20 YEARS LATER

I've seen many YouTube videos where people ask themselves what would they tell their 20 year old self. I really enjoy these reflective moments as I believe it's crucial to take stock of where you are at any given point in the journey of your life by looking back at a specific point in time. Twenty seems like a good point. Particularly as I just celebrated my 40th birthday in Las Vegas, the same place I celebrated my 20th birthday. The irony wasn't lost on me when I woke up that cold January morning to realize that I had just come full circle. I was officially middle-aged.

San Francisco 1999

San Francisco 1999

What I would tell my 20-year-old self is to enjoy every moment that comes: good and bad. The lessons that come from experience are the most beneficial for growth and learning. When I think of all the crazy things that happened personally and professionally, moving to Amsterdam, starting a business, being undercapitalized, starving-up, only to experience the financial crisis first-hand. All the while surrounded by some of the most creative people in the world, I can't help but get a bit misty-eyed.

If you had told me at 20 that I would be here at 40, I would have laughed you out of the room in disbelief. So really, I would take that young whippersnapper that's filled with theories and ideas but zero practical experience and tell him not to take things too seriously.- Just enjoy. I was too serious back then.

I did my best at everything and left nothing to chance. Everything was intense. I lived on full blast and kept riding it like it was never coming back. All the while, I never believed it was actually happening and waited for the other shoe to drop. That day never came. The shoe was lost, and I forgot that I was looking for it.

The sense of self at twenty is something fierce. You're trying to find who you are and where you belong. For me, I made it to Europe and was just happy to see places I had only read about. My mental model back then was a simple idea that all people carried childhood baggage, and I refused to let it pull me underwater. I decided to use it as a raft to sail the unknown world. The moment I did that, my life changed profoundly.

Over the years, through experience, lessons, and time I managed to turn that raft into a boat. Over more time it got bigger, more agile, and capable of holding a crew.

Supposing we are all captains of our own ships. In that case, the trick is to understand very early how you can modify and build a more significant craft by being open to opportunities big and small, and remaining flexible. Every storm builds trust in our own capabilities to navigate the rough seas of life, and God willing, arrive at the destination we desire.- Though once arrived, the sea still calls.

Advice to my 20 year old self? Follow your true North and remember that some storms need to be sailed directly into.

SEASON 2 OF STARVEUP BEGINS NOW!

It’s been a minute. When I first started this entire website, I was excited to post more content and get things rolling and then life happened.

Company grew.

Projects got wild.

Had another child.

Moved back to the other side of the world.

Landed a massive destination wedding gig that took me to three countries in 10 days.

And we decided to self-publish and launch our next game, Bake ‘n Switch. It’s been a long road to say the least, but one that has been worth every second.

Now that I’m back into a rhythm that now incorporates life in a pandemic and the inconsistencies of life in the United States, i’m getting back onto the horse and making sure to use this site as the main content aggregator of everything that is going on in my universe.

First up, Season Two of Starveup has begun. You can find the video below! Enjoy and if you have comments, please feel free to place them here or on YouTube. If there’s anything else you’d like me to cover in the videos, please let me know.

The world has flipped upside down and become a bizarre facsimile of what it once was. With all the chaos and strife, it can be hard to remember that creativi...

EPISODE 2: WHAT IT TAKES

Amsterdam! The city that started it all for Alexander and Streamline! In this episode, we discuss how being an entrepreneur is more than having an idea. That it takes a real understanding of the challenges, you will face and what you will need to have inside to prosper.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and challenges.

Please leave a message below!

EPISODE 1: WHY

Welcome to a brand new project of mine, a video blog. I've wanted to find a way to express more complex subjects and realized that video would be the best way to tackle things. Please bare with me as I write, direct, shoot, and edit each video. It's been a fun process, but I can definitely see the areas I can improve on in order to deliver the best quality possible.

In terms of subjects, I'll be dealing with video games, entrepreneurship, and life in general. If you have something you'd like me to address, please reach out.

2018 + Beyond

img_0911.jpg

Winding down the year with a revamp to this long standing affair with travel, business, and photography. In prior years, I managed to get my creative fix in other ways, but lately I've returned back to my original passions. Perhaps its age or culmination of some life goals- whatever the reason, I'm glad they've come back with a vengeance. 

Startup Grind @ Google

The romanticism placed behind startups these days makes it easy to believe in overnight success, but anyone whose built a successful enterprise will tell you otherwise. For most it's an unforgiving grind that spits out the best of us while those who make it through each business stage attest to rarefied air that making it another year brings. At one point you look around and realize nearly everyone in your cohort didn't make it. At those points it's important to reflect and remember what it took to get to where you're at.

I was fortunate that the good people at Google Startup Grind asked me to share my journey with a group of entrepreneurs. Reflecting back on the journey was refreshing as well as eye opening. You can see the talk in its entirety below and I've summed it up here: It's been a hell of a lot of work that at times was scary, crazy, and stressful- I don't really remember those days well as much as the emotions. What outweighs it all has been the sense of purpose, accomplishment, and wonder that has come with a life lived on my own terms.

Keynote @ LevelUp KL

Southeast Asia is the fastest growing market for video games. The population has swelled to over 560 million people with the average age being 28. The regions share of global middle-class growth will be 88% within the next 20 years, according to the Brookings Institute. It's sufficient to say that Southeast Asia is an opportunity marketing that is only continuing to grow.

I was fortunate to be asked to give the Keynote speech at Levelup KL, Malaysia's annual video games conference, which has become the most important in Southeast Asia. I touched upon these themes and the excitement in the room was amazing. Incredibly young, talented, and creative these game developers are flipping the script with their actions.

It's an incredible opportunity to be present, let alone participate in this transformative time.