From PHP3 to Laravel Live. The Artisan of the Day Is Kasper Hartwich.
Kasper Hartwich has been working with PHP for nearly three decades, back when scripts ended with .php3 and connecting a database to a webpage felt like magic. Over time, he built with custom frameworks and Symfony, but discovering Laravel 4.2 in 2014 changed everything.
“After years of wrestling with frameworks, Laravel felt like a breath of fresh air. Laravel brought the kind of structure and clarity that made it easy to dive into new ideas. Writing code felt smooth, clean, and fast.”
Finding the Laravel Community
Kasper’s first Laracon was in 2015, and it left an impression. “I somehow ended up at the speakers’ hotel, and after the first day, sat in the lobby with Freek, Taylor, Dries, and others. What stood out was the openness and the sense that everyone was on the same level. It didn't matter if you were a beginner or a core contributor, people genuinely cared and connected. That feeling made me fall in love with the Laravel community.”
Since 2015, he’s been active in the Copenhagen Laravel Meetup community, eventually joining the organizer team in 2022. With years of experience volunteering (from handling security at Roskilde Festival to producing musical shows for 1,500+ attendees), he knew what it would take to bring something bigger to life.
Starting Laravel Live Denmark
After attending Laracon EU in Lisbon, 2023, Kasper started thinking seriously about hosting a conference in Denmark. “Back home, I started casually scribbling down ideas, nothing formal, just thoughts that came to me here and there. Over time, those scattered notes turned into venue research, rough budgets, and ended with an email to Taylor.”
Once the ideas started stacking up, he shared them with his fellow Copenhagen organizers. Their response: “You've basically already planned the whole thing.”
From the beginning, Kasper wanted it to belong to the community. The Copenhagen group reached out to the inactive Aarhus group, merged meetups, and formed a non-profit to serve as the official Laravel Denmark association. The result: two successful Laravel Live Denmark conferences in 2024 and 2025, each helping to strengthen the growing developer community in the region.
Building Beyond Denmark
The community continues to grow. In 2024, Laravel Denmark launched a new meetup in Odense, with plans for more to follow. Preparations for Laravel Live Denmark 2026 are already underway.
But Kasper’s vision stretches further. He’s working with the Swiss and Dutch Laravel associations to share knowledge, resources, and support. “The Swiss are doing fantastic work with universities, helping bring Laravel into classrooms and curricula, and the Dutch community is doing an incredible job organizing business-centric events. And I’ve also been in great dialogue with Sweden, supporting them in setting up their newly established association.”
For him, it’s about creating momentum for official Laravel organizations worldwide. “We want to see more official communities form, and more Laravel Live conferences around the world. Honestly, it still blows my mind that big countries like Germany or Spain don't have one yet.”
Looking Ahead
What keeps Kasper going? The spark of new ideas. “What keeps me going is the joy of bold ideas, the kind that challenge norms and open up new possibilities. Whether it's a meetup, a conference, or something totally unexpected, I love being part of what's next, and I'm always interested in what others are imagining too.”
Your Story Belongs Here
You don't need to have a course, a talk, or a big launch. If Laravel has been part of your journey (a pivot, a side project, a moment of growth), we'd love to hear about it!
Answer Taylor's questions at laravel.com/stories.
We're always looking to feature developers from every corner of the community. Beginners, builders, behind-the-scenes folks. If Laravel helped you do something you're proud of, that's a story worth telling.