I'm Christian Peterson, and I've been building things, solving problems and helping businesses use technology since 1992.
That's when I started Headline Media in Redondo Beach, California.
A lot has changed since then.
When I started the company, there was no Google, no Facebook, no Amazon as we know it, no smartphones and certainly no AI.
The Internet wasn't even part of the business yet.
But the fundamental question hasn't changed:
How can I use the technology available today to help a business do something better?
That's still what I do.
Headline Media didn't begin as a web-development company.
Inspired by my experience in producing large outdoor advertising my first business was an indoor advertising network of upscale restaurants. Taking advantage of the, then new, ability to print 4 color flyers in short runs I created full-color display boards and card dispensers and created advertising for local businesses to target upscale customers. It was a very different kind of business from what I do today, but it taught me something that has stayed with me:
It pays to understand and take advatage of new technologies
As Headline Media grew, my work expanded into graphic design, advertising, brochures, marketing and print production.
I worked with companies such as Americana, Stewart Filmscreen, the College of Oceaneering, AVHQ and Malaga Bank.
I wasn't simply designing something and handing it off. I often handled the entire project—from the idea and copywriting through photography, design, production and printing.
Then the Internet arrived.
By the mid-1990s, the web was becoming something businesses could no longer ignore. I jumped in and took a leadership and consulting role in developing web properties and online marketing programs for old clients including Malaga Bank and Stewart Filmscreen and new clients like Tokai Bank of California, Bay Cities National Bank, and AVHQ. That has led into more advanced custom coding, databases and increasingly sophisticated web applications.
The tools keep changing.
The job does't.
Understand the problem. Figure out what is possible. Build the solution.
Over the years I've worked with technologies that most people today have never heard of, along with technologies that became industry standards.
I've designed and managed print ads, corporate brochures and catalogs.
I've built websites.
I've built database applications.
I've developed e-commerce systems.
I've worked on mobile applications.
I've supported legacy systems.
I've managed servers and hosting.
I've worked with ColdFusion, PHP, WordPress, MySQL, MSSQL and a long list of other technologies.
And now I'm building systems that incorporate artificial intelligence.
The technology changes constantly.
That's actually what I like about this business.
There's always something new to figure out.
Today, I spend much of my time helping businesses solve problems that don't have an obvious off-the-shelf answer.
Sometimes that means building a website.
Sometimes it means creating a custom database application.
Sometimes it means connecting systems that weren't designed to work together.
And increasingly, it means figuring out where AI can eliminate repetitive work, understand information and make a business more efficient.
One current project involves an AI-powered platform for a large property-management operation.
The system can take information from phone conversations, understand what the conversation was about, classify it, create or update records and trigger business workflows.
That's a long way from the restaurant advertising boards I started with in 1992.
But to me, it's really the same job.
Find a better way to communicate information and get something useful done.
Headline Media isn't a giant agency with dozens of employees.
That's intentional.
I work with a small, trusted team of developers, database specialists, system administrators, designers and artists.
Together, we have the skills to create a customized solution for each client without forcing everyone into the same formula.
And I'm still personally involved.
When you work with Headline Media, you're not disappearing into a large organization or getting passed from department to department.
You can talk to me.
I've been doing this since 1992.
That means I've seen technologies come and go.
I've seen businesses spend fortunes on technology that didn't solve their actual problem.
I've seen simple ideas turn into successful businesses.
I've seen clients start with a small website and eventually need sophisticated databases and custom applications.
And I've learned that the newest technology isn't necessarily the best technology.
Sometimes the answer is AI.
Sometimes it's a simple database.
Sometimes it's a better website.
Sometimes it's fixing something that already works.
The important thing is knowing the difference.
My goal has always been pretty simple:
Make technology useful.
I want my clients to understand what they're getting, why they're getting it and how it's going to help them.
I don't believe in selling technology simply because it's new.
I believe in finding the right technology for the problem.
And if I don't think I can help you, I'll tell you.
I have no idea what technology will look like ten years from now.
That's part of the fun.
What I do know is that businesses will continue to have problems that need solving, information that needs organizing and customers who need to be reached.
And there will always be new tools for doing it.
I'll be here figuring them out.
If you have an idea, a problem or a system that isn't working the way it should, give me a call.
Let's see what we can build.
