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. Constraint is the job.

San Francisco · Disney+ · Partner Platforms · Broadway
Vibe Coding

Vibe Coding

Every project started as a real problem. Each one became a systems design exercise.

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 ↗

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 ↗

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

Giving & Governing

Community organizing—identifying shared stakes, building coalitions, and sustaining momentum—is a form of product management. I’ve raised over $105,000 for three causes.

  • Larkin Street Youth Services ↗
    $16,684 raised
    $16,684 raised for Safe & Seen—a campaign for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness in San Francisco, providing housing, education, and healthcare through Larkin Street Youth Services.
  • San Francisco AIDS Foundation ↗
    $80,195 raised
    Three AIDS/LifeCycle rides. $9,166 in 2023. $45,646 in 2024. $25,383 in 2025. $80,195 total for HIV prevention, care services, and housing stability through the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
  • Jewish Pride Fund ↗
    $8,959 raised
    Raised $8,959 and stayed involved after the check cleared—joining one of the few LGBTQ+ Jewish giving circles in the nation to interview grant applicants and help direct where the fund’s dollars land.
Scope Health Access · Housing Stability · Economic Mobility · Community Leadership · Strategic Philanthropy