. Starting at Cloud in May 2014, Scott is a long time team member at Cloud and we are excited for you to get to know him!

Meet Scott!

CC: What is your role at Cloud Construct?

Scott Padgett: As Director of Experience Design, I head up our team of creatives and developers that bring great ideas to the web and to mobile devices. I try to inspire the team to do their best for our clients and for our collective futures, and help guide the company in marketing efforts.  I try hard to get my hands into every little corner of what’s happening.  We like cross-discipline expertise and that’s probably why I fit in well here. Being at a small agency, I am very hands-on every day.

CC: Where is your hometown?

SP: I was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina.

CC: Before working at Cloud Construct, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?

SP: When I was much younger and first moved to Boston, I worked in sales at an old, independent pro photo retailer—E.P. Levine. The store was kind of an epicenter of photographic creativity with a rich history, and with prominent photographers in and out of both the store, and attached studio space on the regular. Really cool place to land and spend a few years. I also gigged and wrote pretty regularly as a musician from high school throughout most of my life, across many genres.

CC: If you had to eat one meal, every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

SP: Breakfast? Otherwise, I think I could probably eat good Ethiopian food every day, forever.

CC: If you could only drink one beer for the rest of your life, what would it be?

SP: Lamplighter Brewing’s Metric Systems Gose, without a doubt.  There’s a period of a few months when it’s available each year (please don’t ever stop brewing it if you’re listening, Lamplighter), so the rest of my beer year is sipping poor replacements for my dream beer.

CC: How did you first learn about Cloud Construct?

SP: I came to work for Cloud Construct as a contractor, through the recommendation of a talented mutual friend who founded TallyLab. A few months later I came on full time to lead User Experience.

CC: Describe what you were like at age 10.

SP: OMG, what in the world was I doing? I think right around that time I recall learning about mean kids, but otherwise I was just flopping around without much distinct personality—probably nerding out more than a little.  Definitely running around the neighborhood in camouflage with toy guns and real knives of the variety you’re ill-advised to be running around with as a kid these days. I think we even used to take said knives to school to show friends. And then there was Van Halen.  Definitely was listening to Van Halen. I think I started playing guitar at 10, as well.

CC: How do you balance your career at Cloud Construct and family?

SP: The remote model Cloud operates under is great. I think a lot of people are seeing this now that COVID forced it on most professionals. Sometimes it’s not convenient to have your kid in the office, but it’s also awesome to be able to eat lunch with the family and be back at the keyboard with no commute involved. I was a freelance consultant for a long time prior to joining Cloud, so I got used to the flexibility of work-from-home, and looking back I’m really happy I have had well over a decade of being close to the family while being close to work at the same time.  Sometimes it’s hard to make a clean jump from “work brain” to “dad brain”, but it’s manageable and the positives way outweigh any negatives for me.

CC: Do you have a favorite newspaper, blog?

SP: I read the New York Times. These days I wince when I pay attention to the news, though. Science Friday on NPR is always great. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Moth Radio Hour over the years, too.

CC: How has Cloud Construct helped you in your career development?

SP: I am faced with problems from low-level to high on a daily basis at Cloud, and see closely the results of decisions and performance, so it’s really reinforced the ownership mentality that I learned at early agency jobs and practiced as an absolute necessity as a freelancer. Ownership is a skill that’s portable to any stage of a career, and life in general, so that’s one area where Cloud builds my value as a professional, for sure.  I’ve also had the benefit of watching some really smart people doing their thing. I learn on a daily basis from great co-workers at all levels here at Cloud.

CC: What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?

SP: I thought about becoming an architect when I was young. I’d give that a shot for sure.

CC: If you could pick one theme for Cloud Construct to turn into a book about the company, what would it be?

SP: Maybe something along the lines of “dark horse works hard to rise to the top”.

CC: What advice do you have for prospective Cloud Construct candidates?

SP: Come to Cloud if you are ambitious and want to contribute to a team that will listen to your good ideas, and want you to do the same, so that we can all rise up together.

CC: Any favorite line from a movie?

SP: “Remove ya!”, from the DJ booth hijack scene in Rockers, pops in my head.  Then there’s “What is this? A center for ants???” from Zoolander.  That movie is so full of nonsense there’s probably 20 in there.

CC: Best vacation you’ve been to?

SP: Sans Souci resort in Ocho Rios Jamaica was a lot of fun. So was visiting the Philippines—Boracay, Manila, and other spots around Luzon and Quezon provinces.

CC: What has been the most important innovation you have witnessed in your lifetime?

SP: The world wide web over broadband internet, for sure. It’s just insane what any individual is capable of now, given a little time for research and a fast connection.

CC: What phobias do you have?

SP: Spiders. Spiders are not something I want creeping around.

CC: When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?

SP: Just the other night.  A brilliant one-liner in the show Schitt’s Creek. It just pushed the right button…

CC: Where is your favorite place to eat?

SP: There is an incredible little family-run Indian restaurant in Greenville, SC that is the best Indian I have ever eaten. It’s just so, so good.  And the people there are lovely.  Swad Restaurant.  So good.

CC: Which one would you want most – flying cars, robot housekeepers, or moon cities?

SP: Bring it all!

CC: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

SP: Probably picking up a lot more experience in VR and AR and hopefully vacationing in warm climates in places I’ve not yet seen.

CC: You’re happiest when?

SP: I’m happiest when I am creating experiences people are going to be moved by—musical, interactive, visual or otherwise.

Author Photo
Lily Caffrey-Levine
Marketing Manager
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Or call us at:  
1.617.903.7604