For the same reason I wiped Windows off my Dell computer in 2002 to install Gentoo Linux, I’ve always been drawn to the individualism of owning my own business. There’s something exhilarating about making your own rules, spotting flaws in the status quo, and crafting creative solutions to solve them. That drive for independence and problem-solving has shaped my career and fueled my entrepreneurial spirit—ultimately leading me to found r2ware.
Early Inspiration: Family Business
As a kid, I watched my parents run Oasis Hot Tubs, a hot tub rental business. Everywhere we went, we were walking billboards—rocking branded T-shirts, toting beach coolers with the logo, or cruising in my dad’s pickup truck with its custom Oasis paint job. I was young, but those moments showed me the profound sense of purpose that comes with building something of your own.
First Venture: Revolutionizing Post-Production in Hollywood
After earning my CS degree from WPI in Massachusetts, I moved to Los Angeles during the post-dot-com era to work in the entertainment industry. In the post-production department, I quickly noticed a glaring inefficiency in how we delivered rough cuts to network executives. The process involved an assistant editor doing a real-time “layoff” to a beta cassette tape, copying it to six daisy-chained VHS decks, and then having a PA (or sometimes me) drive tapes all over Hollywood. It was time-consuming, wasteful, and frustrating.
So, I built reidransom.com, a video hosting platform that streamlined the process: export to QuickTime, upload to an FTP server, send an email, done. This saved hours of time, tape stock, gas, and sanity for our team. Network execs could now watch rough cuts on their laptops—on planes, at home, anywhere—instead of being tethered to VHS players. While the business gained traction with current and former employers, I struggled with marketing and eventually let it fade. Still, it was my first taste of entrepreneurship and it felt good.
Justice Reform: Building Systems at Defy Ventures
Years later, my passion for justice reform and the belief that people can transform their lives led me to Defy Ventures, a nonprofit serving currently and formerly incarcerated individuals with career readiness and entrepreneurship training. I joined as a software developer and moved my family from LA to New York. There, I built a custom Life-Cycle Management System to streamline processes for all departments nationwide. My work earned me promotions to Director and later Vice President of Engineering.
When Defy shifted its focus to currently incarcerated individuals with limited access to computers and the internet, the need for my online system diminished. It was time to move on, but the mission of justice reform remains close to my heart.
Remote Leadership: Rewriting Storefront at Premiere Digital
In 2017, I joined Premiere Digital, a company headquartered in LA, as a remote developer. I started by building a proof-of-concept for a new backend for their Storefront product, described as:
The world’s most powerful SaaS platform for managing global content. Major Studios and Digital Platforms use STOREFRONT® every day to manage global content distribution, make data-driven content decisions, and automate time-consuming workflows.
That proof-of-concept became the foundation for a complete rewrite of the product, which I oversaw. Today, I manage a small, focused, fully remote development team at Premiere, continuing to innovate in the digital content space.
A New Chapter: Launching r2ware
In August 2024, my entrepreneurial fire was reignited after meeting everyone from Rich Girl Cult at a conference in Orlando. Over the years, countless friends had asked me how to build a website, and those recurring questions inspired my next venture. I founded r2ware, a web development agency dedicated to empowering small business owners with the tools and services they need to turn their dreams of entrepreneurship into reality.
In my life, I’ve seen one or two massive tech industry transformations unfold. The dot-com boom, then mobile tech and social platforms created clear winners. AI is clearly next. Today, AI offers a new frontier to redefine what’s possible, but it’s up to bold entrepreneurs and small business owners to rise to the challenge.
From my early days tinkering with Gentoo to streamlining Hollywood workflows, building systems for justice reform, and now launching r2ware, my journey has been about challenging the status quo and creating solutions that make a difference. I’m excited to see where this next chapter takes me—and to help others build their own paths to success.
