PERSONAL BIO

I was born in Halifax in 1989 and moved around a bit.  My parents settled in London, Ontario where I spent most of my adolescent years.  The town was quiet and fun.  I drew and played a lot as a child.  I grew up with a tight group of friends playing Warhammer, Capture the Flag, and video games. I was 11 years old when I made my first group game “The Code”.  (It incidentaly was a werewolf type game, but I didn’t know this at the time.)

My parents moved when I was 13 to Minnesota.  I went from a class of about 20 kids to around 600 kids.  The shock was intense and I dived into my art, games and watched a lot of movies from the 1980s with my friend Jack.  High School wasn’t great, but I came out of it with a good understanding of Art and Science.  After High School I went to U.W. Stout in Menomonie, WI where I accelerated in the industrial design program.  The school paid for a patent for my Senior Project.  “Lock Jaw” was an expanding rock climbing anchor which I personally took some gnarly whips on.  With my portfolio from school I got an Internship at Whiteboard Product Solutions, which gave me great insight into the industrial design world.  While at Whiteboard I worked on projects for Hasboro, Rollerblade and several other name brands.  

I wasn’t quite ready to sink into the 9-5 and left my job and headed for the Red River Gorge of Kentucky.  I spent a year living in a tent in Kentucky doing carpentry at Miguel’s Pizza from 9am-12pm and climbed the rest of the time.  After getting my middle finger crushed under a wood planar, I wandered around through the west for several months and finally ended back in Minnesota.

When my finger healed, I got a job in Minneapolis as a rock climbing coach at Vertical Endeavors.  While there, I was the head coach of 4 teams, but my pride and joy was the Platypi.  The Platypi was a competitive climbing team for kids with learning disabilities (ADHD, aspergers, etc.).  I created the team and developed a 10 week curriculum based on games.  The kids loved it and rather than being militant like some of the competitive teams, the kids were excited to climb.  They ended up crushing in several competitions which extremely rewarding to see.

During this time I tried my hand at my first huge Kickstarter project “Kandrite” (see side projects).  The project was massive and unfortunately unsuccessful, but I learned a ton and enjoyed the experience.  Once Kandrite failed I wanted a fresh start and moved to Idaho to become a Wilderness Therapy Field Guide at a program called BlueFire.  I lived in the central deserts of Idaho for two weeks at a time with troubled or adjudicated teenagers.  Out there I would teach them to bow-drill, set up tarp shelters, and hike through the desolate high desert.  This program taught me more about myself than anything else.  Here I learned the ability to meditate, reflect and and maintain a meta-awareness on my emotions.  I also learned how to hold boundaries and address healthy conflict.  During this time I met and became close with my wife Jennifer.  We ran into each other all across Idaho and started traveling and rock climbing in our off time.

During this time I was working on “Forlorn” (see side projects).  Once I got close to the Kickstarter, I quit my Job at BlueFire and invested my time into the campaign.  The Kickstarter was stressful, but ultimately successful and was the first time I saw one of my projects come to life in the public eye.

After Forlorn’s Launch I got a job at “Trademark” a branding and signage company that was trying to evolve into more artistic work.  I was able to implement my creative talents and knowledge of CAD programs to take the company to the next level.  After several years we received the St. Luke’s contracts which I had the privilege of being the lead designer on. 

There was 36 projects that I was in charge of at St. Luke’s and had a year and a half to conceptualize, produce and install before the grand opening.  The St. Luke’s Projects have been the most consuming, but most rewarding projects that I have ever accomplished in my life.  I had the opportunity to work with a tight knit team that ended up stream lining every aspect of the job to be able to accomplish what we completed in the allotted time.

Currently, I reside in Boise Idaho with my beautiful wife Jen who has always been there for me and my big black dog Marlow.  I play video games, mountain bike, board game and climb in spare time. 

CLIFTON STRENGTHS

STRATEGIC:  People exceptionally talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

ACTIVATOR: People exceptionally talented in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They want to do things now, rather than simply talk about them.

LEARNER:  People exceptionally talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. The process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.

ACHIEVER:  People exceptionally talented in the Achiever theme work hard and possess a great deal of stamina. They take immense satisfaction in being busy and productive.

COMMAND: People exceptionally talented in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions.