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My Story
My Story
My entrepreneurial journey began at the age of 12. Returning from a family visit to Spain, I brought back a suitcase filled with unique products that were unheard of in America at the time. Within days, I had sold out to my middle school classmates, marking the start of a lifelong passion for business. This early venture was just the first of many, setting the stage for decades of innovative business pursuits. During the dot-com boom of the 90s I started my own Technology Consulting company after graduating Delaware Valley University with a degree in Computer Information Systems Management. While growing my consulting company, I built different companies from the ground up while working on various projects, as I traveled around the world. In 2010, I sold my successful, self-started, brick & mortar franchise to embark on new ideas.
In 2007, I started a film production company Delphia Entertainment from scratch. I began producing short films and interviewing celebrities at Wizard World Comic Con for several years. My first independent film took home the Audience Choice award at the 2011 New Hope Film Festival and is now distributed globally. During this time, I was the main videographer for Philadelphia tech events, investor meetups, and created promo videos for area tech startups.
After jumping back into the world of technology for a few years I made my second film: a historical documentary called The King’s Highway which won “Best Feature Documentary” at the 2016 FirstGlance Film Festival and is now seen worldwide via LA based distributor Indie Rights. During the process of making the movie, in order to film all of the aerial cinematography scenes, I trained to be an FAA certified drone pilot, and created an aerial photography business.
In 2010, shortly after producing my first film, I became enamored with smartphones. The iPhone was a childhood, futuristic dream come true. I had been building websites for well over a decade, so I immersed myself in the world of mobile technology and built a few different platforms. Trial and error led me to create Instamour, a video discovery platform that graduated from the StartFast Venture Accelerator in 2014. Since my initial success with mobile technology, I began to get hired by various startups to help them build their platforms in various industries such as healthcare, social video, gaming, sports, and many more.
While running tech startups, Google flew me out to their Mountain View HQ in 2015 to interview me for a Startup Program Management role to help entrepreneurs in their various programs. I was already helping many entrepreneurs on a daily basis and realized I was repeating the same methods, tactics and strategies every day. I knew the best way to reach a larger audience and help as many people as possible was to write it all down.
That’s when I wrote and published a startup guidebook Strap on your Boots in 2016 to help startups and entrepreneurs around the world. In 2020 I completed the audiobook version for Audible. In 2017 & 2018 I was hired as a guest lecturer by PhD students of University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton school to create and teach a course based on my book, called Startup Essentials for the Entrepreneurship Program. I taught this class at various universities and then expanded the course for online use, and now offer it on Udemy as well as Skillshare.
Around the same time in 2016, a B2B Saas platform I created called See2B was honored as one of the regional winners in Comcast Business’s prestigious “Innovations 4 Entrepreneurs Contest.” This national competition recognized 30 businesses across the U.S. for their innovative use of technology to enhance their operations. See2B’s win came with a $10,000 cash award and a chance to collaborate with top business experts, reinforcing our commitment to using technology as a transformative tool for growth and innovation.
The success of my book and course was a turning point in my entrepreneurial journey. These resources resonated with aspiring entrepreneurs worldwide, inspiring countless individuals to turn their ideas into reality. Building on this momentum, I launched the Strap on Your Boots podcast in 2018 to further expand my reach. The podcast dives deeper into the topics of startups, technology, and innovation, offering practical advice, success stories, and expert insights to empower listeners on their entrepreneurial paths.
In late 2019 I began production on my third film, a documentary about the fight against unsafe construction called Cutting Corners. Then the Covid-19 pandemic came, which caused me to think outside the box in order to complete the film. For most of 2020 and the first half of 2021 I completed production and post-production of the film and the film won the Grand Jury Prize Gold Documentary – Best Film Award at the 2021 Los Angeles Motion Picture Festival, and Best Feature Documentary at the 2021 Pinnacle Film Awards.
Along the way I was asked to be a featured speaker on several episodes of Xploration Earth 2050, an Emmy winning TV show about the future on FOX and Hulu. During my journey I became interested in reporting on technology news around me with my own personal writing style. As a contributor for Technically Philly, I wrote about the thriving Philadelphia tech scene with a focus on startups. I also write entrepreneurial articles about technology, startups, and the future on Medium.
My favorite part of being an entrepreneur is being asked to participate in speaking engagements at various universities and events. While at these events, I mentor tech startups, college students and business owners on how to succeed using my methodologies. I realized there was a gap in the market for these entrepreneurs and started a web and mobile dev shop to help them with their ideas. To increase my outreach, I created a How To Video Series hosted on Youtube that is partnered with ZoominTV.
I jumped into the cryptocurrency scene back in 2013, and I believe in the future of cryptocurrency, smart contracts, and a decentralized Internet. I produced a web series with Bitcoin legend Charlie Shrem for his company Crypto.IQ in 2018.
During the 2020 Covid-10 pandemic I created Spinnr, which is a video platform that helps you make new friends that share your hobbies and interests, so that you can engage in fun activities with them. The 2020 pandemic all but destroyed human interaction and most people are tired of dating apps. The statistics show that people want to make new friends without the added pressure of most social apps. Spinnr is the answer to this problem. By utilizing video technology, and an hobby based system of matching, the future of meeting new people is here today.
My latest venture, Vengo AI, is a cutting-edge AI platform designed to revolutionize customer engagement and sales. Unlike typical chatbots, Vengo AI offers sophisticated, real-time interactions through text, voice, and video, mimicking the expertise of your top salespeople. By analyzing your business’s unique sales techniques, products, and customer interactions, Vengo AI transforms your website into a powerful sales tool. It centralizes information, customizes responses to reflect your brand’s voice, and ensures every customer gets accurate and timely answers. With features like detailed lead information, multi-format communication, and seamless booking capabilities, Vengo AI not only enhances customer satisfaction but also drives more sales. Join us in the future of AI-driven customer engagement! You can talk to my AI digital twin right here!
In early 2022, I started working a new screenplay “Protocol 7,” a sci-fi thriller set in a distant space colony where Earth’s memory fades. Despite the challenges posed by the rapidly changing film industry landscape, I persisted in refining the script. My efforts were rewarded as “Protocol 7” became a finalist in the 2024 Screencraft Screenplay Competition, the Filmmatic Inroads Screenwriting Fellowship, and the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards. This recognition has propelled the project forward, drawing attention to its exploration of ethical dilemmas and the fate of humanity’s last survivors.
I continue my story on my weekly podcast Strap on your Boots. So feel free to join me on my journey and be a part of my story!
SOME OF MY PAST ACHIEVEMENTS
I was honored to receive the Preservation Education Award at the 2018 Preservation Achievement Awards Ceremony for my documentary and nonprofit The King’s Highway Foundation.
Pennsylvania House Resolution 974 was passed in Harrisburg by the House of Representatives and the Governor of Pennsylvania to name August 20th 2018 “King’s Highway Day” in honor of my nonprofit The King’s Highway Foundation and documentary film of the same name.
Over the years I’ve written a handful of movie screenplays. Woodchuck Charlie is my most recent drama spec script. After releasing the King’s Highway, I was inspired to write a historical-war-drama screenplay called Whitemarsh. One of my first screenplays is a romantic-comedy screenplay called Gender Bender. I am seeking representation for all three. If you’re a movie studio, producer, or agent, feel free to reach out to me.
EARLY CHILDHOOD
I was fortunate enough to have two loving parents who were Philadelphia school teachers. Needless to say, my brother and I grew up in a household where we learned music, languages, art, culture, world history, and many other topics. My parents enrolled us in a private school called The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential. We learned computer programming, ballet, music, languages, and in 1987 we played the violin on stage at the Academy of Music with Liza Minnelli.
I was also featured on the front cover of the book How to Teach Your Baby to Read, by Glenn Doman, the founder of IAHP. I was just a few years old, but I could read at a high school level. I was also featured on TV for being a child math prodigy on a show called Whitney & Company. You can see a clip here at minute 5:40.
BEHIND THE SCENES:
I live and manage my businesses in Bucks County, PA. I enjoy a wide variety of activities such as cooking healthy recipes, practicing the piano, writing screenplays, listening to orchestras perform, watching a show at a theater, attending museum exhibits, traveling to other countries, watching independent films, visiting historic places, learning new languages, exercise and yoga, spending time with my family and friends, and anything new or exciting that piques my interest or curiosity.