Who are you and what do you do?

I am a designer, writer and mojovator. I’m a new Dad (with gray hair) an occasional tri-athlete and long distance runner (barring injuries and, let’s face it, laziness). I’m an actor and singer in community theater. I am, indeed, a rare breed of geek: athletic, extroverted and nerdy. The total package.

I am also the founder of Digital Quill Design and co-founder of team THRIVE!

What services/products do you offer?

Digital Quill Design makes websites, logos, marketing materials, infographics, and icons. My work revolves around brand building, interaction design and online activities for businesses of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 500’s.

I use design to take my client’s goals and business objectives and make them actionable in the marketplace. I love getting to know a new business, and then finding the appropriate design “language” and online resources to help them succeed.

THRIVE! seeks to be the premier brand in online success communties offering workshops, seminars and a free, weekly e-newsletter “Goals Gone Wild!”. Show me your goals!

Who/where is your audience?

My audience is anyone that can use a web browser. Typically my clients are drawn from my local community (Cape Cod), New England, and the wide world beyond.

Goals Gone Wild readers come from all over. We’ve had really great feedback from Singapore, Malaysia and Africa to name-drop a few countries. (Holla, Australia!)

It has been very weird, and humbling, to realize the impact and reach words written in Centerville, MA can have around the world.

What is the website?

http://digitalquill.com & http://icanthrive.com

Well-Funded or Bootstrapped?

Flip-flop strapped. We’re too laid back to wear boots. THRIVE! will likely look for funding within the near-future as we put together new offerings and a new business model based on building communities and events.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?

Well, I’ve never been that great at these type of predictions, but since you asked…

I see THRIVE! taking over the majority of my time. We will have achievement communities that spring up around training and events as well as a line of products from board games to apparel and gifts. Success as a lifestyle brand.

Where were you born - where do you live now?

I was born in Worcester, MA. I’m a Cape Cod wash ashore, having arrived at the tender age of seven.

I currently live in Centerville, MA about 1.25 miles from Four Seas Ice Cream. We measured before buying the house. You have to have priorities, right?

PC or Mac?

In my heart the right answer is, and always will be, Mac. My head might say the computer is just a tool and most of the software I need works equally well on both platforms, but then my gut jumps in and opines about the horrific user experience forced on Windows users. Later, after a snack, my gut will loosen it’s belt and ramble about TCO, security risks, and viruses. Boy, my gut has a lot to say on the topic.

Where did you go to school?

I have a BFA in Interior Design from the University of Massachusets at Amherst. While there, I discovered computer graphics on the Amiga II, (this was the mid-80’s, computers were still new), TA’d CAD classes and evangelized my classmates to throw down their pencils and pick up the mouse.

What Social Networks are you on?

LinkedIn (for professional contacts), FaceBook (social contacts), Twitter (both), Pownce (professional).

I’m something of a late-comer to the social networking scene, but have really come to appreciate it for the cool information sharing that can happen. Plus, vampire fights. I mean, c‘mon, how’d we ever waste time before FaceBook? What’s that? MySpace you say? Never heard of it.

Greatest invention ever?

The printing press. The ability to store and transport information on a massive scale revolutionized the world.

Person you believe has contributed most to the world of technology?

Edison, for the distribution of electric power as much as anything else he did.

Also, Nolan Bushnell, inventor of Pong and founder of Atari. We have becom a game based society and video games started with Pong. Even better, Atari brought Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak together when they produced the game Breakout. I hear they went on to do some other cool things with computers.

Thanks, Nolan.

Where have you traveled in your life?

I’ve driven across country three times, visited most of the major theme parks in CA and FL and been to Hawaii. I don’t really enjoy traveling much. That was one hell of a long week.

Why set up shop on Cape Cod?

My wife and I moved back to Cape Cod for family reasons. I love it here, but it does force some choices about your career path. Thankfully the internet and telecommuting have really opened opportunities to us provincials.

5 Websites you go to every day?

Google
Huffington Post
Boston.com for the sports
Twitter
Wikipedia
McSweeney’s Lists (bi-weekly)

What’s on your iPod right now?

Elvis Costello, Aimee Mann, Ben Folds, Old 97’s, Jack Johnson, Of Montreal, Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, Avenue Q, Prince, Matt Nathanon, Stevie Wonder, Martin Sexton.

It’s always on shuffle. My wife calls it musical ADD.

What is on your desktop/screensaver right now?

Picture of my son, Isaac, on the desktop. Until his birth my desktop was always blank. Wow, that sounds deep.

No screensaver. That damn screen can fend for itself.

You are on a deserted island - do you bring a laptop or book?

Blank book. I’ll make quills from gull feathers, ink from coconut milk and ashes. My journal wil be an Oprah pick. Eckhart Tolle will admire my simple wisdom, Jon Stewart my comic genius. My bones will lie bleached in the sun, picked clean by the flightless gulls that gave their pinions for my heartbreaking work of staggering genius. (Shit, did Eggers already use that title?)

Phone call or text message?

Phone call. I fat finger the keyboard of my computer. You’d need an enigma wheel to read my texts.

Feel free to tell us anything else….?

My childhood dream of being champion of both Jeopardy and American Gladiator is still alive.

Thank you for your time, Jim!