About Me

I am the founder of Hotlist AI and Apple Real Estate by background.

I design digital counterparts. AI systems that think, act, and execute alongside humans. Real operating systems for modern businesses. Built to reduce noise, protect focus, and create leverage where it actually matters.

Before software, this all started in music and film.

I earned a degree in music and spent more than a decade in the high end audiovisual world, working behind the scenes of premium events and productions. That time shaped how I think about timing, emotion, and restraint. Long before code, I was learning how moments land and how small decisions compound.

That foundation led to Johnny Apple Films, where I built a luxury wedding cinematography studio serving Dallas Fort Worth and destination locations. The work focused on story, emotion, and trust. Knowing when to step in and when to disappear. Creating films that felt timeless instead of loud.

Alongside that, I built Apple Real Estate, working directly with buyers, sellers, and investors. Real people. Real decisions. Real pressure. That work sharpened how I think about risk, clarity, negotiation, and responsibility when the stakes are personal and the outcomes matter.

Along the way, I also learned how to build companies.

I co founded Apple Blvd, a retail brand that grew from an idea into a multi location business with a national audience. The company was later recognized on the Inc 5000 list of the fastest growing private companies in the United States. That experience taught me discipline, systems, and how clarity beats hustle every time.

I am also a father to three boys. Jax, Jonah, and Hudson.

They are the reason I care about building things that last. Time matters. Clarity matters. Being present matters. The work I choose and the standards I hold come from that responsibility.

This site lives at the intersection of work and life.

I write about building AI systems, designing leverage, making decisions under pressure, and choosing clarity over chaos in both business and family life.

If you are building something meaningful or carrying real weight, you are in the right place.