I like to think of myself as an HBAPer, Explorer, Leader, Digital Transformation & Technology Consultant, Problem Solver, Entrepreneur, Designer, Data Analyst, Collaborator, Educator, Student, Maker, Artist, and a Toy Maker.
I believe that the meaning of life is to love, to learn, and to teach. I love my family and friends. I love learning. I love teaching. I learn something new every day. I am perpetually curious, and... I want to know everything.
One of my favorite things to do is to bring products and services to market. Design Thinking all the way. Coming up with new ideas. Collaborating on a team. Going from sketch to finished product. Solving big problems. Building things. Fixing things. Breaking things. Sometimes... even fixing things until they are broken. Working Agile. Continuously improving. And I'll say it again... being on a great team. There is something so freaking amazing about having the privilege of being on a great team.
Career wise, I am an Entrepreneur, a Startup Founder, and a Consultant. I've got over 20 years of experience in Technology for Media & Entertainment and Product Development. I've worked in Business Analytics, Open Innovation, Digital Transformation, Design, Post Production, Advertising, Animation, VFX, Technology, R&D, IT, Gaming, and Interactive Entertainment. All the fun stuff. In other words... I love creative problem solving and making things.
I also used to teach in the MFA Computer Art Department at the School of Visual Arts, and after 19 years... just before I got the Timex watch... I stepped down to travel the world. (Check out one of my unofficial class syllabi.). The good news is that I'm back, and my latest class, "AI for Creatives: Strategies for Success" is running at SVA!
I recently started... and subsequently closed down,,, a startup called "distillet" with a good friend from HBAP. It was a great learning experience. Ask me about what went wrong, and I'll tell you a great story. In other news, I'm also working on, and advising, several other startups!
I love to program in Rstudio... because R + Tidyverse + Tidymodels is a beautiful language. But I'm finding myself using Python more and more. I'm doing a ton of research in the intersection of Open Innovation, Open Talent, Education, and Technology.
If you are looking for someone to help you solve some complicated exploratory, creative, technical, or business problems, then I would really love to hear from you!
My most recent endeavor was graduating "With Distinction" from the Harvard Business Analytics Program. While at HBAP I was elected to be a Cohort Representative, and I led the creation of three highly influential projects at the program:
HBAP | OVERTIME - is a culture-shifting series of after-class meetups that enables students to continue the conversation after the Live Session and grow their personal network.
HBAP | STARTUPS - is a student led club whose mission is to help HBAPers build businesses. We cover topics ranging from Design Thinking and Ideation, Business Model Design, Finance, to VC... and basically every aspect of building a startup.
HBAP | REVIEW - is an 8-week "post-graduation course" designed to review the entire HBAP Curriculum from the perspective of the C-Suite.
and... TANK. Yeah... we're working on building a Think Tank.
Side Note: I had a lot of fun working on the Untwist Toy. I wanted to make something "fun" so I just started sketching. One thing led to another; design, research, production, marketing, and manufacturing. Also, I am super excited to have been awarded five U.S Design Patents.
Oh, and if by some crazy warp of the universe that you're still reading this... my "Coin Series" artwork are some of my favorite things I've made. I really love these. Please check them out!
Thanks,
-Todd
todd@brous.com