Our YouTube channel has passed 50,000 Spark Fans subscribers.
That is, frankly, a bit mad…
Why We Started
The channel started because we were learning things and wanted to share them - we've been running meetups, conferences and communities for all of our careers, experts sharing their knowledge is how we started, and its how we give back.
There wasn’t a grand content strategy. We were data engineers working through real technical problems, trying new tools and occasionally breaking things. We thought other people might find it useful if we explained what we had learned. So we pointed a camera at ourselves and gave it a go.
The early videos covered the things we were working with at the time: Microsoft data platforms, Spark, data engineering and analytics. The format wasn’t particularly complicated. Pick something interesting, pull it apart and explain it without too much waffle.
That basic idea hasn’t changed. What has changed is our focus.
Going All-In on Databricks
Over the years, we made a deliberate decision to go all-in on Databricks. The platform was moving in the direction we believed data and AI were heading, and our customers were asking us to help them build increasingly ambitious production systems on it. Naturally, the channel followed our interests.
Today, Databricks sits at the heart of what we cover: data engineering, Unity Catalog, AI/BI, Genie, machine learning, governance, platform architecture... and occasionally the wild thoughts that popped into my head and had to be shared.
The aim of our channel is not simply to repeat the Databricks release notes - they have their own channels for that. It is to work out what the announcements actually mean, test the technology and give an honest view of what is useful, what is not ready yet and what might matter to people building real systems. In many ways, it's to pre-empt the challenges you'll be facing as a practitioner, before you face them.
Our Databricks relationship has grown alongside the channel. This year, Advancing Analytics became the first UK-headquartered consulting firm to receive investment from Databricks Ventures - that one meant a lot.
We backed the Databricks vision years ago. We've grown Databricks MVPs, Champions and won awards. Becoming a Databricks Ventures portfolio company felt like recognition of that decision, the work our team has done and the community that has grown around it.
A Less Vocal Year (Externally)
Some of you may have noticed that I’ve posted less frequently this year. It’s not because there has been nothing to discuss. Quite the opposite. It's just that Advancing Analytics has been through a tremendous amount that had to take my attention away from making content.
Alongside Databricks Ventures, we’ve secured investment from Lead Edge Capital and Tercera, supported customers across the UK, Europe and the US, grown the team, expanded into Portugal and done quite a lot of work behind the scenes on what comes next for Advancing Analytics.
It turns out this is not especially compatible with a tidy filming schedule. Thankfully, our amazing team has been on hand to keep you entertained and informed!
What Comes Next
There is plenty more coming.
We've put a huge amount of work into building the team that means I can be back with new videos, including regular coverage of the latest Databricks releases and a deeper look at where the platform is heading.
James Bentley’s AI newsround series will continue, and you’ll see more engineers, architects, analysts and AI specialists from across Advancing Analytics appearing on the channel. We have far too many good people to keep pointing the camera only at me.
The focus will remain the same: technical content grounded in real experience, honest opinions and useful explanations. And there will almost definitely be the occasional rabbit hole that gets slightly out of hand. I make no apologies for my rambles, tortured metaphors or awful puns, I can't control them, it's a problem.
Thank You
Thank you to everyone who has watched, subscribed, commented, shared a video or stopped us at an event to debate something we said six months ago. It means the world every time someone tells me that our videos helped them on their Data & AI journey - and hopefully we've inspired more people to share their own knowledge and wisdom, levelling up our community.
Fifty thousand subscribers is a brilliant milestone. We’re proud of it, grateful for it and nowhere near finished.
See you in the next video. Don't forget to Like & Subscribe
Simon
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Author
Simon Whiteley
CTO and Co-Founder of Advancing Analytics. Simon is a Databricks MVP, keynote speaker and data geek passionate about helping companies get the most out of their data. He heads up the technical direction of Advancing Analytics and produces much of our technical content.