Democrat Tom Barrett’s unsuccessful 2002 campaign for Wisconsin governor. While studying at UW-Madison, Resnick worked on several political campaigns as a member of the College Democrats, he says.
Resnick intended to get a law degree but abandoned that plan partly because of the tough job market for attorneys. He graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and legal studies.
“I remember telling my parents, ‘No, I’m not going to law school,’ after all the preparation, the classes. ‘I’m going into business for myself,’” Resnick says. “At that time, that was a very risky decision, but it paid off.”
Resnick was one of the first employees at Hardin Design & Development, co-founded by his college friend Jon Hardin, the company’s president and CEO. During school the two had previously worked together on a startup called Inzum. It was a failed Hulu-like venture run by eight sophomore students in the dorms, Resnick says. Inzum was able to put episodes of “Popeye the Sailor,” “I Love Lucy,” and Japanese anime series “Naruto” on its platform because they were in the public domain, but the students lacked the financial resources and business connections to try and negotiate with Viacom and other major media companies to license content, Resnick says.
“That company didn’t make any money,” Resnick says. “We made like $50, split eight ways over the course of nine months. It just wasn’t good.”
But it planted the seed for Hardin and Resnick to work together again at Hardin Design & Development, a much more successful enterprise that builds software and Web and mobile applications for clients including Mercedes-Benz, HarperCollins Publishers, the Golf Channel, and CNN. Resnick oversees business development, marketing, and human resources, among other duties.
Resnick never lost the political itch, though, and when his district’s common council seat opened up three and a half years ago, he seized the opportunity. He was re-elected to the seat last year.
“There’s something about serving others and serving the community [through politics] that you cannot do in business,” Resnick says. “There are certain issues that I just want to tackle and look for innovative solutions.”
One such issue that is dear to his heart is conquering Madison’s “digital divide” by finding ways to bring Internet access to homes in poorer neighborhoods. To that end, Resnick spearheaded passage of a city budget amendment that will spend $150,000 to try to solve that problem in a pilot neighborhood, he says.
“I could never do that while sitting at Hardin Design & Development,” Resnick says.
Long term, Resnick says he isn’t sure where his path will lead. Right now he’s just excited to wear those multiple hats: helping to run a company that builds better technology and trying to make Madison an innovative, tech-friendly city, all while striving to be a good husband. (He got married last August.)
“I know [my future endeavors will] be something that I’m passionate about, and it’ll be serving the general public,” Resnick says. “That’s right now what gets me going in the morning and drives whatever I’m doing.”
