About

Ah…the “About” page. I assume you’re here because you came across something else on this site and are thinking one of two things:

  • “This jackass is an idiot. I wonder how he got to the point where he thought he should post content on a website!"
  • “I’m mildly curious and would like a quick and rough understanding of who this person is."

For the First Case

I’m a middle-aged cisgender white guy, so I am societally pre-disposed to think I have something worth sharing. I am very on brand on that front, as I also am a co-host of a podcast, The Analytics Power Hour, which has been publishing every other week since the beginning of 2016 (I’m joined on that by a slightly younger middle-aged cis white guy, but, to go slightly against the stereotype, also by an even younger cis white lady).

For the Second Case

I’m an analytics consultant with a history/specialization/focus on the world of digital and marketing analytics. I tend to see that phase of my career starting in ~2001, which was in-house. But, I’ve been primarily agency/consultancy-side since mid-2007.

You can get a passable CV on LinkedIn. Or you can check out my inconsistent and varied ≤280-character thoughts on Twitter. If you’re here because you saw something on the photographic front, I try to be somewhat judicious with the photos I post on my Smugmug site.

I’m a total R nerd, but hold nothing against Python and deeply wish I could muster up the time and motivation to gain a level of proficiency with it. I co-created the Dartistics site with Mark Edmondson as a tool for digital analysts to learn R. We don’t keep that nearly as maintained as we would in a perfect world.

I’ve been a data visualization and data storytelling evangelist for over two decades (partly probably due to getting an undergraduate degree in architecture, but probably more due to discovering Stephen Few while I was managing a BI team). My co-workers troll me with pie charts and politely take my feedback on their deliverables. I’ve presented on the topic a lot, but this post has a pretty tight 50 minutes of me making my case on the topic and sharing some of my favorite tips.

I’ve been based in Columbus, Ohio, in the U.S., since 2007, but I lived in Austin, Texas, for 13 years leading up to that and maintain a deep connection to that city (I still have many friends and family there). My wife and I fully expect to leave Ohio in the not-too-distant future, but we’re not yet settled on where that will take us (we’re taking recommendations).

Where Does “Gilligan” Come From?

This is a two-parter:

  1. I hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in 1993 when I graduated from college. It’s a trail tradition to adopt a “trail name,” and, due to my clumsiness and lankiness (at the time), I was dubbed “Gilligan.”

  2. In 2008, I was working at a small agency and decided to start blogging. I needed a domain that was available. “Gilligan on Data” popped into my head, and I ran with it.

And Some Visuals

I went through a 5-year long-haired phase, but I’m over that now. I’m not the kind of guy who goes around asking people I admire for selfies…but I couldn’t resist when I found myself at an event with both Jenny Bryan and Hadley Wickham!