Over a year ago, David Weaver, EVP of Barkley Advertising, decided to try something different with his career. He sold most of his belongings, and moved to an isolated region of Vermont to begin working remotely full-time. This March at SXSW Interactive, Weaver intends to share insights that he has learned since making the switch, and educate others on this perspective of working remotely he has developed.

Weaver first attended SXSW last year to attend an event a client of his was hosting during the conference. After being introduced to the panel picker, he decided he wanted to share his experiences and let others who work remotely for their job gain from his knowledge. His panel is entitled “Get Out, Be In: What I’ve Learned Working Remotely.” I spoke with Weaver over the phone about what he hopes people will take away from his panel, what led him to Vermont, and how I can improve my own productivity while working remote.

Weaver grew up in Iowa, and throughout his career had moved frequently to cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, and New York City. While living in Seattle in the 1990’s, Weaver pitched and won an account in Vermont in which he had to visit the new clients to ensure they would pay for the new ad campaign. While there, Weaver fell in love with the beauty and calmness of the area.

A self-described introvert, part of what led to Weaver’s decision to make working remotely a full-time situation was what he was noticing in the office environments he was working in.

“The open office environment was killing my productivity. For people who are working with remote employees who consider that an obstacle, I would have them consider what are really causing those obstacles,” Weaver declared.

Weaver felt that he was actually more productive away from the office, and still finds himself going to a coffee shop on trips back to Kansas City and essentially making himself remote even while visiting the home office. Weaver said he hopes to change the perceptions that people have when working with remote employees. For example, the belief that his time is truly his own.

“People would be amazed at the amount of time I spend waiting on conference calls to start. I could probably do an entire speech about the first ten minutes of a conference call and how to utilize them,” Weaver said.

Weaver hopes his session can be a case study on how well people can drive their own focus and motivation by providing the audience tips and tricks to be more productive. Weaver will show people how to take advantage of having smarter ways to work remotely. He will also speak to the different orientation, at least from a creativity standpoint, that have served him well.

“When I can work on my own terms and listen to my own biorhythms, I come up with better ideas,” said Weaver. “Allowing myself to take a walk can improve my productivity.”

Weaver will also be launching a new company at SXSW, so be sure to attend his session to find out more and to learn about the bigger ideas of what working remote can mean. You can find additional details regarding Weaver’s session at SXSW below.

When and Where:
Sunday, March 12
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Hilton Austin Downtown – Salon K / 500 E. 4th St.

Find out more: Get Out, Be In: What I’ve Learned Working Remotely