How to Become a Kentico MVP

Interview with Kentico MVP Dmitry Bastron

Dmitry Bastron is the Head of Development at ByteMinds and has been working with Kentico since 2016. In 2020, he earned the title of Kentico MVP — a recognition awarded to the most active and valuable members of the Kentico community.

In this interview, Dmitry shares how his journey with Kentico began, what motivated him to become an MVP, and what it takes to earn the badge yourself.

How Did Your Journey with Kentico and the MVP Program Begin?

To start with, Kentico was the first CMS I ever worked with. When I joined ByteMinds, I was working with various platforms, building up my experience and skills to eventually become a senior developer. Throughout this journey, I received tremendous support and knowledge from the Kentico community. 

Early on, when I was still new to Kentico, I often visited https://devnet.kentico.com, specifically the Questions and Answers section. That’s where my journey with Kentico really began. Whenever I didn’t understand something, I would post my questions and always received helpful answers. 

Over time, I noticed the most active members of the community — people who regularly helped others —  and I came to respect them for their contributions. Some of them were Kentico MVPs, although at the time, I didn’t fully understand what that meant.

As I gained more experience, I realized I had a lot of knowledge to share. That's when I decided I wanted to become a full-fledged part of the Kentico community because it had played such an important role in my growth as a developer. I started answering questions and became an active contributor.

Eventually, my activity was noticed by Kentico, and, in 2019, they invited me to join the MVP program. And I thought, why not? Back then, there weren’t many specific requirements — just a general expectation to stay active throughout the year by writing articles, answering community questions, and helping promote Kentico more broadly. In 2020, I officially became a Kentico MVP and have renewed the title every year since.

Why Become a Kentico MVP? What Motivated You?

When I began my path toward MVP, one of the main benefits —as highlighted by Kentico themselves—was the opportunity to connect with other top professionals and exchange knowledge. And that truly is a great perk. But for me, it wasn’t the main reason.

What really attracted me was the chance to engage directly with the product team, offer feedback, and influence the development of the Kentico itself. That was the deciding factor —and to some extent, it worked out! I’ve been able to share my ideas with the developers, and some of that feedback has positively impacted the product. 

Another strong motivator was the annual MVP Summit. It’s an event where all MVPs gather at Kentico’s office to meet the architects and product team face to face. It’s a great chance to participate in sessions, network in person, and have some fun together. As an extrovert, this kind of environment was especially appealing to me and played a big role in my decision to join the MVP circle.

Is It Hard to Become a Kentico Developer? What Background Do You Need?

I’d say the entry barrier isn’t very high. One major advantage of Kentico is its excellent documentation and developer guides, which make onboarding fast and smooth. 

Of course, there’s still a basic level of knowledge required. At the very least, you should have a general understanding of web development.  Experience with other CMS platforms is helpful, but not mandatory. As a first CMS, Kentico leaves a great impression, and the learning curve is quite friendly.

What Do Kentico MVPs Do and Why Are They Important?

Firstly, any mid-sized or large-scale product needs an active community to help reduce the load on customer support. When users enjoy working with a product, they will naturally start sharing their experiences, helping others, and contributing to the product’s success. Kentico is no exception — it has a strong and engaged community of users and developers.

Within a community, there are always a few people who stand out through their consistent involvement.  That’s how the Kentico MVP group is formed: it's made up of those particularly active contributors who go above and beyond to support others and help the community grow.

The other important and equally valuable aspect of the MVP program, which Kentico highly appreciates, is the opportunity to get feedback on how the product is being used —especially from Kentico itself. 

Since CMS developers don’t typically build websites using their own CMS, this creates a challenge: it’s difficult for them to assess how well and effectively their product works in real-world scenarios. They need an external perspective — ideally from two angles: the user’s experience (how intuitive the interface is, how easy it is to perform daily tasks) and whether the  CMS meets technical needs (performance, flexibility, feature sets, etc.). 

For a long time, the Kentico MVP program focused only on technical experts. But recently Marketing MVPs have been introduced — people without a technical background but with expertise in marketing. Their perspective is extremely valuable. While technical experts focus on improving the platform from a technical standpoint, they sometimes overlook a key element: the real-world importance and impact of those features. This is where Marketing MVPs shine. They can articulate why a specific feature matters, what it enables users to achieve, and how it contributes to the success of a site or product. They help explain the "why" behind the "what."

This year brought changes to the community program. In addition to MVPs, Kentico has introduced a new title: Community Leader. While this role carries fewer benefits, it serves to recognize individuals who are more focused on growing and supporting the community itself rather than directly contributing to product development. Kentico wants its community to grow, thrive, and become more visible — and this is a great first step for anyone aiming to eventually become an MVP.

How Much Time and Effort Does It Take to Become a Kentio MVP? What Actions Are Required? 

Applications are typically accepted at the beginning of December, so if you're aiming to become an MVP, you’ll need to stay active throughout the year. Consistent engagement is a key requirement.

But no one will track your activity for you. If you're interested in becoming a Kentico MVP, your first step should be to contact Sean Wright,  who currently manages the MVP program. He can help you find the right mix of activities that will boost your chances of selection.

So, what types of activities does Kentico expect? Primarily, you’ll need to focus on promoting Kentico and actively engaging with the community. This might include: 

• Writing blog posts on various topics about Kentico features or your experience using the platform.   These don’t have to be glowing reviews, just honest and practical experiences.

• Speaking at conferences, whether they are tech-focused or broader in scope, where you can include Kentico in your presentations.

• Developing and publishing modules or extensions that improve day-to-day experience for developers, content editors, or marketers using Kentico. 

Helping others in the community is also valuable. However, if this is your sole focus, the Community Leader title may be a better fit for you.

The best way to start is by trying out different types of contributions and finding what you enjoy. Most importantly, your efforts should come from genuine interest and passion. The MVP program welcomes a wide range of contributions—there’s space for everyone.

Are There Benefits of Being a Kentico MVP? 

One of the best perks of MVP status is participation in the annual Kentico Connection conference. If you present a session, you get a free ticket. MVPs also receive early access to upcoming features, get insider knowledge about Kentico's roadmap, and join regular calls with the MVP team.

This early insight can be incredibly helpful for your work, as it allows you to plan ahead and adapt your projects accordingly. You become more valuable to your agency because you're staying ahead of the curve.

You can find out a full list of MVP benefits in Sean's post here: https://community.kentico.com/blog/you-could-be-a-kentico-mvp

How Popular Is the Kentico Platform, and What Are the Career Prospects for Kentico Professionals? 

Kentico’s popularity is moderate but growing. More and more businesses are transitioning to Xperience by Kentico (XbyK) and the product team is making impressive progress— releasing new features monthly and continuously enhancing the platform. It looks like a promising product with a bright future.

Any Personal Advice for Those Interested in Working with Kentico and Becoming an MVP? 

The MVP community is a fantastic group of people. I genuinely enjoy interacting with them — many have become personal friends. They’re smart, driven, and passionate professionals, making it a great space to exchange ideas and grow.

In some larger platforms, the MVP programs include dozens or even hundreds of members, which can make it harder to form real connections. At Kentico, there are only 15 MVPs this year. That’s big enough for diversity, but small enough to feel like a close-knit family.

And with that, I want to once again congratulate all of this year's Kentico MVPs. They’re an incredible group of professionals — dedicated, passionate, and genuinely supportive of both the product and the community.

They absolutely deserve the recognition, and it's a pleasure to work alongside them: Liam Goldfinch,  Ben Quinlan, Elmar Höfinghoff,  Michael Eustace, Trevor Fayas, Andy Thompson, Derek Barka, Mike Wills, Wesley McChristian, Joe Peschardt, Brian McKeiver, Jeroen Fürst, Dmitry Bastron, Roel Kuik, Łukasz Skowroński.