Michael Rentas

mike.rentas@gmail.com

914-525-4973

Bethel, CT

Tech Savvy Developer | Problem-Solver | Passionate Learner

Summary

Experienced developer adept at tackling fascinating challenges. Thrives in diverse company environments, ranging from early-stage startups to established corporations. Adept at quickly grasping new languages and technologies. Enjoys delving into extensive data sets to extract valuable patterns and insights.

Skills

High proficiency: Python, Django, Javascript, React, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Database design, REST APIs, CSS, PHP, AWS

Medium proficiency: Ruby on Rails, iOS (Swift and Objective-C), Java, C#, C++, Unreal Engine 4, Unity

Education
Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science
Experience
Spot and Tango
Senior Back-End Developer
August, 2021 - May 2023
New York, NY
  • Was a primary contributor on an extensive new e-commerce API in Python and Django REST Framework for a full rebuild of the company's tech stack.
  • Maintained and improved the company's existing tech store infrastructure, which consisted of several Python and React applications all running on top of Shopify and Recharge.
  • Integrated functionality with a number of third party APIs including Shopify, Recharge, Stripe, Kustomer, and Sendgrid.
  • Built and maintained API functionality to enable third party fulfillment partners to integrate with our customer database.
Third Summit
Back-End/Occasional Fullstack Developer
August, 2020 - August 2021
New York, NY
  • Built an API in Python and Django REST Framework for a collaborative media application, incorporating user management, content management, search, billing, and sharing.
  • Integrated functionality with a number of third party APIs including Vidispine, Stripe, Mandrill, and Twilio.
  • Contributed to front-end development fairly extensively, both to integrate some of my API work and to help out with performance and other bugs when I had spare time.
Brooklyn Bark
Programmer/Database Administrator/IT Manager
March, 2013 - December 2020
New York, NY
  • Handle all general tech and programming needs for one of Brooklyn's most successful pet care companies.
  • Currently in the process of rebuilding the company's current Hubspot website in Gatsby with a Contentful backend and a much more modern design.
  • Oversaw successful migration to a new unified scheduling and billing platforms.
  • Took over billing for the company, migrated payment processors from Intuit to Stripe, achieved PCI compliance, wrote a python-based system to automatically create and process invoices through Stripe based on reports from the scheduling software the company was using.
  • Built an account management website in PHP to allow clients to manage their payment methods, review past invoices, pay overdue invoices, and redeem gift cards.
  • Built a gift card storefront in PHP to allow people to purchase cards, receive codes via email, and apply credit to their accounts when redeemed.
  • Wrote a payroll system in ruby to greatly speed up the generation of spreadsheets that are submitted to Paychex.
  • Built a client intake system, where the submission of a registration form pushes client data to Zendesk Sell (formerly Base), and clients who reach a certain step in the sales pipeline have their profiles created in the company's various systems.
  • Provide data analytics and analysis on billing, finances, customer booking patterns, walker performance, etc.
  • Built an API in Django REST Framework for a proposed in-house scheduling app. Also coded a prototype React/Redux site, built a prototype mobile app in Unity, and had a functional native iOS version running as well, but the project was put on hold due to concerns about maintenance and support costs.
  • Automated numerous bits of the business using Zapier and various web app APIs.
  • Deployed Slack across the company to consolidate and track communications that were formerly being spread across email threads and text chains.
AMC Networks
Web Developer
February, 2010 - February, 2014
New York, NY
  • Worked with a team of developers, designers, and project managers, along with a number of contractors and freelancers.
  • Built and maintained numerous public-facing sites for a variety of properties including The Walking Dead, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad.
  • Used a variety of technologies, including Amazon Web Services, Brightcove's Media and Player APIs, Adobe Pass, Tribune Media Services, the CinemaSource API, Wordpress, Crowd Favorite's Carrington Build plugin for Wordpress, PHP, MySQL, and Apache.
  • Built full episode streaming sites, for AMC, WE tv, IFC, and Sundance Channel (amctv.com/full-episodes is an example), using Adobe Pass for user authentication. Worked directly with numerous cable MSOs to implement, test, and debug authentication issues.
  • Built the digital film schedule display currently used in IFC Center's box office.
  • Contributed to full website redesigns and migrations from Movable Type to Wordpress of amctv.com, wetv.com, and ifc.com.
  • Assisted with migration from in-house Linux servers to AWS of all AMC Networks websites.
  • Monitored web and database servers during periods of heavy traffic.
CafeMom
PHP Developer
September, 2008 - December, 2008
New York, NY
  • Worked with a team of PHP developers and front-end coders on the LAMP stack to add to and improve the functionality of cafemom.com
  • Used subversion and trac for code management and ticket tracking.
  • Built several public-facing sites, including a collaborative storytelling app and a holiday gift tournament.
  • Contributed to the back-end code for several of the widgets on the site.
  • Added features to Barista, the company's internal management web application.
New York University Colleges of Dentistry and Nursing
Web Application Developer/Informatics Technology Specialist
March, 2005 - September, 2008
New York, NY
  • Lead developer and maintainer on a number of projects including:
    • Browser-based monitoring and control system for remote podcasting agents hosted on a machine running OS X Server. Implemented as a mix of PHP, ruby, and bash scripts.
    • Online course and faculty evaluation systems for the school's Dental Surgery, Dental Hygiene, Postgraduate, and Nursing programs (serving about 3000 students and faculty). Implemented in PHP with a MySQL database.
    • Online employee compliance tracking system.
    • Online course registration system for Continuing Education courses accepting credit card payments through Sallie Mae.
  • Oversaw the development of several other projects, including:
    • Vacation time management system for the school's clinical faculty.
    • Student scheduling system for the clinics.
  • Set up and maintained apache2 and mysql servers on Ubuntu linux for development purposes.
  • Set up and maintained a subversion repository for the department's projects with access over http (WebDAV).
  • Set up a number of open source web apps to help with development including phpMyAdmin and a MediaWiki installation for documentation and project management purposes.
  • Wrote and maintained (yearly updates) a windows batch script to automate the installation of a set of programs needed by entering students.
  • Provided backup technical support for students and faculty.

Freelance Work
Ongoing
New York, NY
Unnamed Real Estate Company
  • Built a RESTful API in Django REST Framework for a real estate listing web app.
  • Ended up doing a bunch of work on a prototype web app in React and Redux while they looked for a dedicated front end dev as well
Communicor
  • Built and helped deploy a Unity app for iOS and Android as an information aid to doctors and patients looking at laser therapy procedures for brain tumors. Users can rotate a 3D brain model, toggle different tumors on and off, and view videos of specific procedures for different tumor locations.
  • Built a javascript app from the ground up to accurately simulate one of GE's anasthesia monitoring systems.
  • Helped update and maintain various small projects for GE's medical products, mostly in plain HTML and javascript.
Longreads.com
  • Did the initial Django build of what has gone on to be a very successful site.
The Orchard
  • Developed a number of audio streaming iPhone applications.