Bio

BUSINESS PATH

I began my graphic design career in 1986 when I was doing public relations and marketing for Food for Life in Sydney, Australia. My machine was the now famous Mac Plus! I loved that machine and although the screen was tiny, it enabled me to pump out a whole bunch of cool marketing materials for the charity using the original PageMaker 1.0 by Aldus.

I continued to refine my design skills through the early 90s on various PC laptops until one day in 1994 when I was introduced to the WWW. I was now living in Potomac, MD, but had used the Internet briefly during my time spent at Sydney University.

In 1994, I moved to the United States to set up the International headquarters for Food for Life and established the charity Food for Life Global in 1995. That same year I built the first Food for Life website using the “world’s best HTML editor”, HOTDOG 1.0. Proud of my achievements, I pursued the path of web development and in 1997 I established my web design business called Houddini Web Magicians. My first paid job was to build a site for a documentary company called New Screen Concepts, that had just finished a documentary for CBS television. The site I would build for them would be featured on the show. With limited knowledge and a great web new web development tool called NetObjects Fusion 1.0, I pulled it off without a hitch.

Soon after, more jobs starting coming in and I was building a nice portfolio, including work for Amstel, Heineken, Captain Morgan, and MCI, Columbia House through sub contracting with Momentum Marketing (now known as RedPeg Marketing) and others.

In 2000, the World Bank had a job opening for a web server administrator. Although I had limited experience in hosting, it seemed that so did just about everyone else at the time and I easily got the job. Working in the heart of the World Bank hosting department taught me a lot about security, database design, and server management. After a year in the IT dept, I moved on to doing design and development services for various departments throughout the World Bank and International Finance Corporation. I estimate that I have done more than 40 websites for the World Bank Group, along with over 100 brochures, flyers, banners, posters and booklets for over 25 departments.

In 2004, I worked a full-time job with the Administration on Aging (Dept HHS), where I was the senior developer for their various websites including (www.aoa.gov, www.alzheimers.gov, etc.) During this time, I continued serving my outside clients through my Houddini Web Design Business which now included a full-scale reseller account with Godaddy. However, in 2006 I also started a new business called The Billiards Training Company, to distribute a new invention of mine called the Billiards Training.

The last three years have been more about consolidating and automating my life as much as possible, which includes hiring others to assist me in my various business projects and charitable work. I continue to be dedicated to the satisfaction of my clients, many of whom are now my good friends.

PERSONAL JOURNEY

Over the last 30 years, I have traveled to more than 70 countries throughout Europe, Asia, Pacific, and The Americas. During this time I helped set up food relief programs, trained volunteers, produced training manuals and promotional materials, raised millions of dollars in funds, appeared on National television and radio, and met with numerous government and media officials.

Since starting with Food for Life (the world’s largest vegetarian food relief) in 1990 in Sydney, Australia, I conducted more than 100 training seminars in countries and regions around the world, including, the United States, Canada,  Australia, New Zealand, India, England, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Austria, Chech Republic, Lithuania, Armenia, Hungary, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Belarus, Siberia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Volga and Ural, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Austria, Spain, France, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, to name just a few.

Highlights:

  • Launched SOUL YANTRA – Unique Geometric SIgnatures (2011)
  • Authored THE YOGA OF POOL (published 2010)
  • Authored World’s Best Aiming System for Billiards (published 2010)
  • Authored FOOD YOGA (Published in 2012)
  • Authored The 5 Noble Truths (Published 2013)
  • Authored How to Build a Great Food Relief (Published in 2010)
  • Official Food for Life Training Manual – Second Edition (To be published in 2010)
  • Wrote and published International Food for Life Newsletters since 1990
  • Developed and designed the Food for Life Web site. http://www.ffl.org – Currently maintaining
  • Invented the Billiards Training (BAT) in 2006
  • Designed and published Training/promotional supplements to FFL manual, guidelines, flyers, prospectus, posters, etc.)
  • Co-Produced a 10-minute fundraising video for the charity
  • Wrote, sung and produced music CD Prasada Sevaya (for fundraising)
  • Conducted volunteer training seminars (100 training seminars in 29 countries and regions of the world)
  • Gave public lectures at Food conferences (Presentations in the US and abroad) – Current
  • Publishing (Articles for vegetarian magazines and newspapers)
  • Elected Council Member of IVU (The International Vegetarian Union in 1999 – 2003)
  • Editor and producer of International Vegetarian Union magazine (1999 – 2003)