Dan Newns.

Hey, I'm Dan 👋

Father. Golf enthusiast. Laravel advocate. Co-Founder of Jump24. And someone who genuinely gets excited about PHP updates (yes, we exist).

I've been writing code since secondary school in Wales, and somehow turned that teenage hobby into running one of the UK's most respected Laravel agencies. But here's the thing – I'm not trying to be another "thought leader" with a LinkedIn full of motivational quotes. I'm just a developer who's learned a lot by breaking things, fixing them, and wanting to save you the hassle.

What I'm Up To These Days

Every week, you'll find me writing about Laravel and PHP – whether it's uncovering features we've all been sleeping on (seriously, have you used Pipelines yet?) or explaining why PHP 8.5's URI extension means parse_url() has been lying to us for 20 years. I write because I enjoy it and I hope that the things I write can help other developers in the future. If I find something cool, I have to share it.

I'm also starting to do more talks currently these are at meetups, but hopefully I'll get the chance soon to give a talk at a bigger conference. Honestly? Public speaking terrifies me a bit, but the Laravel community has given me so much that standing on stage sharing what I know feels like the least I can do back.

And yes, I'm finally getting into video content. After years of saying "I should really do YouTube," I'm actually doing it. Expect real-world coding, honest takes on what works (and what doesn't), and probably some terrible golf metaphors.

The Jump24 Story

I co-founded Jump24 because I wanted to build an agency that worked differently. You know that feeling when you're at a company and think "if I ran this place..."? Well, I actually did it. We became Laravel Partners in 2019, not because we wanted a badge, but because we genuinely believe in contributing back to the ecosystem that's given us so much.

The best part? Building a team that shares the philosophy: "Laravel in you Language". As a team we're to take the sophisticated solutions and make them simple. We can talk Laravel in your Language

Why I Do This

I could just run Jump24 quietly in the background. But I've made enough mistakes, discovered enough "why didn't anyone tell me this?" moments, and learned enough lessons the hard way that keeping them to myself feels selfish.

Plus, I remember being that developer googling error messages at 11 PM, finding that one blog post that saved my sanity. Now I get to be the person writing those posts. It's pretty cool.

The Real Me

When I'm not obsessing over code, I'm trying to work on my swing (current mission: breaking 90 consistently). I'm a dad, which means I've mastered the art of debugging code while holding the little on. Bridgend born, Birmingham based, and still can't decide which city has better curry (only kidding).

I believe the best code is written to good music (currently into [band/genre]), that PHP doesn't deserve the hate it gets, and that the Laravel community is genuinely the friendliest corner of the internet.

Let's Connect

I love meeting fellow developers. Whether you want to:

  • Chat about that weird Laravel behaviour you discovered
  • Debate whether repository patterns are worth it
  • Share your own PHP horror stories
  • Tell me about your golf handicap (misery loves company)
  • Book me for a conference talk (I promise to bring energy and practical examples)
  • Work with Jump24 on something ambitious

Drop me a message on Twitter or catch me at the next Laravel meetup. I respond to everyone – even if it's just to admit I don't know the answer (yet).
New content drops every week: Follow the blog for weekly deep-dives, and subscribe to YouTube for the upcoming video series.

Currently nerding out about: PHP 8.5's pipe operator, making Laravel queues bulletproof, and whether my golf stance is the reason I keep slicing.