Redesigning “˜the nerd’

With blond curly hair and an
alternative-band-meets-the-’80s kind of attire, Matt Meredith
looks the exact opposite of the Web site designer stereotype. But
three years ago, this self-proclaimed “computer nerd,”
together with best friend Blake Machado, started a Web designing
company called Corporate Green, which has earned him a certain
level of notoriety and enough skill to warrant a commanding five
figures per project.

Friends since the fourth grade, Meredith and Machado have always
been able to work well together, having fun and making money at the
same time. The two even manage to avoid the antagonism inherent in
business so as to not put a damper on their friendship.

“We approach the same problem in different ways, so
there’s usually a conflict in method but not in
interest,” said Machado. “But we know that in the end,
we’ll be better off by communicating, criticizing and meeting
somewhere in the middle.”

Meredith, a third-year American literature and culture student,
manages to keep himself very busy, running a business on top of
going to school, a test of his time management skills and
dedication to his company.

“During the school year I just do what I can, but this
summer we just worked all the time. I basically lived at
(Machado’s) apartment,” said Meredith. “It was
very rewarding, but we still had our fun.”

Aside from the obvious financial benefits Corporate Green has
amassed by doing projects for companies like Rooster Teeth, best
known for its online shorts “Red vs. Blue,” both
Meredith and Machado achieve satisfaction by outdoing the
competition with quality and heart.

“Our motivation is more about improving the Web and doing
a better job than we have to,” said Meredith. “For
Rooster Teeth, we went above and beyond the contract and added a
lot of cool features. We just want to make the web a better place,
more innovative, easier to use and more fun, so we are always
pushing the boundaries.”

The entrepreneurial duo plans to continue improving Corporate
Green and expanding upon their clientele. For Meredith, this web
designing company is something he would consider staying with for
years to come because of all of the benefits he enjoys from
essentially being his own boss.

“It’s nice because we get to make our own hours, and
that way, if we want to take some time off to travel or whatever,
it’s easy because it’s just the two of us,” said
Meredith. “And it pays the bills, so we’ll probably do
it for a while.”

Even with the added commitments that come from running Corporate
Green, Meredith still finds the time to play in his newly assembled
band, tentatively named “Dot Dot Comma.” Before this,
he was in another band called “The Spin,” which played
regularly at the Orange County venue Chain Reaction.

Meredith and Machado prove that looks can be deceiving and that
the new generation of Web designers is not only innovative, but
able to have a life outside the computer lab.

“The old computer guy stereotype is someone who sits in
their parents’ basement, acne-ridden and devoid of all social
skills,” said Machado. “But we are the new computer guy
stereotype; we’re essentially normal, except we spend a lot
of time in front of a monitor and embrace our inner
nerd.”