/ about

How I Learned to See What Others Miss

I solve problems by seeing the whole picture when others are lost in the details.

From Chef to AI Orchestrator

I started as a farm-to-table chef for Jesuits. Then I co-founded Maya, the software behind Avatar, LOTR, Dune, and every VFX Oscar winner since 1990.

Built introNetworks (Adobe, NASA, TED). 2015 CA Small Business of the Year.

During COVID, I returned to cooking for seven families with serious medical dietary needs, creating menus that helped heal.

Now: Building AI systems that work for humans.

What I DO

What started as a survival instinct in professional kitchens became systematic thinking for business transformation. In a kitchen, everything must work together; service collapses if it doesn't. The same principle applies to thought leadership platforms.

AI Implementation

Custom AI systems that work for how you actually work.

Through Coastal Intelligence, I help leaders move from "AI could do this" to "AI is doing this for us." AI readiness audits, executive workshops on implementation, responsible AI frameworks your team actually follows, and strategic roadmaps with real milestones.

Systems that work Monday morning, not someday.

Community Leadership

Building communities that transform, not just transact.

TEDxSantaBarbara | Co-founder & Lead Organizer for 12+ years. Over 250 talks curated, 36.5 million+ video views, and monthly idea Salons. Also leading: Carpinteria Improv, An Embarrassment of Pandas, The Elder Council.

I don't just consult on community—I build them at scale.

Content Orchestration

One idea. Nine ways to reach your audience.

You have expertise worth sharing. I build systems that turn one core idea into podcast episodes, articles, social content, newsletters, videos—orchestrated across every platform where your audience lives. You think once. Your content works everywhere.

Three weekly shows, 2,500+ episodes. I practice what I build.

The Method

See What You Think is my core methodology. It helps leaders extract scattered expertise and organize it around what I call Your Defining Truth. Not just another framework — a systematic approach that turns complexity into clarity.

AI Implementation

You're stuck. Everything feels too big. You don't know where to start. We begin here—naming what's real before we try to fix it.

Dive in & Discover

I help you pull everything out. What you know for sure, what you're assuming, what you're missing. Most problems live in the gap between those three.

Cluster the Chaos

Now we find the patterns. What's connected? What's actually the same problem, wearing different masks? The chaos starts organizing itself when you see what belongs together.

Make a Map

We turn those patterns into a visual system you can actually use. Not another framework to think about—a clear path showing you exactly where to start and what comes next.

Get Up and Go

You know what to do. You can see the path. Now we build it. Implementation with clear milestones, regular check-ins, and someone who's got your back when you hit obstacles.

See This In Action

Systematic Thinking Proven at Fortune 500 Scale

I've built systems for Adobe, NASA, Harvard, and TED. The same approach that solves Fortune 500 challenges works even better for individual leaders who want to scale their influence without scaling their chaos.

Here's what I learned going from chef to software entrepreneur to AI orchestrator: successful systems share common principles. Whether you're managing a dinner service, building Academy Award-winning technology, or implementing AI—it's about making complexity workable.

See the pattern. Use what you have. Deliver under pressure.

When you have a methodology proven at this scale, applying it to individual leaders becomes powerful. The systems I've built manage thousand-word essays, podcast production, and AI team coordination, all built from real-world necessity, not theory.

If it worked for Fortune 500 communication challenges, it'll work for yours.

The Thread

I've spent 40 years translating between what technology can do and what humans actually need.

Built VFX software that won an Academy Award. Scaled social platforms to Fortune 500s. Now? I help leaders implement AI systems that actually work—and build content platforms that turn expertise into influence.

The pattern never changes: I see gaps others miss. I build bridges others can't. I make complexity workable.

If you're stuck between "this could work" and "this is working," you're in the right place.

Let's Chat

I had the great pleasure of working with Mark recently in making a podcast for 805 Conversations. I am impressed with Mark’s constant energy and enthusiasm for each topic, his insight in delving into the issues in an engaging and informed manner, and his utter delight at discussing each point. His wealth of experiences, great appreciation for our region, and joie de vivre make his podcasts a joy to record and a wonder to hear. The resulting podcast is stunning, with no lags anywhere in it, and keeping the listener engaged in the subject, learning much along the way.

George Ayoub

Author, Scientist, Educator

Rare combination: sees technical possibilities and human realities.

Richard Kerris

VP | GM Media & Entertainment

NVIDIA