Nathan Payne

Nathan Payne

Most product decisions are invisible—until they aren't.

Context

At The Walt Disney Company, I oversee product for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN across partner platforms, coordinating engineering, research, design, and business at a scale where the cost of a bad decision is immediate and measurable.

Approach

The most interesting product problems arise when technology can do more than people actually want. Solving them means deciding what not to build, thinking in systems, and choosing clarity over novelty.

San Francisco · Consumer Product · Partner Platforms · Systems Design
Vibe Coding

Vibe Coding

Every project started as a real problem. Each one became a systems design exercise—and proof that product thinking doesn't stop when the workday does.

Override Finance × Theater

The financial operating system for Broadway productions. Structure your capitalization, model investor returns, manage ownership, and share live deals with backers—without spreadsheets or PDF workflows. Live ↗

Swipe Watch Consumer × Streaming

A swipe-based discovery experiment for Disney+ and Hulu. Train your recommendations, earn coins, and build your next watchlist—built in vanilla JS over a weekend. Live ↗

Device Source of Truth Enterprise × Data

A single source of truth for connected device ecosystems—hardware specs, codec support, DRM certifications, regional sales data, and rules-based hardware rating. Built on React + Firebase for the partner platform world I live in. Live ↗

Friends & Family Billing Utility × Finance

Cloud-synced shared-bill coordination for families and friend groups, turning monthly and annual costs into clear annual invoices, payment tracking, and shareable summaries. Live ↗

Stack React · TypeScript · Vite · Tailwind CSS · Firebase · Vanilla JS · Claude Code · Codex · Cursor
Community

Organizing & Fundraising

Community organizing—identifying shared stakes, building coalitions, and sustaining momentum without authority—is a form of product management. I’ve raised over $80,000 for three causes.

  • San Francisco AIDS Foundation ↗
    $55,000+ raised
    Fundraising through the 545-mile AIDS/LifeCycle ride supporting HIV prevention, care services, and housing stability programs.
  • Larkin Street Youth Services ↗
    $15,000+ raised
    Supporting transitional housing, education, and workforce programs for youth experiencing homelessness in San Francisco through the "Safe & Seen" campaign.
  • Jewish Pride Fund ↗
    $10,000+ raised
    Funding LGBTQ+ Jewish initiatives across the Bay Area and Israel; participated in grant review and community programming.
Scope Health Access · Housing Stability · Economic Mobility · Community Leadership · Strategic Philanthropy