Shout's very own Ian Grieve is awarded Umbraco MVP status

More than just technology

I’ve worked with Umbraco for many years now, and while the platform itself has evolved massively over that time, from early CMS implementations to today’s composable, cloud-first, AI enabled, the thing that’s always stood out most is the people.

The Umbraco community has always been open, approachable and supportive.  Whether that’s helping solve technical problems, sharing lessons learned, encouraging first-time speakers, or welcoming new developers, there’s a genuine sense that everyone wants each other to succeed.

Growing the Newcastle community

One of the things I’m most proud of over the past few years has been helping grow the Umbraco Newcastle Meetup.

What started as a local event to reconnect developers in the Northeast has become a genuinely welcoming space for sharing ideas, discussing changes, and learning together.

We’ve hosted talks covering:

• Upgrading to Umbraco 17 LTS

• Exploring the new backoffice

• Sustainability and digital architecture

• Hands-on Dev Jam sessions

• Real-world migration experiences

But more importantly, the meetups have created opportunities for people to feel included.

One piece of feedback from the MVP selection committee that genuinely meant a lot to me was this:

“You have a natural way of making technical topics less intimidating.”

That’s probably the part I’m most proud of.

Technology can be intimidating.  If we can create environments where people feel comfortable asking questions, experimenting, contributing, or attending their first meetup without feeling out of place, then that’s a massive goal achieved.

Supporting the next generation

Another important focus for me has been encouraging new people into the community, particularly students.

Over the past year I’ve worked with contacts at Northumbria University to promote meetups and community events across the Computer Science department, helping introduce students to Umbraco, open source, and the wider digital community.

Community is a team effort

This recognition isn’t something achieved in isolation.

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported the Newcastle meetups, spoken at events, contributed ideas, or simply turned up and got involved.

Special thanks to the team at Shout Digital for continually supporting community contribution, knowledge-sharing, and professional development.

I’m also incredibly grateful to the Umbraco Developer Relations team and MVP committee for the recognition and warm welcome into the MVP programme.

Looking ahead

I’m excited for what comes next.

With Umbraco continuing to evolve around composable architectures, AI-assisted workflows, sustainability, and modern cloud platforms, there’s never been a more interesting time to be involved in the community.

I’m looking forward to continuing to:

• Grow the Newcastle Umbraco community

• Support new contributors and speakers

• Share practical experiences through blogs and talks

• Help organisations navigate upgrades and modernisation

• Contributing back wherever I can

And, of course, attending my first MVP Summit and Codegarden as an MVP.

That one still doesn’t quite feel real yet...