Case study 001
FULL-STACK SAAS
Practical Drumming
Turning decades of touring experience into a digital product.
Next.js · React · TypeScript · Supabase · LiveKit · Resend · Vercel
System type
SaaS / Membership / Video / AI
Role
Product Design · Full-Stack Development
Status
LIVE
The challenge
The challenge
Most online drum education is passive content. Mike wanted a high-touch mastermind where serious drummers get direct access to a professional — questions, feedback, live sessions, and the realities of working as a musician. The site had to function as much more than a marketing site. It needed to become the product itself — including the CMS, admin operations, and live video controls required to run it week to week.
What I built
What I built
A single digital environment spanning marketing through membership, a custom CMS, a custom admin area, calendar bookings via a custom API, LiveKit-powered community video with chat and host controls, AI coaching, SEO, and day-to-day operations — turning offline access to an experienced professional into a scalable mentorship product.
Practical Drumming is a private mastermind community created by professional touring and recording drummer Mike Malinin. The challenge wasn't simply to build another website for a music teacher — the goal was to turn decades of professional experience into a premium digital product combining mentorship, community, live video, educational content, AI, and marketing into one cohesive platform. I designed and built the experience from the ground up, including a custom calendar-booking API, a custom CMS, a custom admin area for day-to-day operations, and a custom LiveKit video integration with chat and session controls for the digital community.
- Concept
- Architecture
- Implementation
- Deployment
Spec
01
From Marketing Site to SaaS
I architected Practical Drumming as a complete digital ecosystem — premium membership, private member experiences, live video, community, session archives, dashboards, a custom CMS, a custom admin area, AI coaching, email, lead capture, SEO, marketing pages, and operations tooling — supporting acquisition and ongoing member delivery.
Spec
02
Calendar bookings, custom API
Fit calls and session scheduling run through a custom calendar-booking API rather than a bolted-on scheduling widget. Availability, booking flow, and confirmation stay inside the product so the application path feels native from questions through a confirmed slot.
Spec
03
Custom CMS
A purpose-built CMS manages educational content, session materials, archives, and community posts without forcing the team into WordPress or a generic headless blog. Editors work in the same product that members use — content, membership, and delivery stay connected.
Spec
04
Custom admin area
The admin area is a real operations dashboard: members, access, sessions, leads, and content workflows in one place. Instead of stitching together third-party panels, Mike’s team can run the mastermind as a product — who is in, what is shipping, and what needs attention.
Spec
05
LiveKit video + chat control
Live mastermind rooms are built on a custom LiveKit integration with host-side video and chat controls — mute, session presence, and room management inside the membership product. Members join the live room from the platform; hosts run the session without leaving the product for Zoom or a separate community tool.
Spec
06
AI Coaching
The AI-powered Sprint Coach extends mentorship beyond weekly live sessions — Mike provides the experience; AI helps members keep moving between sessions with actionable practice and accountability.
Spec
07
High-Ticket Membership UX
Designed around Experience → Trust → Transformation → Application rather than Lesson → Purchase — marketing structured around Mike’s background, testimonials, philosophy, member experience, and an application-style CTA.
Spec
08
SEO, Stack & Operations
Built for organic acquisition with search-optimized pages, educational content, and conversion CTAs. Stack: Next.js, Supabase, custom LiveKit video/chat control, custom calendar APIs, custom CMS, custom admin, Vercel, Resend, and LLM APIs — so the product can sell, deliver, and operate as one system.
My role
My role
Product Design · Full-Stack Development
End-to-end ownership from concept through architecture, implementation, and production deployment — full-stack development · saas architecture · video · ai · ux/ui · seo · marketing.
Technology
Technology
Next.js · React · TypeScript · Supabase · LiveKit · Resend · Vercel
Frontend
Next.js · React · TypeScript
Backend
Supabase · Custom APIs · Database
Bookings
Custom calendar booking API
CMS
Custom content management
Admin
Custom ops dashboard · Members · Sessions · Leads
Infrastructure
Vercel
Real-time
Custom LiveKit video + chat control
Resend
AI
LLM-powered functionality
Architecture
Architecture
- Marketing site
- Membership
- Student dashboard
- Custom CMS
- Calendar bookings
- LiveKit video control
- Custom admin
- AI coaching
Key features
Key features
- 01Complete membership and mastermind product experience
- 02Custom API for calendar bookings and fit-call scheduling
- 03Custom CMS for sessions, educational content, and community material
- 04Custom admin area for members, sessions, content, and leads
- 05Custom LiveKit video rooms with host chat and session controls
- 06Full-stack Next.js application with Supabase backend
- 07AI-powered Sprint Coach for between-session support
- 08Conversion-focused membership funnel and SEO architecture
Result / Outcome
Result / Outcome
A premium mastermind SaaS with membership, custom admin, custom CMS, LiveKit video/chat control, calendar booking API, and AI coaching — built end to end as the product itself.
Native
Live video
Sprint
AI coaching
Membership
Model
The most interesting part wasn’t building another website — it was taking something that traditionally exists offline, access to an experienced professional, and designing a digital product around it. Mentorship, community, live interaction, feedback, education, AI coaching, and industry knowledge in one platform. That’s the kind of product I like building.
The build
Screenshots
