About Us
Cruz Phone Cases — Designing for a Question Science Hadn't Settled
The year was 2008, at a social event in Colorado Springs. A friend who worked for the American Cancer Society mentioned reports of rising brain tumor rates, with suspicion falling on cellular phone use. The conversation stayed with me.
Back in Salt Lake City, I arranged a meeting with Dr. Om Gandhi, Professor of Electrical and Computer Eng
The year was 2008, at a social event in Colorado Springs. A friend who worked for the American Cancer Society mentioned reports of rising brain tumor rates, with suspicion falling on cellular phone use. The conversation stayed with me.
Back in Salt Lake City, I arranged a meeting with Dr. Om Gandhi, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Utah. Dr. Gandhi had been contracted by Motorola in the industry's early days to test the effects of cellular frequencies on the human body, and he became one of the most prominent voices raising health concerns about mobile phone exposure. His warnings did not slow the industry; the FCC moved cellular technology into the commercial market regardless.
I couldn't settle the science — no one could. But I could engineer for the uncertainty. I researched and designed a mobile phone case that blocks the power signals transmitted from the front of the phone toward the head and body, without affecting communication to the cell tower. If the concerns proved right, users were protected; if not, nothing was lost.
Cruz phone cases are sold online at www.Cruzcase.com.
The Dot Com Crash took away the Company, but not the Experience
After the dot-com crash, I found myself without a company, without investors, and — for the first time in a decade — without a product idea pulling me forward. So I gave what I did have: experience. Through SCORE, I offered free seminars to startup entrepreneurs on business planning and problem-solving, and volunteered at the SCORE office
After the dot-com crash, I found myself without a company, without investors, and — for the first time in a decade — without a product idea pulling me forward. So I gave what I did have: experience. Through SCORE, I offered free seminars to startup entrepreneurs on business planning and problem-solving, and volunteered at the SCORE office for private consultations, helping new business owners work through the challenges unique to their ventures.
My most popular seminar was one of my own invention: Time Travel Planning. It was a closed-eye process — I guided the audience into deep relaxation, then walked them through observing their own business from a third-party perspective, first as it operated today, then as it would operate years into the future. Entrepreneurs left with a vision they had seen, not just imagined. Occasionally I gave motivational presentations as well, helping people find direction through their obstacles and pursue the life they had envisioned.
The dot-com crash took the company. It didn't take what I knew — and passing that on to the next generation of innovators turned out to be its own kind of building.
From Programmer to General: The Acting Chapter
From Programmer to General: The Acting Chapter
My acting career began by accident in a pastry shop in Hamburg, Germany, in 2004. Three separate times, sitting in that shop in Eppendorf, strangers approached me with the same question: "Are you an actor? We have a film project." The first two times I answered, "No, I am a computer programmer." The third time, I paused and said, "Maybe I
My acting career began by accident in a pastry shop in Hamburg, Germany, in 2004. Three separate times, sitting in that shop in Eppendorf, strangers approached me with the same question: "Are you an actor? We have a film project." The first two times I answered, "No, I am a computer programmer." The third time, I paused and said, "Maybe I am. Tell me about your project."
That project was a supporting role in "Grosser Kinder" alongside the German actress Marita Marschall — and the short film took first place at the German Film Festival. It was love at first experience. I began acting classes in Germany, continued in the United States, and worked with a private tutor. With feedback from my friend Alan Alda of MAS*H, I developed the craft into a profession. The transition from computer automation to acting was the hardest career change of my life — and the discovery of a talent I never knew I had.
The roles followed: "Saving Sarah Cain" (2007), directed by Michael Landon Jr.; General Cain in Cal Nguyen's Utah-made web series "Day Zero," a favorite from my early days, now on Amazon; and "Ip Man 4" (2019).
Since 2017 I have acted in more than 26 Chinese movies and TV series. I am best known for playing General O.P. Smith in "The Battle at Lake Changjin" ("Chosin Reservoir Battle," 2021) — the second highest-grossing film in the world that year, with ticket sales reported at $908 million — where I had the honor of working under three of China's greatest directors at once: Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark, and Dante Lam.
The role changed my daily life in China. People recognize General Smith on the street and ask for pictures, and it genuinely delights me every time — knowing my presence brought a moment of happiness to someone's day is a reward no box office number matches.
For more details and photos, visit my IMDb page.