My love of the web started at age 11, when my parents brought home a computer and an internet connection. Within a few months I had taught myself enough HTML to build my first website. The moment it went live, I was hooked. I have never really stopped building since.

That curiosity carried me through a web design business in high school, then into SAIT’s New Media Production & Design program, where I graduated with honours in 2006. From there I helped JMCK Western Publishing take their print magazines online and launch one of the first podcast networks in Canada. In 2008 I moved to Mosaic Studios as Manager of Digital Production, leading digital strategy and campaigns for clients like the TELUS World of Science and Albi Homes.

But teaching turned out to be the thread that mattered most. Just four months after graduating from SAIT, I was back on campus as a Continuing Education instructor. In 2012 I joined the faculty full time, and I have been there ever since. Today I teach web development, database design and programming, PHP and JavaScript, and project management in the School for Advanced Digital Technology.

My philosophy in the classroom is simple: build real things that solve real problems. Toy examples teach toy skills. I build my own tools, I take courses alongside my students, and I fail in public sometimes, because I think students deserve to see that failure is part of learning, not the end of it.

These days, a lot of my work centres on AI. Not the hype, and not the doom. I think of it as Artificial Assistive Intelligence: a powerful tool that works best with a curious, intentional human in charge. I use AI in my own classroom every semester, I speak about it to educators and organizations, and I help schools and companies implement it thoughtfully. One rule I never break: AI never creates or commits the final product. That is my job.

When I am not teaching or speaking, I am usually behind a microphone. I have co-hosted Fireside Chat, a Calgary Flames podcast, for more than 420 episodes and counting. Podcasting since 2013 has taught me more about consistency, storytelling, and audience than any course ever could.

A few more things about me: I was born and raised in Calgary, I bleed Flames red, and yes, I really am a professional magician. You can catch that side of me at magicdan.ca.

If you would like to bring practical, no-hype thinking about technology to your event or organization, check out my Speaking and Consulting pages, or just get in touch. I would love to chat.