I am Bud Kraus, formerly Buddy Kraus. My legal name is a state secret.
In a previous life, I was an insurance broker in New York City, working on behalf of film (remember that?) and video producers. When I first saw the web I decided to sell my business and “do that.”
I started making very primitive HTML and CSS sites and started teaching web design at Pratt Institute in New York City.
Then, one day in 2009, in New York City at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Terminal, I was having lunch with a friend and client of mine. He recommended that I learn WordPress, and I said, “I am a rage against the machine kind of guy.” He then insisted that I learn WordPress because it was the future. I gave in, and once I saw how child themes work, I was hooked
The Need for “Seriously, Bud?”
Seriously, BUD? was born in one instant in an Uber ride going to the After Party following Wordcamp US 2023 in Washington, DC. It was at that moment where I thought it would be fantastic if I could spend more time with anyone. in the WordPress community. It would be a show about peoples’ life stories and not a focus on tech and business.
While I knew exactly what format the show would take, it took me about six months from that initial moment to launch my first episode, where I interviewed Marcus Burnett, a very good friend.
In that six-month time period, I had to make a final decision and then figure out which applications I would use to produce, edit, and distribute the show. My primary objective was to use applications I already knew.
I’m actually proud of all the episodes I do because the guests are so fantastic. They’re the ones that make the show.
Myself with my Brilliant Team
I don’t have a brilliant team because I’m the only one who’s on it.
Advice for Business Owners
Instead of quitting, just adapt. In the words of my good friend Bob Dunn, “If something doesn’t work and you know it doesn’t work, stop trying to fix it and find something else to do.”
Build a network that you love and that will be perhaps your greatest asset. No one can succeed on an island.
WordPress & Beyond
I don’t feel that I have competitors. I know people can do shows that are similar to mine, but they can’t do my show the way I do it.
Now, as a writer for WordPress, businesses, AI is taking away skills that I already have, but in many ways, giving me new skills as well. It is certainly changing the way I think about what I do.
My Love for the WordPress Community
This is a question I could go on talking about forever. I feel that everyone in the WordPress community is my best friend.
I have been involved with the WordPress community for over ten years now, and it just gets better over time.
I have gone to almost 20 WordCamps and have spoken at many of them. I was a speaker wrangler for WordCamp New York in 2018 and 2019.
My friend Birgit Pauli-Haack put it best: “We came for the software, but we stayed for the community.”
How I Keep Myself Updated
I read countless newsletters. The one I read most religiously is The Repository by Rae Moray.
I also listen to some podcasts, but not as many as I would like because of time. Probably best of all, or at least most important, is that I am forever talking to people in the WordPress community who help me keep up to date.
I Have a Life Other Than the Work
I certainly do. I am fortunate to live near my two children and two grandsons, with a third child on the way. Family life is a big part of my life.
I also spend a lot of time keeping up with political matters, and I listen to many audiobooks, especially those that are historical or biographical in nature.
I am a big sports fan, so I keep up with my teams.
And most important, probably, is that I love music and I play a twelve string guitar, and I’m about to relearn ukulele.
I Reward Myself by
I do this just by living every day the best way I know how, and I eat chocolate.
Connect With Me
I am too easy to find.
Slack – Make WordPress and Post Status channels
