Between the Brackets: Seric Burns, Project Manager at Webstacks

Welcome back to another edition of Between the Brackets! 🚀 So far, we've met Marketing Technologist Carly Johnson, Front-end Developer Matthew Gasin, SEO Analyst Brady Werkheiser, and Designer Kate Kassab. We didn't forget about our Scrum masters! The first Project Manager who we're featuring in this series is Seric Burns. Before we move along, can we all agree that he has an awesome first name? Let's dive in! ⚡️

About Seric

Hey Seric - Tell our audience a little more about yourself.

Where do I begin... At the heart of it all, I’m an adventurer and a perpetual pupil of the world. I’m a naturally very curious and creative person.

Dual-minded (equally left AND right-brained), I love the sciences and the arts, nature, music, languages, cultures, humanitarianism; you name it! I’m a big reader and traveler.

I intrinsically love to learn, connect, and contribute to the world in a positive and meaningful way. 🎒🌿🥾📚

Tell us the one thing that you absolutely cannot live without?

Everyone says this, but it’s music. Completely. It’s the one thing that I can say is a constant for me every single day.

Some people, their “thing” is coffee, some it’s yoga, etc. For me, music is my non-negotiable - my chicken noodle soup for the soul. 🍲

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you move to? Why?

Hard call! British Columbia has been on the brain since I was young. Australia and Uruguay have a pull too.

It’s Chile though 🇨🇱 That country is the best of both the natural and social world for me. Mountains, temperate rainforests + a pretty modern, dynamic Latino society. Que Sueño! ✨ You hosted a Lunch and Learn on the meaning of Pride - What does inclusivity in the workplace mean to you?

It means “action” in a nutshell. There’s nothing inclusive about just talking the talk. You gotta walk the walk. Actively taking accountability, unlearning harmful behaviors, treating others with respect and dignity even if you don’t understand them. Educating yourself is important. And I think most of all: taking a cold, hard look at who or what taught you to hate, and correcting that part of yourself that learned how to hate. 🙅‍

Project Management at Webstacks

What are your responsibilities as a Project Manager at Webstacks?

As a Project Manager at Webstacks, I serve as a Scrum Master. We operate on a system that is structurally built on Agile methodologies.

To try and summarize that: I facilitate communication and lead scrum ceremonies. I gauge priority and define, organize, and allocate the sprint work to be done. I identify, target, and eliminate blockers as they come up. Overall, I lead the teams (both internally and externally) through the process of work from conception to completion on both a high level and a very day-to-day level.

Sometimes, maybe a little wizardry sprinkled in to make it all happen, but that’s neither here nor there. 🧙‍♂️

Describe a typical day as a Project Manager from when you wake up to logging off for the day.

First things first, tea 🍵 - the name of the game really is communication so I make sure I check all my emails, slack notifications, etc. for any updates on conversations I was having the day prior and help find/provide answers where needed.

I also make sure to check in on the progress of sprint work, reading conversations amongst team members about work done overnight, and it really just spirals down the rabbit hole from there. 🐇

What has been your favorite project to work on so far?

Honest answer - the Lunch and Learn I hosted is definitely my favorite project so far, and that’s my fully biased answer.

The opportunity to let your queer flag fly high in the workplace and not feel entirely weird or taboo is seldom. To teach about it was a memorable experience! I’m grateful to have had the chance to represent, educate, and make a stand for my people. 🏳️‍🌈

Company Culture

You are based in Orlando, Florida, yet you are very present in all Webstacks channels - How do you manage to stay in touch with the rest of the team?

Slack baby! It’s really not any more disconnected than anyone else to be honest.

With most people working remotely these days as a whole, and even much of our own team being remote or partially remote, it’s hard to tell that I am actually thousands of miles away! I work Eastern Standard Time, so the first couple hours of my morning are quiet while the rest of the company is still asleep.

I don’t mind it though, since it gives me time to focus and get the gears of the day turning without the flood of Slack notifications.

What's your favorite Webstacks memory so far?

I mean not to beat a dead horse here 🎠, but truthfully speaking, I really think presenting Pride for June's Lunch and Learn is my favorite memory

It was a very meaningful experience. Being the only visibly queer person (that I’m aware of) in the company, it felt very impactful to share not only my truth but also the truth of my community with people who would otherwise maybe never have known.

What's one thing you'd like to see more of at Webstacks?

We’re still small, but growing very rapidly, so I am hopeful that we will continue to diversify. But like I said above, I’m the only obviously 🌈queer🌈 person at Webstacks.

Personally, having other LGBT people around in the company would be huge for me! More of all identities and backgrounds, really.

To end it on a fun note... what is one question you want to ask the next team member that we feature on Between the Brackets?

What's your coin? 💱

Editor's note: Webstacks is a full-stack marketing agency founded in 2020 that helps businesses accelerate growth by offering creative, marketing, development, and other services at scale. Webstacks is based in San Diego, California, with 30+ employees across the states. For business inquiries, please email hello@webstacks.com.