Future Proof

At Future Proof, led the LinkedIn growth strategy across executive and brand accounts, transforming social presence into a powerful business development engine. Closed a $4M+ brand deal by building the full LinkedIn content strategy for a globally recognized entertainer, and negotiated a $1M+ partnership with a major Hollywood studio by using LinkedIn to drive narrative and relationship-building. Launched internal ambassador and employee advocacy programs to amplify executive visibility and scale thought leadership. Also spearheaded branded tech activations at Art Basel, SXSW, and Cannes, using LinkedIn as the core channel to generate buzz and land high-value partnerships.

Chief Operating Officer

The Future of Community

Author of "The Future of Community" (Wiley), a guide for brands and creators on using emerging tech like Web3, blockchain, crypto, and AI to build and grow powerful communities.

Author

LandVault (formerly Admix)

Director, Strategic Partnerships

NFT Heat

Hosted nearly 100 episodes of a tech interview series spotlighting top executives and thought leaders in Web3, blockchain, crypto, and AI.

Television Host

NFTGenius

Brian J. McCarthy, Inc.

Laurel & Wolf

Spearheaded growth for a venture-backed platform aiming to democratize interior design. Built and nurtured partnerships with hundreds of companies across the apartment and residential real estate sectors to expand user acquisition and market reach. Played a key role in shaping go-to-market strategy, identifying high-impact channels, and accelerating adoption within key verticals.

Director, Business Development

Michael Smith Inc. | Jasper

Chief Financial Officer

MBA in Entertainment, University of Southern California | Ex: Disney, JPMorganChase, KPMG, PwC

Fun fact: My LinkedIn isn't my resume. 

So don't come here looking to evaluate hiring me based on my LinkedIn. 

Or maybe you should look at my LinkedIn to realize I beautifully blend data and analytics with entertaining and educational storytelling. 

I always dreamed of being a television programmer. It never happened, so instead I live out my dream programming LinkedIn like my own TV channel. 

Over the past 5 years, I’ve logged 10,000+ hours on this platform. I’ve built a following of 100,000+ by programming my LinkedIn like my own TV channel. My content isn’t random. It’s strategic. Story-driven. Designed to drive real outcomes.

And it’s worked, generating $10M+ in deals for the companies I've worked. Read that one again. Not me, but my companies. The power of companies leveraging LinkedIn is the future of LinkedIn. 

In 2021, I launched a global  events company while working with a Mark Cuban and Ashton Kutcher startup, producing 40+ events in LA, NYC, Dubai, Paris, and London that drove millions of dollars in  revenue. I understand how to leverage LinkedIn so companies can drive real results. 

A few highlights:

-Closed a strategic partnership with CAA
-Raised $7M in funding for a Mark Cuban venture-backed startup
-Secured $4.13M in brand deals for one of the world’s top celebrities

My background spans banking (JPMorganChase), global advisory (PwC, KPMG), and a decade as CFO/COO in the luxury design world, managing 50+ people and overseeing $40M+ in ARR and $1B+ in real estate projects for icons like President Obama, George Clooney, and Cindy Crawford.

I’ve lived and worked in LA, NYC, and Dubai. I’ve built communities in tech, luxury, and now the creator economy. I’m obsessed with solving complex business problems through storytelling, partnerships, and scalable brand strategy.

Always open to meeting new and interesting people that love life, love to win, and love to make the world a better place.

Sofia Vergara is worth $180M.

But she built her empire before fame.

In 1994, while Hollywood was ignoring her accent, she co-founded Latin World Entertainment.
A talent management company.
15 years before Modern Family.

Think about that timeline.

Everyone thinks Modern Family made her rich.
Wrong.
Modern Family made her famous.

Business made her wealthy.

When violence took her brother in Colombia, she didn't just escape to Miami.
She brought 11 family members with her.
And built companies to support them all.

At 28, thyroid cancer tried to derail everything.
She turned surviving into a mission.
Now funds pediatric cancer centers across Colombia.

The woman Hollywood wouldn't cast without an accent coach?
Now produces content in 3 languages.
Owns furniture lines at Rooms To Go.
Created shapewear before it was trendy.
Launched a tequila brand in a saturated market.

Each business? 
Quietly crushing it.
No Instagram campaigns needed.

Sofia understood something most celebrities miss:

Fame is temporary.
Equity is forever.

While others were chasing roles, she was building infrastructure.

$180M later, she's proof that the best time to build your empire is before everyone's watching.

Your accent isn't your weakness.
Your tragedy isn't your ending.
Your side hustle might be your main legacy.

Trust me and Sofia Vergara on this one.

John Kraski

Shakira is worth $300M.

But she sounded like a goat.

That's what a choir teacher once told her. 

Born in Barranquilla, Colombia.
Lebanese father. Colombian mother.
Writing songs and belly dancing from childhood.

The same year she was rejected by that choir teacher?
Her father's jewelry business went bankrupt.
Middle-class to poverty overnight.

At 8, she watched her family lose their cars.
Their home.
Their everything.

So she wrote "Tus Gafas Oscuras" (Your Dark Glasses).
About her father hiding his grief behind sunglasses.
An 8-year-old processing trauma through poetry.

Sony Music signed her at 13.
First two albums? Less than 1,000 copies sold.
She kept going despite her singing failures. 

Fast forward to the 90s.
Colombia was bleeding.
Guerrillas. Kidnappings. Families fleeing.

While politicians failed, a girl from Barranquilla's Caribbean coast gave Colombia hope.

Her name was Shakira. 

Dark hair. Leather boots. Harmonica.
Lyrics quoting Roman emperors and Renaissance artists.
Rock music that unified a breaking nation.

Then she conquered the world.
"Whenever, Wherever" in 2001.
Thesaurus in one hand. Leonard Cohen book in the other.
Teaching herself English to reach billions.

"Hips Don't Lie" in 2006.
The first artist to perform at three World Cups.
2020 Super Bowl with Jennifer Lopez watched by 100 million.

95 million records sold.
The most successful female Latin artist ever.

That little girl from Barranquilla who lost everything at 8?
She became the voice of a nation.
Then the voice of a generation.
Now a $300M empire.

Your heritage is your strength.
Your trauma can fuel your triumph.
Your goat voice might move millions.

Trust me and Shakira one this one.

This post got me hired on LinkedIn.

It was a post about Dhar Mann.

Forbes #2 creator.

The backstory:

Saw him posting a lot on LinkedIn.
But didn’t really know what he did.
I knew the name. Didn't know the story. 

So I started researching him. 
I was absolutely blown away.

Realized he was more than a creator.
He really was a full-blown studio.
125,000 square foot studio with 60+ sets.

I said I need to work with this guy.
This guy is living my dream. 

So I got to work to try and connect with him. 

DM’d him: no response.
Emailed him: no response.
Shouted him out on LinkedIn: he DM’d me.

We then met and found a path to collaborate together. 

Sometimes it’s not about being the smartest person or the most qualified person, but about being the most persistent and determined person.

Never give up fighting for your dream job and dream life.

Trust me on this one!

And the post that helped me land my dream job? 

Here it is:

Dhar Mann made $56M last year.

Not by selling out.

But by building his own Hollywood studio on YouTube.

While legacy studios are bleeding budgets, losing talent to Atlanta, and debating AI panic strategies over overpriced lattes, Dhar Mann's quietly built a 100,000 sq ft production empire pumping out 5 scripted episodes per week.

No exec notes.
No gatekeepers.
Just viral morality plays, filmed on airplane sets and fake mansions he owns.

And while the traditional studios chase tax credits and plead for subsidies...

Dhar Mann hired Sean Atkins the former President of MTV as his CEO.
Signed with CAA to expand into live events, publishing, and M&A.
And launched an internal agency to help other creators scale like him.

This isn’t a YouTube channel.
This is a studio system reboot.

“Creators are the new startups of Hollywood.”
-YouTube CEO Neal Mohan

They’re not waiting for Netflix.
They’re building the next Netflix.

So while Disney is cutting jobs.....
Dhar Mann Studios has 200 employees.
Built sets for shopping malls, jails, and science labs.
Owns police cars, a courthouse, and even a piece of a plane.

And here’s the kicker:

He turned down a lucrative acquisition offer to bet on himself.
Because what he’s building isn’t just media.
It’s a movement.

The future of Hollywood isn’t in Hollywood.
It’s in garages, warehouses, and algorithm-optimized storyboards.

And it looks a lot like Dhar Mann Studios.

A powerful reminder from Jeff Bezos:

It’s wild I became worth $232 billion without ever having a LinkedIn account. It’s probably my biggest regret and I always wonder what could have been. Perhaps I’d be worth more. Perhaps I’d be worth $7. Not sure.

The power of LinkedIn is ridiculous. 

One post.
One connection.
One conversation.

That’s all it takes to change everything.

Don't believe me? 

3 months ago, I did one LinkedIn post. 
It was about Dhar Mann.
I wanted to work for him. 

3 months later, I'm joining Dhar Mann at Advertising Week in New York.

Not as a fan.
Not as an attendee.
As part of his team.

The person Forbes calls the #2 Creator in the world.
Just landed on TIME's first-ever 100 Creators List.
143M+ followers. 10B+ yearly views.

And it all started with a LinkedIn post. 
I'd been watching him dominate social media. 
Didn't really know what he did beyond "content."
Then I discovered he wasn't just a creator.
He built a full Hollywood studio. 
125,000 square feet. 60+ sets.

3 months later, I'll be there when he speaks on:
"Don't Advertise with Creators: Dhar Mann on Making the Story the Star."
This is one conversation you definitely don't want to miss. 

Anyone that doesn't believe in the power on LinkedIn just read this post. 

Three months.
One connection.
Life changed.

That's the difference with LinkedIn.
Instagram creates impressions.
TikTok creates views.
LinkedIn creates actual opportunities.

If you'll be at Advertising Week, let's connect.

It’s National AI in Work Day.

LinkedIn is celebrating in a big way.

What is one AI tool that has made your workday easier or more productive?

99% of people probably will say ChatGPT and I agree.
ChatGPT has become the modern day version of Googling. 
If you are not ChatGPT'ing are you even human at this point?

For me, it has been a game changer for:

-Polishing emails
-Creative brainstorming
-Summarizing and organizing large amounts of data

But I will admit half the time I am prompting it to sound more human and get rid of them dashes and hyphens.

I'm curious what is the AI tool that actually makes your workday easier?

I moved to Dubai because of LinkedIn.

Crazy, right?

That’s the power of this platform.

During the NFT boom of 2021, I built a 30k+ community right here on LinkedIn.

Then I took it offline to the real world. 

We hosted 40+ events around the world in cities like: 

Dubai. 
Tel Aviv. 
Los Angeles.
Amsterdam. 
New York. 
London. 
Miami. 
Austin. 

What started as posts turned into packed rooms.
Strangers became friends.
Community became movement.

Even wrote a book about it called The Future of Community.

Eventually, I sold that company to a firm in the UK.

After one of our events, the founder made a wild decision. 
Let's move the headquarters to Dubai…
and film a TV show about our journey.

This was Episode 1.

Taplio

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