Six-year contractor engagement with Discord, Inc. — building, managing, and stabilizing communities for global brand partners as part of the Discord Moderator Programs (DMP). Formerly a Discord Partner and HypeSquad member.
From 2018 to 2024, I worked as a contractor for Discord, Inc., building and managing Discord communities on behalf of the platform and its brand partners. The work came directly through Discord — not as an independent consultant using the platform, but as part of their official infrastructure for supporting high-profile partner communities.
My contractor role was part of the Discord Moderator Programs (DMP), Discord's formal program for recognized community managers and moderators working with partner brands. Prior to contracting, I had established credibility on the platform as a Discord Partner and HypeSquad member. I am now officially recognized as a DMP Alumni, a designation reflected by a program shield badge on my Discord profile.
The Challenge
Global brands partnering with Discord needed more than a server — they needed operational infrastructure, trained staff, and community systems that could scale safely. Many came in with no Discord experience, some with communities already in crisis. Discord needed contractors who could build to a professional standard, train non-technical teams, and stabilize situations that had already gone wrong.
The Approach
Every engagement started with an assessment of what the brand actually needed — a clean build, a rebuild, a stabilization, or an operational handoff. From there the work was consistent: design the right architecture, build or fix the infrastructure, manage operations through the critical early period, train the internal team, and document everything. For problematic communities the priority shifted to triage first, then rebuild.
The Solution
Built Discord communities from scratch for brand partners including the Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, DEF CON, MTV, and Wyclef Jean. Managed and moderated active communities across a six-year period, including high-traffic events and launches. Rebuilt and stabilized communities that had existing operational or moderation problems. Contributed to Discord's own official event servers — including Snowsgiving, Discord's annual community event with millions of members — assisting with server build and live event moderation. Trained brand teams and community staff directly on Discord platform operations, moderation best practices, and community management fundamentals. Created training guides, moderation policies, community guidelines, escalation procedures, and operational playbooks across multiple engagements. Moderated Discord's official Twitch channel and Twitch events as part of the contractor role.
The Results
Delivered community infrastructure for some of Discord's highest-profile brand partners over a six-year period. Contributed to Discord's own official event programming including Snowsgiving, a platform-wide annual event drawing millions of members. Individual communities built through this engagement include a 9,000+ member Chicago Bulls server (still active, still supported), a 55,000+ member DEF CON server (still active, Goon status held), and a 6,000+ member Sacramento Kings server (full handoff completed). Recognized as a DMP Alumni with an official program shield badge on my Discord profile.