About me

Time is chronological, but our path isn't linear. We grow. Our appetites evolve. We change.

My career has spanned from large corporations to indie films to early start-up companies to fringe art projects. Started my career at Microsoft in 1992. Left to do a start-up in 1996 and then left tech altogether to make a documentary film in 1998.

Spent the 20 years on that kind of rotation. While living in San Francisco I balancing angel investing, filmmaking and other random stuff before being recruited by Sony Pictures to be Vice President of New Media. Life as a suit didn't last long before I left to make another film prior and pursue other ventures, such as building a culinary school from scratch (no pun intended).

I still have no idea what my kid told people when they asked "What does your father do?"

On the outside, I would jokingly say I was self-diagnosed with CDD - Creative Direction Disorder. On the inside, I wondered if I was mentally ill. Perhaps a mild case of schizophrenia?

Then I saw the Steve Jobs YouTube video.

In a commencement speech at Stanford, he articulated how creative explorers can't connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect the dots looking backwards.

Now, looking backwards after 30 years, Jobs was right. I see how my dots connect. It's story.

Films on the big screen. Start-up narratives pitched to investors. Artist statements. Unique value propositions. Everything is narrative. Everything is story.

I heard that "story" is the one thing that differentiates humans from all other species. Story is how humans cooperated to eventually take over the planet. Relgion. Politics. The Hero's Journey. Limited Liability Companies. Everything is story.

I think about this every day.