TheBridge profile: Sean Perryman
Name: Sean Perryman
Current city: Washington, DC
Current job: Director of Social Impact Policy & Counsel at the Internet Association
Past job: Counsel at House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Democratic Staff
Q. Favorite spot for a coffee meeting? The nearest Dunkin'.
Q. Describe how a skill you learned in a previous job helped you in your current job. When I was still in law school, a partner at a firm told me "you can be a short order cook or you can be a master chef." At the heart of this advice is that you can do the bare minimum to get people what they want or you can try to anticipate needs and desires and innovate. That being said, sometimes people just want a burger and fries - and you need to be able to deliver that well too.
Q. Job advice in three words? Take a risk.
Q. How are you (or your company, org, nonprofit) currently bridging the gap between innovation and regulation? IA just introduced its Proposal for Racial Justice and Reform. Although IA is a tech focused trade association, we realize that this industry has an influential voice in policy discussions and we want to contribute to the political discourse on how public safety should be handled in this country.
Q. What can innovators learn from policymakers? Innovators can learn from policymakers about how to balance different equities and societal contexts while designing their different products and services. Policymakers have to weigh various competing interests in their decision making and have an understanding of the historical, as well as political context in which they are operating. This is something innovators could learn from.
Q. What can policymakers learn from innovators? Tech innovators can help policymakers learn how to go deep on one specific problem. Policymakers are obviously spread thin on a lot of issues of importance, and sometimes that makes it hard to explore a problem deeply.
Q. Favorite book/podcast/long-form article you recommend? Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. It articulates the importance of storytelling and collective action for our experience and society.
Q: How do you unwind after work? Red wine. I'm about to start a virtual course because I really want to become more knowledgeable about it.
Q: Last time you were completely unplugged? At the beginning of March, I went on a cruise and was completely disconnected for the first few days. By the time I turned my phone back on, the NBA had suspended their season and the world appeared to be falling apart.
Q: Which Member of Congress/local lawmaker is most tech savvy? AOC. There may be other members with more tech expertise but I think she most efficiently leverages the platforms to convey her message.
Q: Living person you admire? Lin Manuel Miranda. If I think about who is innovative, telling unique stories, and promoting diversity, he's the one doing it in the most interesting way. He created an audience for a sound no one knew they wanted.
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