MEET THE TEAM

Director & Co-Founder

Mark Watts and Henry Jacobs established our predecessor organization—the Alan Watts Electronic University—with Alan Watts in 1973, as a way of disseminating these important works without the limitations of traditional educational facilities by offering ‘courses on cassette’ and video seminars. Mark recorded hundreds of the talks in the Alan Watts audio archives starting in 1968, and over the years has curated and produced the talks for public radio and dozens of collaborative media projects.

Mark also produced the Joseph Campbell Audio Collection, and created archival projects for the San Francisco Zen Center, Plum Village, and the Krishnamurti Foundation. In addition to AV production Mark oversees licensing and outreach efforts, and is host of the Being in the Way podcast.

Assistant Director

Logan is our in-house creative. His varied roles range from content creation and media management, social media marketing and outreach, web-design, and artist relations.

As a multidisciplinary artist, educator, curator, and content creator, he is passionate about communication, design, and supporting artists.

He received a Master of Fine Arts, 2015, in Intermedia Studio Art with a focus in socially engaged practice at Arizona State University. He taught art at the university level for eight years, directed over 20 regional art exhibitions, and has been selected for multiple fellowships and exhibitions in his field.

Art Director

Monica is our Art Director, guiding the brand and strategy for the Organization's shop. She brings a lifetime of passion for Alan Watts' teachings as she crafts our product design from packaging to posters, instilling in each piece an experience of Alan Watts' Philosophy.

Monica's background in visual communications stems from university in Rome to Los Angeles and now New York where her career bridges traditional art technique with modern graphic design. For Ciao Zen, Monica's art is rooted in the fusion of aesthetics and mindfulness, where she has created designs for The Joseph Campbell Foundation, the Ram Dass Foundation, editorial artworks for Breathe Magazine and many other spiritually elevated organizations. Her goal at AWO is to pair the timeless wisdom of Alan Watts with an immersive, visual experience that she hopes will inspire oh so many more of the seekers and thinkers of our time.

Content Research & Newsletter Editor

Nora has her finger on the pulse of archival content at Alan Watts Org, and locates content within the four major audio collections for many purposes, internal and external, including our own monthly newsletter. Formerly with Yelp in Chicago, she has brought her people skills and organizational talents to AWO, and acted as a producer for video courses and editor for Through the Echoes, a large-scale immersive pyramid environment in Montreal produced by Lune Rouge and Silent Partners Entertainment.

Innovations & Systems

Andrew works with Alan Watts Org directing technology, innovation, and business systems to lead the distribution of Alan Watts’ audio and video into the future, and ensure Alan’s timeless legacy thrives in the modern age. He brings over 20 years of technology, entrepreneurial, and creative expertise to AWO from his prior software company, with clients such as Disney, Samsung, Sony Pictures, Walmart, Whole Foods, and 30,000 others.

Andrew Daniel is the author of the award-winning book, Awaken to Your True Self, and director at the Center for Cinesomatic Development. He is the founder of Cinesomatics® which utilizes movement and video to accelerate clients’ path of awakening and enlightenment through shadow work within the body.

Alan Watts Scholar

Brian Wheeler is the person we turn to for various research projects, literary consultation, and creative collaboration. Inspired by Watts’ lifetime of writings and lectures about human nature, Dr. Wheeler spent a decade of study and research at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) — a graduate school that evolved out of the American Academy of Asian Studies, where Watts’ taught and served as dean in the 1950s. After earning a master’s degree in Philosophy and Religion with a concentration in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness, Dr. Wheeler went on to complete a PhD in East-West Psychology at CIIS. Two chapters of his dissertation on “Paradox and the Cosmology of Alan Watts” have been published by the Journal of Humanistic Psychology. He also endeavors to author his own books, such as Cosmic Fruit: Awakening to a New View of Life.

Vice President of Marketing

Michael aims to preserve the authenticity of Alan Watts’ work amidst the rapidly evolving digital landscape. He has decades of experience leading business and marketing technology teams, along with two degrees in philosophy and engineering. Michael’s holistic strategy aims to expand Watts’ global reach while bolstering the Org’s financial stewardship, tech integration, merchandising, partnerships, and alliances.