April 06, 2026
One of our esteemed team members, Chris, recently wrapped up a long weekend in sunny Colorado Springs, attending an Umbraco-focused event called CodeCabin. The invitation-only event brought together a group of like-minded people from across the U.S. - and even one attendee who made the trip from the UK just to be there.
This wasn’t Chris’s first CodeCabin experience. He also attended the original event back in 2016 in Wales. That weekend was sunny as well- which, as anyone familiar with Wales knows, is something of a rarity.
Chris is a Certified Umbraco Master based in Chapel Hill. He founded Vizioz in 2009 as a specialist website development business focused on building web solutions using .NET and the Umbraco CMS. Over the years, Chris and his team have worked with a wide range of clients - from blue-chip companies and pharmaceutical brands to marketing agencies and technology businesses. After relocating to the U.S. in 2017, he launched Vizioz LLC to continue supporting organizations stateside.
Today, Vizioz is part of Integrated New Media, where Chris leads the Umbricians team - a group of dedicated Umbraco specialists focused on delivering scalable, high-quality digital experiences. Being part of Integrated New Media allows the team to bring even more to the table: deeper resources, broader strategic expertise, and the ability to support clients not only with development, but with full digital solutions ranging from UX and design to hosting and long-term optimization. It’s a natural extension of what Vizioz has always done, now backed by a larger team and expanded capabilities. In 2020, Chris was also honored with the title of Umbraco MVP - recognition that reflects not only technical expertise, but also his commitment to the Umbraco community.
That sense of community is what stood out most to Chris - both then and now. The Umbraco experience isn’t just about the product; it’s about the people behind it. Yes, Umbraco is a powerful open-source CMS. But what truly sets it apart is the community: the individuals who dedicate their time to organizing events like CodeCabin, hosting meetups, running conferences, and connecting others through online spaces. It’s that energy and generosity that make Umbraco feel like the “friendly CMS.”
Reflecting on when he first started using Umbraco in 2007 (version 3, for those who remember), Chris noted how incredible it is to see how far the platform has come. At the time, it was essentially three people in a garage building something from scratch. Today, it has grown into a global organization with a mature product and a thriving ecosystem.
But in Chris’s view, the real success story isn’t just the growth of the platform - it’s the growth of the community. There’s a shared sense of ownership and enthusiasm that is rare to find. It brings to mind the book Fans Not Customers and its central idea that building a passionate fan base is far more powerful than simply acquiring users.
Nearly 20 years later, Chris can confidently say he is still a fan. And weekends like this reinforce that he is far from alone.
The challenge now, he believes, is figuring out how to spread the word so more people can discover what makes this community - and this platform- so special, and how teams like the one at Integrated New Media can help organizations get there faster.
And as a bonus highlight, Chris was honored to take home the award for “Best Dressed Attendee.” Apparently, his collection of bold- some might say questionable - shirts has its fans too.
