Elliott Richmond joined the Jukebox Podcast to discuss a wide range of WordPress topics: his long history with the platform, content creation for WordPress audiences, and an unexpected pivot to running and productising a pizza business powered by WordPress.
Background and WordPress roots
Elliott has been developing with WordPress (and before that, b2) for over 20 years. Self-taught, he moved from building sites for bands and small projects to freelancing and working with multiple CMSs before settling on WordPress. He contributed to the community early on — for example, assembling a WordPress advent calendar of code snippets in 2013 — and continues to be active as a developer, educator, and content creator.
Pizza business powered by WordPress
During the COVID lockdown Elliott and his wife started a local pizza delivery operation when many local eateries were closing. What began as a temporary community effort has since become a thriving micro-business: five staff, continuing weekend trade, and a licensed model that they sell to others. Crucially, the operation runs on WordPress: WooCommerce, Jetpack, and custom plugins glue the ordering, timeslots, delivery radius, and other business logic together.
Elliott developed a plugin (freemium with a Pro version) — nicknamed Pizza Pilot — to replicate their model. Features include:
– Ordering integration with WooCommerce.
– Time-slot and time-based ordering controls.
– Radius-based delivery restrictions by postcode (customers outside the radius can opt for collection).
– Flexibility to be used by other businesses with restricted delivery windows (bakeries, takeaway operations, etc.).
The business isn’t a franchise; licensees purchase the model, training, and the plugin bundle. Elliott frames WordPress as the practical “glue” that enabled a non-web business to scale and be productised.
Content partnership with wordpress.com / Automattic
Elliott was approached via Michelle Frechette and connected with Stacey Carlson at Automattic to produce videos about wordpress.com. The arrangement gives him early access to features and a broad remit: create educational content about how he uses WordPress, including workflows and tools. This led to further introductions inside Automattic’s influence and content teams, and a plan to produce videos through the rest of the year.
Format and editorial approach
Elliott will publish content on his own YouTube channel (elliottrichmondwp), not the official wordpress.com channel, though his work aligns with wordpress.com priorities. He expects to produce both long-form educational videos and shorter spin-offs for social platforms. The focus is educational: explain features, workflows, and practical steps so viewers can implement and benefit from changes.
He emphasised flexibility in the brief: Automattic provides target audiences and suggested themes but gives creators broad latitude. That trust, combined with his enthusiasm for teaching, makes the collaboration feel natural rather than promotional. Elliott also values the feedback loop YouTube provides — comments often inspire new videos, and even critical comments are seen as useful feedback.
Topics he plans to cover include:
– New and changing WordPress features (including those related to the block editor and templates).
– Developer-focused tools and workflows (e.g., the Studio app and debugging tools such as Xdebug).
– Practical tutorials that simplify complex topics like templating, template parts, patterns, and emerging AI-related capabilities.
Content creation process
Elliott shared his workflow and production process:
– Idea capture: He uses the Notes app and voice-to-text for rapid brain dumps, then polishes scripts (sometimes using AI to tidy text) into a loose script or flashcard prompts rather than a rigid word-for-word script.
– Production: He keeps kit low-tech — filming primarily on an iPhone, simple DIY lighting (a diffused LED inside a small box), and a quiet space. He draws on a background in music production for audio monitoring (studio monitors) and sound quality.
– Editing: He uses DaVinci Resolve (paid license for advanced features, but the free tier is powerful) for editing and motion graphics. He enjoys motion graphics, analogies, and visual simplification to make technical concepts accessible.
– Iteration: He drafts, films, edits, reviews, and often revisits content based on feedback or to improve clarity.
Elliott stressed that the intangible part — clarity of explanation, structure, and the ability to translate technical ideas into understandable steps — is the core of his value as an educator, beyond camera and editing gear.
Community, feedback, and the role of creators
Elliott reflected on how community interactions shaped his work. Meetups and local users often run diverse businesses entirely through WordPress — gardeners running invoicing, for example — demonstrating the platform’s versatility. He sees content creators filling a documentation and education gap as WordPress evolves rapidly: creators can translate new features and developer tools into approachable, actionable tutorials for varied audiences.
He welcomed the trust Automattic and wordpress.com have placed in independent creators, noting that the company appears to be investing in creator partnerships rather than running only in-house content. Creators get guidance on target audiences and themes but substantial creative freedom.
Where to find Elliott
– YouTube: elliottrichmondwp (WordPress-focused channel)
– Personal site: elliottrichmond.co.uk (double L, double T in Elliott)
Closing
Elliott continues to balance development, content creation, and his pizza business — often using what he builds for the pizza operation as product ideas (like his WooCommerce plugin). His work for wordpress.com in 2026 aims to make advancing WordPress features more understandable and actionable for users and developers alike, while also showing how WordPress can power unexpected real-world businesses.