Hi, I'm James 👋

(Aussie by origin, recruiter by trade, rowing enthusiast / hobby DJ by questionable life choices.)

Rowing era: Born and raised in Geelong, I once pursued a career as a "professional" rower — professional in the sense that I trained like hell and got paid like… well, let’s not talk about it.

The boat factory days: After realising life existed beyond early mornings on the water, I joined a 50-person rowing boat company where my job title was roughly: "Sales / Marketing / Deliveries / Also Possibly some assembly." The apple didn’t fall far from the boat, but it did start drifting toward tech.

Enter: DJ James: Somewhere between boat deliveries and boat slinging, I also dabbled as a DJ. Not Ibiza-residency level… more wedding DJ with a fog machine I borrowed from my housemate vibes. Still counts. People danced.

Into tech & talent: Eventually, I leaned into my tech obsession (with a side of dusty university code) and jumped into recruitment — specifically product engineers for early-stage startups. That stuck.

These days: Now based in Vigo, Spain with my wife and two boys, I get to:

• 🚀 Work with ambitious startups
• 🧠 Match smart engineers with problems worth solving
• 🎧 Ask clever questions on What Next Dev, our podcast where Matthew Sinclair gives actual good advice, and I mostly nod.

I've been in Spain for over 2 years. My Spanish is progressing slowly but steadily — like a snail on a scenic route.

💌 Don’t be afraid to say hi — or give me feedback on my horrible code. I can take it (mostly).
🎧 DJ enquiries: jameswilson11@gmail.com