Meet Damon Torres

Since 1983, Robocast inventor Damon Torres has started and managed six companies, including: ExpoVideo (in business under Damon for 2.5 years); NOMAD Multimedia (9 years); The I-Way Company (3 years); Damor Productions (3 years); Interactive Media Universe, LLC (founded in 2007); and Robocast (since 1997).

Led by Damon, these companies have pioneered new technologies in various fields, including: Interactive TV; CD-ROMs; digital pre-press for magazines; website design and publishing; e-commerce; automated web browsing; and web content for mobile phones and handheld computers. Damon created some of the world’s first examples of the three current revolutions in publishing: CD-ROMs for Toshiba, the co-inventor of that format; Magazines for SMART (the first high-end consumer magazine to be made on a desktop publishing system); and a very early website for The Transom, an internet service provider for publishers. Torres made his first website in early 1994 for NOMAD when less than a thousand websites were available. He and his team have created many sites, and other solutions for digital and traditional media, since then.

Damon’s past clients have included: Angels in America (for HBO); Airwalk Footwear; Calvin Klein Cosmetics; David Byrne (Talking Heads); The Disney Channel; Earth Day; The Economist; Esquire Magazine; Grey Advertising; Hachette Filipacchi; KFC (Damon was on the branding team that switched them from Kentucky Fried Chicken); Laurie Anderson (top performance artist); Ogilvy & Mather; PC Expo; The Schecter Group, SPY Magazine; Toshiba; The United Nations; Twentieth Century Fox; Young & Rubicam; and ZDNet among many others.

Robocast has been Damon’s longest running project, with its roots going all the way back to the mid-nineties. Since the inception of the company in 1997, Damon has dedicated the vast majority of his time to developing new products and helping Robocast clients, such as: Premiere Magazine (Academy Awards coverage); Car and Driver (international auto show coverage); and ZDNet’s News.com (technology coverage), among many others.

Mr. Torres has served on the board of directors of Earth Day NY since 1992. He was one of the key on-site managers of the landmark 1990 Earth Day concert that drew over 1 million people to Central Park and other nearby stages. Having been a production manager for several major concerts, trade shows and corporate events, Damon designed the Centennial Celebration for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and produced a four-day 100th birthday festival for the Staten Island Ferry. He also has a long history of volunteering his time to environmental groups, places of worship, peace advocates and his daughter's school.

You have experience as a multimedia producer, a designer and an inventor. What’s the through-line that connects it all? What drives you?

It’s probably that “gadget guy” thing – I want to use cool tools as much as I can. I like dreaming up new ways of doing things and sharing those ideas. You have to be original in both inventing and logo design, for instance.

As a multimedia producer, I put together teams of people to execute a vision, whether a client’s or my own. We use management, tech and design chops to get projects done well, on time and under budget. Producing uses a different set of skills that perhaps gives me the patience to run my own companies and stand behind my inventions.

What is your approach for inventing? Any advice for future inventors?

I love thinking about the future -- and I get to do that as an inventor. It’s also important to honor the past and be keenly aware of the present when you’re inventing. As an activist using innovation to affect change, my personal mission is grounded in creating new solutions that leverage the values of sustainability and social purpose for the common good.

As far as advice, if you’re a small, independent inventor like me, it helps to have great friends and colleagues with different areas of expertise to guide you along the way.

In this business it’s also important to protect your ideas—especially the ideas that you feel can be worthy of vast amounts of your time.

What does it mean to Robocast your digital life?

To me? Freedom from my keyboard and mouse, so I can multi-task while I browse the web. It also means sharing links as a RoboShow with friends or the whole world. I like to play tons of news and weather links in the morning while I’m getting ready for my day. At work, I play through potential partner sites and industry news. I see several times more content than an average person, and I click far less, usually just to pause on the good stuff.

What’s next for the Internet? Where do you think things are headed?

The internet is gaining efficiencies and becoming automated. It is so much easier to see information today than it was when I first used the internet professionally in the 80’s, before the web was born. When the web was in its infancy in 1993 and 1994, access improved dramatically but, for years, it was still very manual. Today we get a tremendous amount of our news, entertainment and information delivered automatically -- everywhere we turn, every screen, every device. And this growing trend of automation will make it easier to see more.

I predict these automatic browsing systems will continue to drive content discovery – eventually more than search engines. We’ll actually look back on today’s web browser and think it’s old school because it required manual browsing. Today’s browsers are perpetually on pause. We’ll fix that.

We hear you also have a social mission for Robocast. Tell us about how your technology can help achieve change in our world.

Our mission is to eventually create a vast network where important Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and other urgent messaging can be put into the hands of users – and that they’ll be the ones to create the change our world needs. Of the people, by the people, for the people. For now, we’re calling this the Robocast PSA Network. It has a ways to go before its activated, but we envision this service raising awareness and funds for all sorts of social innovations.