One person. Thirty years. No committee.

I'm Nat Thompson. I've been building for the web since 1996 — back when websites had visitor counters, animated GIFs were cutting edge, and "responsive design" wasn't a phrase yet.

I've seen every trend come and go. I've watched technologies rise, dominate, and die. I've built sites on platforms that don't exist anymore and migrated them to platforms that will. Thirty years of doing this means I know what works, what doesn't, and what's going to break six months from now.

Obsidian River isn't an agency. There's no team of juniors doing the work while a salesperson takes the credit. When you hire me, you get me — the person who architects it, builds it, hosts it, and picks up the phone when something goes sideways.

Why I work this way

I've watched too many businesses get chewed up by the agency model. They pay too much, wait too long, and end up with something that doesn't quite do what they needed — because the person who sold it wasn't the person who built it, and neither of them asked the right questions.

I start every project the same way: by shutting up and listening. What does your business actually need? Not what CMS is trendy, not what some blog post said about "best practices" — what do you need to get more customers, serve them better, and stop worrying about your website?

Once I know that, I build it fast, build it right, and keep it running. That's the whole pitch.

The short version

• 30 years building for the web
• One person — no handoffs, no telephone game
• Based in Tuscaloosa, AL — work with businesses everywhere
• I tell you what you need, not what costs the most
• Month-to-month hosting — I earn your business every month