I’m a first-generation American of Austrian-German heritage, and grew up speaking Deutsche around the house. I was born in Washington, DC, but grew up in a very small farming village in rural Ohio. I received a BFA in Directing for the Theatre from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio and a MFA in Directing for the Theatre from Tulane University in New Orleans.

While in school I worked on a myriad of creative projects. I directed and acted in many theatrical productions. I was also a member of two improv comedy groups and wrote and performed a sketch comedy show for a local Dayton TV station. I did a lot of writing at this time - I had short stories and poetry published in the Wright State literary magazine, and won an award for one of them. I wrote 3 plays (all of which were produced) and one screenplay. I also wrote a comic strip for the Tulane student paper.

While in grad school in New Orleans, I started playing music with some fellow students. This evolved into my first band, the House Levelers. Much to our surprise, the band was quickly successful and making music became my creative priority. The band toured incessantly, appeared in national press and on MTV and was signed to a local New Orleans label. Our record was produced by the late, great Jim Dickinson (Replacements, Big Star, Bob Dylan) and was released in 1991 to universal confusion.

After a few years, the band broke up, but I continued to pursue music as a career. I moved to Portland in 1995 and played in several more bands and released more records (including with Noisecandy, The State Flowers, King Black Acid) and opened Flabby Road, a small recording studio. By the end of the 90’s, I was ready for something new. I enrolled in the Multimedia program at Portland Community College and discovered a new passion for web and graphic design. I freelanced for a few years and was eventually hired at Site9 in 2003. I was married in 2006, and in October 2008, Heather and I welcomed our daughter Sabine to the family. And that about brings us up to date.