EARLY WORK
Before the enterprise work, a long run of building things: a skate shop, gamified fitness, early-web 3D, a DVD-ROM catalog, online video. The tools kept changing; the habit didn't.
01 · F.A. Skates, Founder · 1985–1988
I started a skate shop at 16. I knew how to skate and nothing about running a business. I learned the rest by doing it.
02 · Life Fitness, Interactive Specialist · 1994–1996
Worked on Exertainment: fitness equipment wired to a Super Nintendo, so the workout drove the game. Pedal harder and the Tetris blocks fall slower.
03 · tronicmedia, Founding Partner · 1996–1999
Co-founded a web shop in the early commercial-web days: custom sites, hosting, and animated 3D built in 3D Studio Max.
04 · SkyMall, Product Manager · 1998–2000
Built the DVD-ROM edition of the SkyMall catalog: interactive product content and 3D models on a disc bound into the in-flight catalog.
05 · Cognistar, Co-Founder & Product Manager · 2000–2008
One of six co-founders. Ran online video production for legal-education courses, shooting on the then-new DV format to cut cost and time, pre-YouTube.
06 · Burton Chill Foundation, Snowboard Instructor · 2001–2003
Taught snowboarding to underserved kids through Burton's Chill Foundation.
07 · How Weird Street Faire, Board of Directors · 2004–2024
Twenty years on the board of a San Francisco street festival, advising on the digital and real-world problems of running it, year to year. It wrapped after a 25-year run in 2024.
08 · IRL, Maker
Things I've built with my hands over the years. The latest is a big skate ramp.
Four decades, one habit: find the new tool, build the thing, ship it. That's the instinct under the enterprise systems work. It just has better tools now.
LET'S TALK
Working on something like this, or hiring for it?