Isaac Read

Full Stack Developer — Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

Shipping AI-augmented tools. Currently building ultra.place & IonTree.

Citizenship: New Zealand

Education: Bachelor of Computer Science, Victoria University of Wellington

Summary

Full-stack developer and AI builder with 3+ years of production experience in scalable web applications and media processing pipelines.

Currently shipping two AI-augmented products (ultra.place & IonTree) launching closed-beta February 2026.

Strong background in video processing, data pipelines, LLM integration, and full-stack system design.

Previously developed environmental tracking systems for NZ iwi tribes, led e-commerce migrations, and contributed to streaming infrastructure at Shift72.

Open to fullstack roles, AI integration projects, and automation systems.
Based in Bay of Plenty, available for freelance or employment opportunities.

Current Projects

Shipping closed-beta February 2026:

ultra.place

Canvas-based AI Media Workspace

Visual workspace for organizing and generating AI media assets through spatial canvas-based organization. Integrates 6+ AI providers enabling seamless workflows for image generation, video synthesis, audio creation, and voice processing. Approaching closed beta launch with core features production-ready.

Built responsive frontend with Svelte 5 and TypeScript featuring infinite 2D canvas with drag-and-drop spatial organization
Designed Python FastAPI backend orchestrating multi-provider AI generation workflows (Seedream, Hulio, Suno, Whisper, ElevenLabs)
Implemented real-time generation tracking with Server-Sent Events enabling live status updates and automatic result node creation
Architected cloud-native infrastructure using Cloudflare R2 for media storage and Turso database for workspace persistence
Integrated Clerk authentication and authorization system with secure API middleware for multi-user support

Tech Stack: Svelte 5, TypeScript, Python FastAPI, Cloudflare R2, Turso, Clerk, Server-Sent Events, Real-time Systems

IonTree

Composable Content Automation Framework

Tree-based architecture system for building production-ready content generation pipelines targeting automated video production workflows. Enables non-technical users to compose complex automation workflows through modular, reusable nodes. Core pipeline architecture production-ready with alpha testing underway.

Architected unified tree-based data model where all entities (files, content, processes) are represented as composable, reusable nodes
Developed modular Python package system with clean dependency hierarchy enabling scalable, maintainable automation workflows
Built web intelligence layer including search API integration, web scraping, HTML-to-markdown conversion, and LLM-powered content analysis
Implemented node-step pattern enabling transformation pipelines where complex automation emerges from combining focused, single-purpose tools
Designed type-driven architecture with strict dependency flow rules preventing circular dependencies and maintaining architectural integrity

Tech Stack: Python, Tree Architecture, Web Scraping, LLM Integration, Content Processing, Modular Design Patterns

Key Skills and Abilities

Frontend & UI

Svelte 5, React, Angular, Responsive Design
TypeScript, JavaScript, HTML/CSS
Interactive Maps & Geospatial Visualizations
Real-time Canvas Applications
User-centric problem solving & UX Design

Backend & Architecture

Python (FastAPI), Node.js, Ruby (Sinatra)
Serverless & Cloud-Native (AWS Lambda, Cloudflare R2, Turso, etc.)
REST APIs, GraphQL, Real-time Systems (SSE)
Microservices, Tree-based Architecture, Modular Design Patterns
Data Pipelines, Content Processing, Server-Sent Events

AI & Emerging Tech

LLM Integration & Prompt Engineering
ML Model Deployment & Fine-tuning
Computer Vision (YOLO, OpenCV)
Video Processing & FFmpeg
Web Scraping & Automation Workflows

Professional

Problem-solving & rapid iteration
Strong communicator & team collaborator
Technical presentation & documentation
Full-stack shipping mindset

Professional Experience

Custom Environmental Mapping Application — Company X

2025

Architected and deployed a serverless full-stack web application for tracking environmental data across New Zealand iwi tribal lands. Collaborated directly with tribal stakeholders to translate domain requirements into technical solutions.

Built responsive frontend with React and Angular for interactive geospatial visualization and real-time data entry
Designed serverless backend architecture reducing operational overhead and deployment complexity
Integrated custom mapping capabilities enabling tribal environmental monitoring and automated reporting
Implemented cloud-native deployment ensuring reliability and scalability across tribal regions

Tech Stack: React, Angular, Serverless Architecture, Geospatial APIs, Cloud Deployment

Ecommerce & Blog Platform Migration — Inspirations Magazine

2024

Led full-stack migration of legacy WordPress ecommerce platform to modern, scalable architecture. Successfully transitioned all inventory, products, and blog content while expanding distribution channels.

Designed and executed Python data migration pipeline, successfully transferring inventory and product data from legacy system
Integrated Saleor ecommerce backend with custom GraphQL APIs for real-time inventory management
Connected Facebook Marketplace API to expand product distribution and reach new customer segments
Migrated all blog content to Strapi headless CMS with React frontend integration
Delivered responsive, production-ready UI improving platform accessibility and user experience

Tech Stack: Python, GraphQL, React, Saleor, Strapi, WordPress, Vercel

Freelance Web Development — Multiple Clients

2023

Delivered custom web solutions for small businesses across hospitality and service sectors:

The Pickled Frog Hostel (Tasmania) — Designed and built responsive landing page with modern UX, increasing online visibility and booking inquiries
Beer Painting & Decorating — Developed business website with integrated booking system enabling online client scheduling and service management

Tech Stack: Webflow, Responsive Design, Modern Web Practices

Software Developer — Shift72

Nov 2020 – Aug 2022

Developed white-label Video-on-Demand streaming platform serving film festivals and content distributors globally. Contributed across all layers of complex video delivery infrastructure as a full-stack engineer.

Engineered Content Aware Encoding System using VMAF and Python, optimizing video quality while reducing storage costs and delivery time
Built React-based video upload interface enabling intuitive content ingestion for non-technical users
Implemented multi-language subtitle support expanding platform accessibility across international markets
Enhanced video processing pipeline reliability through systematic debugging, performance optimization, and infrastructure improvements
Collaborated across product, design, and infrastructure teams to ship production features on deadline

Tech Stack: Ruby (Sinatra), Node.js, FFmpeg, Python, React, TypeScript

Machine Learning R&D Internship — Gallagher

Nov 2019 – March 2020

Developed and presented AI-powered computer vision prototype for office facility monitoring. Demonstrated technical leadership through successful execution and stakeholder communication.

Fine-tuned Darknet YOLO vision model achieving production-ready object detection accuracy on custom datasets
Deployed model on Raspberry Pi edge device enabling real-time inference without cloud dependency
Presented findings and recommendations to 100+ company stakeholders, effectively communicating technical results to non-technical audience

Tech Stack: Python, Darknet YOLO, OpenCV, Raspberry Pi, Computer Vision

Education

Victoria University of Wellington

Bachelor of Computer Science — Completed

Awarded 2nd place in Machine Learning class competition
Contributed to rocket telemetry software in cross-functional 4-person team
Specialized in algorithms, data structures, and software architecture

University of Waikato

Bachelor of Software Engineering — Transferred

Mobile Development & Low-level Programming
Engineering Mathematics & Applied Physics
Hands-on Engineering Project Experience

Interests

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner — competitive training and problem-solving mindset
Solo travel & cultural immersion across Southeast Asia and Pacific regions
Didgeridoo player — exploring flow and creative expression

Get in Touch

Always interested in discussing AI, automation, scalable systems, and ambitious product ideas.

Email: read.isaac@gmail.com
WhatsApp: +64 274 081 673
Location: Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

References: Available upon request