/sup?

Yo.

My good people, they call me deo.

Welcome to my world.

And let me tell you, I'm no ordinary Joe. I'm what you might call a scatterbrain — a professional dabbler, a curious mind. A jack of all trades, a master of some.

I'm a systems thinker, collecting dots most people miss, and connecting dots most people can’t. I get a strange kick out of ambiguity, repurposing what's available and drawing on knowledge from various fields to solve problems.

Over the past decade, I've danced across disciplines like a madman—music, film, advertising, theatre, publishing, design, brand, community, content, entrepreneurship, startups, consulting, coaching, investing—you name it, and I’ve dabbled.

But don't you try to label me. I'm not one for pigeonholing. As Heinlein aptly put it, "Specialization is for insects."

(But you could say I specialize as a generalist. I’ll give you that.)

Anyway, in my checkered career, I've played drums in multiple bands, written music for multinational corporations, run a record label, artist management company, music festival, and house-gig platform. And believe it or not, I played a tiny role in a film that’s on Netflix.

No jokes.

These days, though, I run a creative agency called BCKDRP. I work closely with the founders of early-stage consumer startups focused on the Gen Z demographic. I help them with everything from brand and design to community and content. Yup, all of that. As the kids say these days —

no cap.

Some of  clients include Kaching, Lancify (acquired by Under25), and Tyke. That's the startup world, baby. But don't think for a second that I only roll with the little guys. I've worked with some heavyweights, too. We're talking OnePlus, Jameson, Hero MotoCorp, Netcore Cloud, Vans, DC Shoes, and Subway.

But listen up, if you're trying to dig up my academic credentials, you're barking up the wrong tree. I didn't have the time or patience for traditional education, man. Dropped out of school and college, and never looked back. That's just not how I learn. Sponge Bob, on the job!

But hey, I'm still an alumni of two institutions that gave me a lot—Global Music Institute and On Deck. Can't forget about those.

Adios amigos,

Deo

/timeline

1997

created a brand for artist management

1998

created a brand for artist management

1999

created a brand for artist management

2000

created a brand for artist management

2001

created a brand for artist management

2002

created a brand for artist management

2003

created a brand for artist management

2004

created a brand for artist management

2005

created a brand for artist management

2006

created a brand for artist management

/about

"The way to know life is to love many things."
— Van Gogh
"Specialization is for insects."
— Heinlein

a polymathic flâneur

My good people, they call me deo. And let me tell you, I'm no ordinary Joe. Part artist, part businessman, I’m what you might call a professional polymath — a curious mind, a deep dabbler, a jack of all trades, and as some would say, a master of one: creativity.

an edgy education

Technically, I'm a dropout, but in my teens, consciously or not, I dived into the tried-and-true Renaissance apprentice model, studying under masters in various fields, absorbing their secrets. I'm also an alumni of Global Music Institute and On Deck.

danced across domains

Over the past decade, I've danced across disciplines like a madman—music, film, advertising, theatre, publishing, design, brand, community, content, consulting, coaching, and investing. Yup, all of that.
As the kids say these days—no cap.

the dot connector

I collect dots most people miss, and connect dots most people can’t. As a systems thinker, I get a strange kick out of ambiguity, repurposing what's already available, and drawing on knowledge from various fields to solve complex problems across industries.

a checkered career

I've played drums in a handful of bands, produced music for multinationals, acted in theatre, advertising and film, run a record label, music festival, house-gig platform, a web3 music project, as well as a creative agency, where I advised and/or invested in multiple startups.

big guns & underdogs

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of rubbing shoulders with an eclectic bunch: OnePlus, Jameson, Hero, Netcore, Vans, DC Shoes, Kaching, Lancify, Tyke, SaaS 22, Synrgy24, White Owl, White Rhino, Greater Than, LBB, Geist, Subway, Vh1, IPL.

what i’m doing now

music — an overdue homecoming

In another life, I'd been a professional musician. I studied music, I taught music, but I’d been away from it for far too long. I recently upgraded my studio with a deep intention of getting back to music in a purer and more intentional way. I got myself a new set of monitors, a handful of mics and preamps, acoustically treated the sacred space, and bought a handful of my dream instruments. I'm also building a music tech startup: riffle.studio.

AI tools — my new toys for creativity

Like any cutting edge tech, AI can be a force-multiplier. I'm fascinated by how it's improving my workflow across the visual, written, and musical universes I find myself in. Current tool stack: Midjourney + DALL·E 3 for imagery, Perplexity + NotebookLM for research, ClaudeSpiral for writing, Moises + Antares for music. Lowkey messing around with Runway.

undoing my reckless twenties

After a classic decadent decade, flirting with addiction and a questionable lifestyle, I’ve managed to pull a 360°, go clean, and explore the healthier side of the coin. It’s been nearly a year of eating well, working out, ice plunges, saunas, vitamins, meditation, CGMs, red light therapy, and all that wellbeing stuff. I've managed to decrease my biological age by 6.5 years and hope to dip further by 10 years.

some fire fitness/sport milestones

In 2024, I finished a handful of firsts: a sprint triathlon (750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run), an olympic distance duathlon (40k bike, 10k run), and a half marathon (21.1k)—taking a small hiatus before I attempt a full marathon (42.2k) and an Ironman 70.3 (1.9k swim, 90k bike, 21.1km run). Football every Tuesday is the usual. Also exploring some scuba diving , snorkeling, kayaking, and MMA—especially muay thai.