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Ben Kent
Master Electrician / Assistant Technical Coordinator at Ted Mann Concert Hall - University of Minnesota
Professional Background
Ben Kent is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in both the realms of Technical Theatre and Information Technology. With a unique blend of creativity and technical prowess, he has honed his skills over many years, allowing him to excel in various roles that combine the arts with cutting-edge technology. Currently, Ben operates his own computer services and web design company, where he channels his technical expertise and passion for delivering high-quality digital solutions to clients.
Education and Achievements
Ben's academic journey is marked by notable accomplishments in both performing arts and information technology. He earned an Associates of Applied Science degree in Information Technology from the Minnesota School of Business, where he proudly achieved a perfect GPA of 4.0. This academic success reflects his commitment to excellence and his passion for learning.
Prior to his degree in Information Technology, Ben pursued a BA (Hons) in Performing Arts at University College Suffolk, which laid the foundation for his career in Technical Theatre. He further enhanced his skills with a Diploma in Higher Education from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, demonstrating his dedication to mastering both the theoretical and practical aspects of theatre production.
Achievements in Theatre and Technology
Throughout his career, Ben has made significant contributions to the theatre industry. As a Master Electrician and Assistant Technical Coordinator at Ted Mann Concert Hall within the University of Minnesota School of Music, he was instrumental in delivering high-quality lighting and sound for numerous performances. His expertise in stage lighting design and technical production has earned him a reputation for excellence in the field.
Additionally, Ben served as the Lighting and Sound Designer and Master Electrician at Central Lakes College, where he managed the technical aspects of various theatrical productions. His experience as a Theatre Technician at East 15 Acting School allowed him to collaborate with aspiring actors and technical professionals, further enriching his knowledge of the performing arts.
Besides his contributions to theatre, Ben's entrepreneurial spirit led him to establish The Tech Physician LLC, where he served as CEO and Founder. This role showcased his ability to blend his technical skills with business acumen, providing innovative solutions in computer services and web design for a diverse clientele.
Moreover, his background as a Payroll Imaging Specialist at Regis Corporation demonstrates his versatility and adaptability in various business environments. His experiences across multiple sectors equip him with a unique perspective that he brings to every project he undertakes.
Passion for Lifelong Learning
Ben is passionate about connecting with others in the fields of information technology, web development, and theatre. He believes that sharing knowledge and collaborating with fellow professionals is essential for personal and professional growth. His warm and approachable demeanor makes him an ideal colleague and mentor, as he continually seeks opportunities to expand his horizons and contribute to the broader community.
In summary, with a rich educational background, extensive hands-on experience, and a dedication to advancing his skills, Ben Kent is a valuable asset in both the theatre and technology industries. His commitment to fostering innovation and excellence inspires those around him and positions him as a leader in his fields of expertise.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.