Founder & CEO

My father was an entrepreneur and developer. I started working at 15 when he was ill. He passed away the following year, and I left school and home at 16 and began a career in technology. By 17, I worked at Compaq Computers while building a gaming network. After leaving Compaq, I moved to Los Angeles, where FileFront was sold to Ziff Davis Media in 2005. I founded MediaFire the following year and still manage the company. In 2009, I reaquired FileFront from Ziff Davis and resold it to Break Media. In 2016, in earnest, I started working on Fastio. MediaFire is one of the most significant web products in the world, reaching over a billion people annually.

Engineer & Builder

Being an engineer is a way of life, and I apply that mindset everywhere, whether in computer software, electronic hardware, art, design, or even social interactions (yeah, awkward, right!). I've always enjoyed creating and building things, moving from hobby to hobby, and looking for creative outlets. I'm really into metal and woodworking through Pixel Woodworks, and I enjoy designing elegant or attractive bespoke furniture. I'm an audiophile (although the diminishing ROI limits interest); I like working on cars; I am my own general contractor and always choose DIY if possible.

Life Philosophy

As poet Delmore Schwartz wrote in Calmly We Walk through This April's Day, 'Time is the school in which we learn and time is the fire in which we burn.' This idea captures how I live my life—constantly striving to make the most of my time to improve myself and the world around me. Some might mistake me for a perfectionist, but results drive me; if those results happen to be perfect, that's welcome. Like Johnny 5 from Short Circuit, I 'Need Input'—whether it's books, pop culture, social media, news, or history. My wife jokes that I'm a workaholic, but it's not about the work itself but my desire to stay productive and engaged in everything I do.

A day in the life..