Visibility.tv is a sole proprietorship. I am a one man band. If I can't do something, I call on my many expert contacts to help me. When you work with visibility.tv, you work with me directly. No junior partners.
Here's my background:
NETHEAD. I was an e-commerce pioneer in 1989 when I co-founded the Computer WineMart on LA Online, many years before anybody ever typed three "w"s in a row on purpose. This was back in the days when we had to say "for red wine type 'r', for white wine type 'w'." Then, in 1990 I founded the Food & Drink Network on AOL and I mastered their complex proprietary Rainman language. I launched their first email newsletter in 1991, and created a diary for the owner of the famous Herbfarm restaurant near Seattle, probably the first blog in the world. When I sold ads on my site on AOL in 1994 they told me to stop because "AOL does not accept advertising." I believe they've come around to my way of thinking since then. I ran this large and popular site for nine years before AOL annexed the real estate for themselves. I have supervised the concept, design, and construction of numerous internet businesses and websites. Built many of them myself.
PHOTOGRAPHER. My images have appeared in numerous galleries and publications. I am a specialist in "virtual reality" immersive images. These are those cool pix where you can spin a room or a virtual shoe around with your mouse. My commercial work has ranged from shooting kayak helmets to nudes for Playboy. To see examples of my spinography, click here. And just for fun, I have also taken on stereography. Stereo images on the web might be the next big thing. To check out my websites devoted to imaging, click here.
ARTIST AND DESIGNER. I got my Masters of Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1977. It was the first MFA in Art Technology in the world.
WRITER. My undergraduate major was in journalism at the University of Florida. Over the years I have published more than 300 articles in the Chicago Tribune and Washington Post alone. In the past year the Trib and the Post have purchased about a dozen op-ed opinion pieces from me on everything from the Bush Doctrine to charitable giving. I am also a contributing editor to Restaurant Hospitality magazine, a leading trade mag.
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER. I've headed the launch of a magazine and I've been intimately involved in the launch of two other magazines, six books, and the first CD-ROM ever by Sony. A magazine I published, International Wine Review, is generally regarded to be the first magazine to use a new technology called "desktop publishing" in 1984.
EDUCATOR. I have taught art at the college level for three years and for 15 years I was a guest lecturer every semester at Cornell University. I have also spoken at numerous schools and conferences on everything from wine, to desktop publishing, to the internet, to photography, to barbecue, to writing.
ENTREPRENEUR. I founded a Sub-S corporation, converted it to a C-Corp., and served as president, CEO, and Chair for 15 years. I have also founded and presided over a not-for-profit corporation for five years. I know the difference between a balance sheet, P&L, and Cash Flow Statement. I've raised $2 million in capital (aaaarrrrgggghhhh), borrowed money from banks (and paid it all back), hired and fired (but I still don't understand these black arts), juggled egos in office hallways (or tried to, anyway), negotiated far too many contracts (and learned to tell lawyers when to back off), and managed to never be sued by anybody. Nor have I ever sued anybody, either.
VOLUNTEER. I give a lot of time to the causes that interest me most.
MEMBERSHIPS. Current and recent memberships: International QuickTime Virtual Reality Association (IQTVRA), National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), National Stereoscopic Association (NSA), Stereoscopic 3D Web Ring, Association of Internet Professionals (AIP), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Association for Multimedia Communications (AMC), FileMaker Solutions Alliance (FSA), American Institute of Wine & Food (AIWF), Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the Society of Wine Educators (SWE), Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS), International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), and a few others to whom I pay dues but with whom I do not interact.
CHIEF COOK AND BOTTLE WASHER. I have judged numerous wine and food competitions around the world from the California State Fair Wine Competition to the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue. I directed AOL's Food & Drink Network, founded the Beverage Testing Institute, the World Wine Championships, World Beer Championships, World Spirits Championships, and the Kickoff Riboff at the College Football Hall of Fame. I am currently working on a book about barbecue. Check it out at http://amazingribs.com. It's a dirty job...
