What is your primary role as Aura's Chief Technical Officer?

I still wear a lot of hats. I oversee all project development from architectural conception to product delivery, as well as any project maintenance. I also maintain all networks and operational systems for our clients. Keeps me busy, and why I still work 10-15 hour days, but it's all good.

When did you first discover technology?

That's easy. The day my dad brought home the first IBM computer in 1981. It was this big surprise. It took forever to do anything, but it was magical at the time. I figured out how to use it. And I've been on them ever since. My dad was a television engineer so I was always interested in electronics. I was the geeky nerd in high school, yeah that was me, the computer aid. I got into programming in high school. We had a little mini network we called the Corvus, which was basically a large hard drive. It was like 40 megabytes. Whew-hoo. And it was huge in comparison to anything today. We had a bunch of computers wired up to it so you were sharing data. Pretty cool for the time, but it would go down every 6 weeks or so, and there was this book that was about two inches thick that I had to type in because they had no way of reloading the software or maybe my teacher just wanted to give me something to do. I would have to reprogram the whole thing from scratch every time. That was such a pain in the butt.

You studied television production in college, and was even accepted to Art Center in Pasadena, but your passion for computers and technology won out.

Yeah, I took television production thinking that's what I wanted to do. From live production to editing. I also took classes in 3D animation, which was pretty new at the time. Got pretty proficient at it and ended up teaching 3D animation, tech and network support. My plan was to further my education in television production, but couldn't afford the tuition at Art Center so I just stuck with computers.

Do you think you made the right decision?

No question, especially knowing some of my friends who got into the field, and are still struggling. This is something I really enjoy, and I couldn't really imagine doing anything else.

What was your first IT gig?

I worked for a small computer company with only a few people. We did computer/software sales and support that focused on the computer aided design (CAD) industry. AutoCAD from Autodesk was the main piece of software that was sold and I supported. But over time Autodesk pushed into other markets like 3D animation. I learned software 3D Studio, and that's when things changed for me, and my focus on computers. I worked on so many different types of hardware and software over the years it just became natural to not only support, but offer training as well. For a short time I worked for Warner Bros in their facilities management division that maintained all electronics and other related maintenance associated with the studios, but soon after started with a company called Odetics Broadcast, which produced tape robotics systems for the television industry. They produced an electronic system which physically grabbed a tape from a library and inserted it into a deck. They had won many industry awards for their innovation and their robots were the industry standard for television automation. It all worked on a DOS platform and I was hired to help with conversion to the Windows platform. As it turned out I not only helped with the conversion, but ended up setting up systems for television stations and studio clients around the world. I did more traveling during that time period than I have my entire life.

How did you come to co-found The Aura Group?

I was a freelance developer at the time, and I was meeting with a client at a local cigar bar. Dave Bailey was there and overheard our conversation. We talked afterward and formed The Aura Group a short time later.

That was in late 1998. Primitive times in the interactive world. What was the company's initial focus?

Aside from websites, we were doing shape CD roms, taking content off CD roms and putting it online. One thing led to another and we grew along with the industry, taking on more complex development, and spearheading all sorts of new multimedia technologies. Very exciting times and in many cases, it continues to be so today. That's the beauty of technology. Always something new.

Speaking of multimedia technologies, in the late 90s you were on an alpha and beta-team to help develop a flash communications server product for Macromedia to deliver video online. How did this come about?

At the time no one put much thought into a Flash video platform and its relation to the online community. At the time, RealPlayer was the predominant player in the space, but the quality just wasn't there yet, and there was no customization. Our initial tests came from a shape CD rom. We put together a presentation for the Marriott Corporation in 1999 who wanted a presentation piece to hand out to clients. That's around when we heard Macromedia was developing a Flash based video delivery system, and we ended up on the beta-test team to help refine and develop the product. Now of course everything is about video.

The MovieConnect ticketing platform has become a major focus for the company. Where is it heading?

It's already come a long way starting from a basic banner unit. MovieConnect as a platform is ultimately about delivering data to a customer via an advertising medium. That means there's always going to be new ways to deliver that data, especially if the data continually changes and evolves. And its accessible everywhere from rich media online ads, text message, twitter, you name it. And now with our new Facebook app, users can obtain showtime info and purchase tickets, along with the whole social media element. There's also the possibility of incorporating movie trailers, and other related studio content, including coupons, and who knows what else, so sky's the limit.

What part of the job do you enjoy most?

Problem solving. That's what I'm good at. Give me a problem, and I'll find a solution. Also helping to create ground breaking products and services for our clients. That's always something we've strived for from the beginning.

What do you do on your free time?

I read quite a bit, but at the moment I'm learning Russian, which takes up most of my available time. As far as hobbies, I have a wood working shop, and currently rebuilding my kitchen. And of course, I'm into computers so I game every now and then with friends.

What's your favorite game?

Team Fortress II.

Favorite movie?

You'll probably laugh, but Dune. Something a little interesting, the theater where I first saw the movie was beta testing subliminals, probably for the studio, so when a certain scene came up, you would smell a scent of whatever what was in that particular scene. Then it would disappear. Obviously nothing ever came of that, but a great movie.

Favorite TV show?

I'm a sci-fi guy. So anything sci-fi I pretty much like. Unfortunately they just canceled one of my favorites, Stargate Universe. Yea, I mean, I like Star Trek, and some of the new series like Eureka. That's a pretty cool show.

What are you listening to?

My music tastes are all over the place from hip hop to trance, even a little classical, but I probably listen to electronic most. I've always enjoyed music. When I was 17, I was a mobile DJ. DJ'd clubs, parties, you name it.

Mac or PC?

PC all the way. We have a couple Macs in the office for testing, but I've always preferred PCs.

IPhone or Droid?

I've not played with the Droid much. I was on a Windows mobile for a long time, but switched to an iPhone so I suppose iPhone, of course, it has to be jail-broken. I need more functionality, you know? I hear now Apple actually offers units that come jail-broken. They should all be that way. For me, it all comes down to personal customization. As far as tablets, I have tested the Droid 2.2 unit. I like it, but it's just not there yet. I mean it's okay. Little sluggish, and the rom is not upgradable, which doesn't make sense. Of course, I've played with the iPad as well a bit, but not really a big fan of either. Give me something I can configure and upgrade the software, and I'm happy.

To help take the edge off a busy day, the Aura Group has Centipede, the classic arcade video game in its offices. Who uses it most, and what's your top score?

It's equally used among the staff, but come on, who do you think has the top score? 129,980. Top that…