Summary
AI Bob
Casey Burridge joins Seriously, BUD? to discuss his shift away from heavy screen time and toward rock climbing, sparked by recurring migraines linked to extended computer use. Living in Manila, Casey picked up gym-based indoor climbing and describes it as a satisfying blend of physical activity and strategic problem-solving – more about technique and route-reading than raw strength – which appeals to his interest in strategy games.
The conversation moves into Casey’s international upbringing: born in South Africa to South African parents (his mother born in Zambia, his father originally from England), he spent his childhood years split between rural England and South Africa, describing the return to South Africa around age 12-13 as a difficult cultural adjustment. After high school he moved to Beijing to teach English, ended up staying several years, and became conversationally fluent in Mandarin — a skill he later deepened during COVID lockdowns back in South Africa through immersive self-study.
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Casey then details a winding academic and career path: an initial dream of becoming a doctor derailed by South Africa’s extremely competitive medical school admissions, a year of biochemistry at the University of Cape Town that he abandoned, and an eventual master’s degree in information systems management (completed without ever finishing an undergraduate degree). He credits his father for introducing him to WordPress while building a blog about his China experience, which sparked a broader interest in web development, and traces his career through an ad-tech/programmatic advertising job in London into data analysis and eventually marketing.
On the personal side, Casey shares that he has an older sister in Cape Town who recently had a baby, and that he met his girlfriend of three years online while still living in South Africa, later relocating to Manila to be with her. He also reflects on how abandoning his original medical-career plan turned out for the best, echoing a “go with the flow” philosophy about life not following the plans people make for it.
Casey wraps up by describing his current role as strategic growth and operations manager at Gravity Kit, a six-person, US-based company where he works alongside founder Zach Katz across marketing, SEO, paid advertising, and partnerships — often starting his workday alone due to time zone differences. He recommends Sam Wains from Bantu as a future podcast guest and mentions hoping to attend a WordCamp, ideally WordCamp Europe, sometime next year.