Quest Log

I'm a 26 year old Salvadoran-American from Orange County, California. My professional background spans business, brand development, and high-pressure production environments. Alternatively, I also have extensive experience in customer service and ground level environments, stemming from a natural inclination for human connection.

I began working at the age of 14 at the OC Fair every summer, before taking on a plethora of service jobs: Front Desk at Avenue of the Arts Hotel, Busboy at LampPost Pizza, Customer Service Stand at Macy's within South Coast Plaza, Soccer Coach for U12 and U13 Boys' teams, Valet at St. Joseph's Hospital in Orange as well as at the San Francisco Marriott Marquee, Crew at Chipotle, and a Barista Trainer at Starbucks.

I am a lifelong elite competitor, beginning at the age of 8 when I kicked my first soccer ball whilst living in Santa Ana, El Salvador. My family was very well connected with our hometown professional soccer club, Isidro Metapan. We held regular dinners with active professional players and I received high level professional coaching from a young age. Upon moving back to the US, I enrolled in Club soccer in California, one of the most competitive soccer environments in the country, played 4 years of Varsity soccer in High School captaining a school to its first CIF appearance in over a decade, before finishing out my career by playing at Orange Coast College and subsequently walking-on at San Francisco State University in the Spring of 2020. I retired from my professional aspirations in soccer at this point after COVID ended my first NCAA season before it ever started.

Professionally, I dropped out of college in 2021 to pursue a career in Marketing in Los Angeles with Five Four Group, a major holding group for various industry leading apparel brands in California. During this time, I also produced, edited, marketed, distributed, and managed a C-suite executives' Podcast 3x a week, with daily uploads across various channels. Furthermore, I was an Executive Assistant to the CEO of Five Four Group, Dee Murthy. The company was soon deprioritized in favor of a new business venture between our Parent company CEO, Dee Murthy, and New Republic brand CEO, Josh Kaplan, that would eventually become GHST.io, an apparel marketplace seeking to revolutionize business-to-business sourcing and overflow. It was at this time that I decided to take a step back and prioritize myself, my health, and my craft in order to ultimately produce work that felt meaningful to me. I am a very autonomous individual.

My work blends clear communication, operational discipline, and modern technical tools to create solutions that are both effective and thoughtfully designed. I work from a place of authenticity and high orientation to detail. I truly believe there is meaning in everything and everyone, even if "everything" is ultimately meaningless.

Currently open to employment opportunities and collaborations with mission‑driven teams or individuals working on innovative projects in any relevant field to my portfolio, or anywhere that technology meets purpose.

Why this name and theme?

The Doors of Durin are a mythical set of doors from the world of Lord of The Rings. Modern technology at the highest level of venture capital has embraced this symbolism feverishly. Companies like Palantir, Anduril, and others borrow from Middle-Earth not only for aesthetics but as a tool for connection and relatability, with some admittedly having complicated implications.

For me, the Doors of Durin are the perfect in-LOTR-universe symbol for what I believe in. They are the gates to Moria, or "Khazad-dûm", the greatest, ancient dwarven kingdom to have ever existed in Middle-Earth. It is visually striking, and has always been one of the scenes from the movies that stuck with me as a child. They appear to be unimpressive large, gray stone doors until they are struck by moonlight or starlight, revealing Ithildin inscriptions in an ancient Elven language. Strange, seeing as this was a Dwarven kingdom. But that's exactly where the true magic lies.

The Doors of Durin represent an extremely rare collaboration from times past between Dwarven engineering and Elven craftsmanship, aligning to create something so beautiful that neither group could have built alone. To me, this is reminiscent of the modern landscape and modern technology. The Dwarves represent builders: the people who shape the physical and digital world through discipline, skill, and ingenuity. The Elves echo the hyper-technical thinkers pushing the boundaries of what's possible. When these two schools of thought combine with clarity and openness, is when true progress is made and truly revolutionary ideas are brought into existence.

By the time our heroes stumble upon the Doors of Durin in the Lord of The Rings movies, it is all that remains that hints at the forgotten beautiful nature of Moria. It has fallen into ruin, plagued with demons and a vast network of dark, haunted tunnels and hidden chambers. To me, this also mirrors the modern internet: sprawling, layered, and full of unexplored depth.

In my eyes, there is never any denying the truth, and time is the ultimate witness. "Speak, friend, and enter," is more than a riddle; it's a reminder that clarity, openness, and authenticity, are the best way to get through the mountain.

This site is my own personal doorway for collaboration, curiosity, craft, and most importantly, authenticity. Employment would be nice, too.