Elliott Richmond has worked with WordPress and its predecessors for more than two decades. Self-taught and active since the b2 era, he moved from building small websites for bands to freelancing across multiple CMSs before focusing on WordPress. He became a visible member of the community—publishing a developer-focused WordPress advent calendar in 2013—and now divides his time between development, YouTube video production, and running a part-time pizza business.
The pizza venture began as a lockdown-era community experiment and evolved into a profitable micro business. What started as a short-term delivery service has grown over five years into an operation that employs staff and licenses its business model to others. Central to that rapid launch and scale was WordPress: Elliott used WooCommerce, Jetpack, and bespoke plugins to run ordering and logistics. He developed a freemium plugin called Pizza Pilot to manage time-slot bookings, postcode-based delivery radius, pickup options, and other food-service needs. A Pro version is included in the packages sold to licensees. Because Pizza Pilot focuses on time-based ordering and delivery constraints, it’s useful for many small food businesses, not only pizzerias.
Elliott describes WordPress as the “glue” that lets nontechnical business owners create unexpected solutions. He’s observed gardeners, small tradespeople, and others using WordPress beyond traditional websites—for example, running invoicing or niche workflows within a familiar admin interface. The combination of templates, custom code, and plugins makes it possible to support atypical business processes without rebuilding infrastructure from scratch.
Separately, Elliott recently started a content collaboration with Automattic centered on wordpress.com. Introduced to the team by Michelle Frechette and connected with Stacey Carlson and Brit Solata, he was invited to produce videos that explain wordpress.com features and workflows. The aim is educational: longer-form tutorials with short-form spin-offs that demystify templating, patterns, debugging tools, and developer features in the Studio app (including recently added Xdebug support).
The partnership gives Elliott creative freedom. He publishes the material on his own YouTube channel (elliottrichmondwp) and follows broad briefs aligned to wordpress.com audiences. Automattic’s approach has been hands-off and supportive—offering early access to features and feedback rather than strict editorial control. Elliott appreciates that trust-based relationship because it allows him to keep producing his independent projects while making content that benefits the broader community.
Community feedback matters to him. Comments on YouTube guide future topics and often spark improvements; even negative feedback can be constructive if it leads to clarification or follow-up content. Elliott sees creators filling a documentation and education gap during a fast-moving period for WordPress: evolving block editor patterns, full-site editing, and the emergence of AI-assisted tools make clear, up-to-date teaching increasingly valuable.
On style and workflow, Elliott focuses on simplifying technical topics. He uses graphics, analogies, and motion design to make abstract ideas tangible. His scripting process is flexible: he starts with a brain dump—often using Notes and voice dictation—then polishes structure with AI tools before refining a final script. Recording is straightforward: he shoots on an iPhone, uses DIY lighting (a simple diffuser built from a box and tissue over an LED), and edits in DaVinci Resolve. While he owns higher-end audio and studio monitors from his music-production background, he stresses that modern, affordable tools are enough to produce high-quality educational videos.
Elliott invests time in motion graphics and animation because he enjoys learning how production tools work. He prefers building custom nodes and effects in DaVinci Resolve rather than relying solely on stock templates. He pays for the Studio license for extra features but notes that the free version already meets the needs of most creators.
He also takes care to explain practical differences between wordpress.com and the standalone WordPress available from wordpress.org. Although the same core software underpins both, wordpress.com adds hosting, managed performance, and security—conveniences that save time for many users. Tools like the Studio app still allow local development and advanced workflows while providing a managed hosting option for those who prefer it.
Elliott’s mindset is shaped by long-term self-employment and a preference for creative autonomy. He says he’s ill-suited to traditional office employment but thrives in remote, flexible arrangements. The Automattic collaboration fits that mode: it’s sponsored work that still allows him to pursue his own projects, including pizza-related content such as a dough calculator and other ways to integrate WordPress into his food business.
Key topics Elliott plans to cover in his videos include practical walkthroughs of new features, developer-focused tutorials (debugging, templating, Studio app tips), clear translations of complex concepts using visuals and analogies, and real-world case studies like his pizza operation.
His pragmatic advice to creators is simple: start with basic gear (a phone camera, decent lighting, and accessible editing software) and focus first on clear scripting and ideas. YouTube is now a primary resource for both technical tutorials and practical how-to guidance, and creators can play an important role documenting rapidly changing tools.
Elliott’s content work for Automattic runs at least through December 2026, but he remains free to pursue his own creative and business activities. He’s excited by early access to new features and the opportunity to produce timely, useful education for the WordPress community.
Where to find Elliott:
– YouTube: elliottrichmondwp
– Website: elliottrichmond.co.uk
Elliott’s story shows how WordPress can enable unexpected career paths and business models—from powering a local pizza delivery operation to teaching developers and site owners—by combining flexible software, custom plugins, and community-focused content.