Charles Adkins

I build revenue and reputation through disciplined operations, clear brand strategy, and data-driven growth. My background spans CEO, President, and CMO responsibilities across technology and mission-driven organizations, where I’ve owned P&Ls exceeding $1 billion, led global marketing and partnerships, and served as a public spokesperson.

My focus is simple: connect the brand to business outcomes. I work across product, marketing, and operations to translate complex strategies into measurable results; building stronger pipelines, tighter forecasting, and programs that scale.

I’m most effective leading through clarity and rhythm: consistent metrics reviews, structured decision routines, and a culture that favors sound and moral judgment over noise and attention diversion. I’ve partnered with boards and functional committees, guided cross-functional teams, and built high-trust organizations that deliver sustained growth in ultra fast-moving markets.

In my current role, I’m continuing to refine how edge technology organizations tell their story, strengthen public trust, and expand access to innovation within existing and not-yet-existing regulatory frameworks. I stay close to the numbers, the message, and the people driving all of these core areas.

Across my work history I have always been drawn to deep brand architecture, pricing, and operating cadence for emerging companies and institutions that have a desire to bridge technology, culture, and education.

Global Lead - Business Development

Key Responsibilities:

Partnership Development: Identify, establish, and nurture strategic partnerships with blockchain projects, technology companies, industry consortia, and other relevant stakeholders. Collaborate with partners to explore synergies, drive integrations, and jointly promote the adoption of the Aptos blockchain.

Market Expansion: Conduct market research to identify new business opportunities, target industries, and potential customers. Develop Go-to-Market strategies to penetrate identified markets and expand the user base of the Aptos blockchain. Work closely with the marketing team to drive awareness and demand generation initiatives.

Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with existing partners, clients, and industry influencers. Serve as the main point of contact for partners, addressing their needs, and ensuring a high level of satisfaction. Act as a trusted advisor, providing guidance on leveraging the Aptos blockchain to achieve their business objectives.

Deal Negotiation and Closure: Lead the negotiation and closing of partnership agreements, licensing deals, and other business collaborations. Collaborate with legal and finance teams to ensure contracts are in line with company policies and objectives.

Thought Leadership: Established myself as a thought leader in the blockchain industry by participating in industry events, speaking engagements, and contributing to whitepapers or thought leadership articles. Represent Aptos Labs in industry forums and engage in discussions to promote the company's vision and technological advancements.

Competitive Analysis: Monitor the competitive landscape, staying up-to-date with market trends, emerging technologies, and regulatory developments. Provide insights and recommendations to the executive team on potential threats and opportunities in the market.

Creative Director & Founder at Digital Storytellers Ink 🎨👨🏾‍🎤 | Pioneering Generative AI Art & Immersive Content 🤖🌌 | Influential Voice in Web3, XR & Digital Fashion 🎤🔊 | Gamer & Futurist 🎮👾

I’m Xander — a Creative Director and founder working at the intersection of cinematic storytelling, generative AI, and modern content systems. For over a decade, I’ve led creative work across video, motion, campaign content, and AI-assisted production, helping teams turn ideas into visuals that move people — with speed, taste, and intention.

My edge is building repeatable creative pipelines that blend real production craft with emerging tools — especially multimodal workflows that move seamlessly across text, image, video, and audio to prototype fast, iterate cleanly, and finish at a premium level.
I’m strongest in the “messy middle” where concept meets execution: translating vision into art direction, production design, editorial polish, and final delivery.

What I do best:
Creative Direction for campaigns, social content, brand films, and experiential concepts
AI Creative Production (prompt craft + visual development + iteration + QC)
Multimodal creation across text → image → video → voice/audio, built for speed and consistency
Post & finishing: editing, compositing, color, sound, motion graphics
Building workflows that help teams ship faster while staying premium and on-brand

This isn’t about realism. It’s about intentionality. Tools don’t replace artists — they extend what’s possible. I’m currently seeking remote opportunities with brands, agencies, or GenAI studios where creative direction and emerging tech meet real production outcomes.

Xander Simms

The barrier to entry is gone—or at least fading. The barrier to mastery is all that’s left. ⭕️ But here is the uncomfortable truth about #AIfilmmaking: The tools are getting easier. The taste is getting harder.

In my latest film, The Loop, I didn't want to just "generate" a video. I wanted to architect a reality—in sync with these new godlike powers of production, but contrasted with the limitations of everyday life. To do that, I had to treat #AI not as a slot machine, but as a lens.

The Sum of Parts Stack:
Higgsfield AI: For the foundational generation and consistency.  #NanoBanana: For character fidelity (locking the identity). ⚡️ #Kling 2.6: For the physics of the "ghosting" motion.  Adobe Suite: Because human pacing (Premiere), artistic choices, and color science are still the difference between "Content" and "Cinema."

People ask if I’m worried about sharing my workflow. I’m not. You can copy the prompt. You can’t copy the vision. Does this new speed excite you, or does the loss of the "old way" scare you? Let’s argue in the comments. 👇
#AI #HiggsfieldAI #Video #KlingAI #Tech

Xander Simms 

Creative Director | AI Storytelling + Cinematic Production | Brand Campaigns, Social Content & World-Building

We are drowning in bots and cheap noise. I’ve been wrestling with a concept lately: Noise vs. Intention.  Nobody has the perfect formula, but Intention is becoming our rarest commodity. To be clear: I’m not talking about artists pushing boundaries. We need to experiment and build to innovate. I’m talking about the mindless automation. The faceless channels. The inauthentic, attention-draining "brain rot" that exists solely to farm engagement.

I’m curious to hear from other creators: How do you ensure your unique voice doesn't get lost in the "slop"? Or better yet—how do you avoid just becoming a walking ad for platform updates?

This project is my attempt to ensure the signal breaks through. As creators, we now have tools that can generate infinite variations in seconds. But does easier creation mean better creation?

I decided to put that to the test. I used modern AI tools not to replace my creative process, but to augment it—to act as collaborators in telling a very human story about the struggle against mediocrity.

The result is my upcoming short film:
🎬 AI SLOP BOTS (Chapter 0) It’s a sci-fi action piece, but underneath the VFX, it’s a commentary on the current state of the internet. COMING SOON
#GenerativeAI #Filmmaking #CreativeProcess #AI #Storytelling #CreatorEconomy

In a world flooded with content, clarity isn’t always what makes us stop.
Sometimes it’s intentional restraint.
This edition of my newsletter shares what I’ve been working on with Elite AI Portraits — and why visual presence is becoming one of the most important signals we send as professionals, creators, and leaders.
This isn’t an announcement.
It’s an opening.
Weekly insights start now.

View newsletter: Elite AI Executive Presence 

If you’ve been following my work, you already know I’m obsessed with two ideas: presence and perception — and how we can shape both intentionally in a

Open article: Elite AI Portraits by Xander Love: What I’ve Been Up To (And Why It Matters to You) by Xander Simms • 3 min read

Elite AI Portraits by Xander Love: What I’ve Been Up To (And Why It Matters to You)

Luma AI has been part of my tech stack for a while. But with Ray 3.14, it’s become one of the only tools I need for cinematic AI video—versatile, consistent, and reliable.

I’ve been a Luma Creative Partner for about a year and half , and this update feels like the model is finally meeting creators where we live:
cleaner results (less blur / fewer artifacts) stronger frame-to-frame consistency faster iteration and creator-friendly pricing that encourages exploration.

This video was produced using my Luma workflow—and Ray 3.14 is now the standard in my toolkit going forward. If you want my exact prompt structure + iteration process, comment RAY and I’ll share it. Made with #Ray3 Digital Storytellers Ink #AI #AIVideo #AIFilmmaking #Video #Creative #Stl

The best part of Ray 3.14 isn’t just the speed.nIt’s the accuracy. Because when the model follows direction better, you stop burning credits chasing “almost.”
Cleaner takes. Faster iteration. Better details. Ray 3.14 from Luma AI delivers. Fits all your native AI workflows text to video, image to video, and video to video.

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