Brian Murray
Technology Executive & Innovator
CTO | Security Expert | Pilot | Content Creator
About Me
Technology executive and innovator with 20+ years of experience transforming industries through strategic technology implementation. Currently serving as CTO of a cannabis software company, leading development teams in creating scalable cloud-based solutions. Proven track record of scaling enterprise IT operations from startup to $15B+ valuation, developing industry-first mobile and cloud solutions, and creating successful commercial applications.
Deep expertise in modern AI tools and workflows—actively building AI-powered products and using AI-assisted development to accelerate team velocity. Known for translating complex technical concepts to broad audiences, with aviation-focused content reaching 80M+ views on YouTube. Expert in security architecture, AI/ML implementation, and regulated industry compliance.
Experience
- Lead all technology functions for cannabis B2B software company serving 100,000+ end users across web stores, mobile apps, and customer communication platforms
- Recruited to rescue company from failed outsourced development; led complete 2-month system rewrite on Node.js, React, and React Native stack with Kubernetes infrastructure
- Reduced monthly infrastructure costs from ~$8,000 to under $1,000 while building capacity for customer growth
- Implemented AI-powered tools using OpenAI and Anthropic APIs—marketing campaign generator, customer record normalization, reducing manual content creation time by 80%
Full Platform Rewrite
Complete 2-month system rewrite replacing failed outsourced vendor code. Node.js, React, React Native with Kubernetes.
AI Marketing Tools
AI-powered campaign generator and customer record normalization. Users describe goals, AI targets segments and writes tailored messaging.
- Joined as "employee zero"; scaled technology infrastructure through growth to 1,500+ employees, 7 facilities, and $15B+ market valuation
- Managed 30-person security organization; designed cost-effective surveillance architecture saving the company from early cash crisis
- Pioneered cannabis industry's first direct-to-consumer mobile sales application (iPhone and Android)
- Led development of contact plan for industry's largest product recall—achieved highest customer response rate of all affected companies
- Served on M&A team as technical evaluator for multi-million dollar acquisition decisions
- Managed 8 direct reports across software development, networking, and technical support
Product Recall System
Built complete recall management system in 7 days for industry's largest recall. Personalized customer portal, automated email campaigns, and outbound calling via Asterisk PBX.
First Cannabis Mobile App
Pioneered the industry's first direct-to-consumer mobile sales app for iPhone and Android using enterprise deployment certificates.
RPIC Compliance Software
Custom software enforcing Health Canada's requirement that cannabis spaces have qualified personnel present. Automated door locking and real-time status displays.
- Developed Captionator, the first automated caption/title generation tool for Final Cut Pro—~50,000 purchases, ranked #3 in App Store, featured on Apple's website
- Created VibeParty.io, an AI-powered photo remix platform using multiple AI image generation APIs and event-driven architecture with Apache Kafka
- Built YouTube channel to 103K+ subscribers and 80M+ views specializing in technical aviation accident analysis using proprietary Unreal Engine C++ modules
- Built internal RAG pipeline and vector search engine for LLM tool usage; extensive hands-on experience with Claude Code, ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Veo 3
- Created Microsoft Flight Simulator add-on recognized by Microsoft, Fox Sports, and Kitplanes magazine
Captionator
First automated caption/title generation tool for Final Cut Pro. ~50,000 purchases, ranked #3 in App Store, featured on Apple's website and recommended by Apple's Pro Video Apps team.
VibeParty.io
AI-powered photo remix platform for events. Attendees upload photos, AI remixes them with themed images and displays results on projectors in real-time.
Aviation YouTube Channel
103K+ subscribers, 80M+ views. Proprietary Unreal Engine C++ modules for rapid accident visualization, reducing production time to under 12 hours.
- Led multiple teams (3-5 engineers each) on major modernization of hospital HR software deployed across Eastern Canada
- Built drop-in ASP.NET/C# replacement for legacy FoxPro system in production since the 1990s
- Designed full CI/CD pipeline using Jenkins with TFS, reducing deployment times from weeks to hours
- Re-architected complex reporting system using active worker queues, solving browser timeout issues on long-running reports
- Taught graduate-level ISSM533 Cryptography course in the Master of Information System Security Management program
- Developed complete curriculum from scratch covering authentication, encryption, digital signatures, and cryptographic algorithms
- Taught 60 students across two sections
- Designed and developed one of the industry's first iPad-based building inspection applications, increasing inspector productivity by 15-20%
- Built complete stack: Objective-C frontend, Ruby on Rails backend, Redis, MySQL and MS SQL Server
- Created customer portal and API enabling municipal integration, eliminating paper-based permit notifications
- Co-founded and led GPS fleet management company serving commercial vehicle fleets in Nigeria and Liberia
- Built centralized fleet tracking platform with real-time monitoring, speed alerts, and after-hours motion detection
- Developed platform using Ruby on Rails with MySQL; managed hardware tracker installation in customer vehicles
- Sole administrator for Application Service Provider supporting ~2,000 customers in the construction industry
- Managed FirstClass collaboration platform enabling large file sharing before Dropbox existed
- Designed fault-tolerant architecture enabling 5-minute recovery with zero data loss
- Built custom change management system (Ruby on Rails, MySQL, jQuery, ExtJS) with per-customer customization
Skills & Expertise
Languages & Frameworks
AI & Machine Learning
Cloud & DevOps
Security & Compliance
Databases & Infrastructure
Media & Production
Education & Certifications
Master of Information System Security Management
Bachelor of Applied Information System Technology
Network Engineering Technology Diploma
CISSP
Machine Learning & AI Certification
Let's Work Together
Interested in discussing technology leadership, consulting, or collaboration opportunities?