My Story
My Story
Curiosity has always been the driving force behind anything I do.
Born in Rome, I made my way to London at the tender age of 17. Over the years, I found homes in New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Havana.
During my formative years, my parents played host to many incredible multi-cultural artists, musicians, and thinkers. My conversations and experiences with them laid the groundwork that would eventually lead me to the duality of music and photography in my life.
When I left home, I started touring the world playing drums for Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) and eventually landed in New York to play on Avril Lavigne’s multi-platinum debut album “Let Go” as well as records by Belinda Carlisle, Adam Holzman, and Brave New World.
Following these incredible experiences, I collaborated with Tarka Cordell (son of legendary producer, Danny Cordell), who was the first person to see me as a producer. After that, I was hooked. I began collecting equipment, experimenting with recording techniques, and honing my skills. Eventually, I co-wrote and played most of the instruments on Alice Smith’s “FOR LOVERS, DREAMERS, AND ME” album that landed a GRAMMY nomination in 2008.
When you have a great pop song to begin with, why would you want to simply follow, in terms of production, what everyone else is doing? I don't find that challenging. My job is to open up new doors and create the circumstances that allow my artists to fully express themselves.
Flash forward a year later and I was contemplating something new. To me, a picture has always been worth more than a thousand words as it gives us the ability to freeze a moment in time which adds a special purpose to life and memory.
I bought a camera and left for the jungle of the Darien Strip with the idea of taking portraits of the never-before photographed indigenous tribes. After my trip to the jungle, I couldn’t put my camera down and went on to photograph the slums of Kenya, everyday life in The Gambia, the aftermath of the war in the former Yugoslavia, and life in Cuba. I’ve been lucky enough to have many of these photographs installed in exhibits and events in New York, London, Rome and beyond as well as publications such as Vogue, The New York Times, The Daily Mail, La Repubblica, and Relix.
And that brings us to today. I live my dream of producing music and photographing the human experience. I split time between my studios in Los Angeles and Rome while traveling the world in search of unique people, experiences, and a shared love of life.