About me
Got my first computer (Commodore 64)
At thirteen, a Commodore 64 was the first machine I could program, break, and fix myself. It set the direction for everything that followed. (I still have it!)
Found my muse
Got obsessed with the drums at fifteen. An obsession that would eventually lead to a music scholarship. Made a living as a drummer and studio engineer through my early twenties.
Read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand's novels sharpened how I thought about independence, conviction, and building things that matter — ideas that would resurface years later.
Started building websites professionally for local businesses
All of a sudden, the internet showed up, and everyone needed a website. I became everyone's "computer guy" overnight.
CO-CTO (Front End), Gridiron/Fanlink
The dot com boom of the 90s hit and I landed in a position where I was building official sites for NFL players including Kurt Warner, Jerry Rice, Jevon Kearse, and many more.
Built STOPzilla
Anti-spyware at the height of the malware boom. Grew revenue from zero to fifty thousand dollars a day in three years.
STOPzilla lands as a Jeopardy! clue
STOPzilla showed up as an answer on Jeopardy! — proof the product had broken through to mainstream recognition.
Mila & Vlad
Mila would eventually become my wife and Vlad, my son. We would spend the next couple of years on the motocross/hare scramble circuit in Florida.
Retired to Texas
Stepped back from the daily grind after STOPzilla to reset, explore, and figure out what I wanted to build next.
Married Mila
Married Mila — and everything I was building suddenly had a reason behind it.
Mila's Tools v1 — started building iPhone apps
Launched Mila's Tools and started building iPhone apps in earnest. Received two Apple Staff Pick awards along the way.
Joined the Atlas Shrugged film team
Joined the team producing the Atlas Shrugged movie trilogy — from first reading the novel in 1995 to helping bring it to the screen. (TIP: skip the films; read the book.)
Release Atlas Shrugged Part 1
Released Part 1 — the trilogy's opening chapter, in theaters April 15, 2011. (Seriously, just read the book.)
Started Atlas Distribution Company
Founded Atlas Distribution to release the Atlas Shrugged films — independent distribution, end to end.
Built CinemaCloudWorks v1
Built the first version of CinemaCloudWorks primarily to distribute Atlas Shrugged Parts 2 and 3 — film distribution software born from a real production need.
Atlas Shrugged Part 2
Released Part 2 — the middle chapter of the trilogy, distributed through Atlas Distribution and CinemaCloudWorks. (Did I mention you should just read the book?)
Mikayla!
Our daughter Mikayla was born — the part of the story I'm proudest of.
Atlas Shrugged Part 3
Released Part 3 — the culmination of a multi-year production and distribution arc I'd been part of since 2011. (The book. READ. THE. BOOK.)
Built iScreeningRoom
Secure online screening for filmmakers and distributors — a natural extension of everything I'd learned distributing movies.
Started Jiu-Jitsu!
Started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu — something purely physical, humbling, and completely unrelated to screens.
Received Jiu-Jitsu blue belt
Two years of consistent training. Proof that starting something new in your fifties still works.
Liberty, Franklin, and Jefferson: The Birth of a Nation
A labor of love — and hopefully the first of many! Published a children's book about America's founding to inspire young hearts with a deep love and appreciation for our country.
