# thomas.codes

## About
Thomas Gorence is a Principal Software Engineer, creative director, and AI/ML engineer based in Orlando, FL with 25+ years of professional experience building production systems across entertainment, defense, hospitality, and AI.

## Job Titles
- Principal Software Engineer
- Principal Engineer
- Full-Stack Architect
- Software Engineer
- Technical Lead
- Full-Stack Developer
- Cloud Architect
- DevOps Engineer
- AI/ML Engineer
- Game Developer
- Audio Engineer
- Creative Director
- Interactive Designer

## Location
Orlando, Florida, United States

## Experience

### IDEAS / Disney — Principal Engineer
Led engineering for 25+ interactive installations across theme parks, cruise ships, museums, and science centers. Tens of millions of visitors. Architected an eLearning platform adopted company-wide.
Technologies: React, Unity, Electron, GSAP, After Effects

### Intelity — Senior Staff Engineer
Owned the IoT platform integrating 5 hardware protocols across 200+ luxury properties worldwide. Built the MDM solution managing 10,000+ devices with 24/7 uptime.
Technologies: Kotlin, Go, Node.js, Firebase, IoT

### CommentSold — Tech Lead
Led build infrastructure for 5,000+ white-label apps. Replaced FastLane with a custom Go pipeline achieving 5-10x speedup. Drove AI/ML adoption for image validation and content automation.
Technologies: Go, React, AWS, Jenkins, Pulumi

### Priority One — Principal Engineer
Sole engineer on a price forecasting system analyzing millions of SKUs. Built custom Zebra scanner apps processing thousands of daily barcode scans.
Technologies: Python, Go, Node.js, AutoTS, Zebra SDK

### Applied AI & ML — Independent AI/ML Engineer
Production AI systems: StyleGAN for image generation, GPT-3 for content automation, Rekognition for KYC, and ML pipelines with TensorFlow and PyTorch. 4 production ML systems shipped.
Technologies: Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow, ComfyUI, GPT

### Music & Creative — Animator & Musician (ASCAP)
Credited composer on MTV, VH1, Cartoon Network and more. Comic creator, digital artist, and sound designer working across 2D/3D animation and post-production. 4 major networks, platinum artists.
Technologies: Ableton, After Effects, Cinema 4D, Photoshop, Illustrator

## Skills by Category

### Languages
TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, C#, Kotlin, Swift, Dart, PHP, C/C++, Java, Lua, SQL, Bash, x86 Assembly, Go, ColdFusion, COBOL, Ada, Visual Basic, QBasic, Logo

### Frontend
React, Next.js, Vue, Angular, Three.js, GSAP, WebGL, Svelte, HTML/CSS, Tailwind, Framer Motion, D3.js, Canvas API

### Backend
Node.js, Express, FastAPI, Django, .NET, GraphQL, REST, gRPC, WebSockets, Microservices

### Data & Infrastructure
PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB, DynamoDB, Elasticsearch, AWS, GCP, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD, Linux, Nginx, GitHub Actions, Jenkins

### Mobile & Cross-Platform
React Native, Flutter, Swift/UIKit, Kotlin/Android, Electron, PWAs

### Creative & Media
After Effects, Premiere, Flash/Animate, Cinema 4D, Toon Boom, Unity, Unreal Engine, Blender, Pro Tools, GLSL Shaders, Adobe AIR, Oculus Rift

### E-Learning
SCORM, xAPI, Articulate Storyline, LMS Integration, Accessibility/WCAG, Instructional Design, Gamification

### Hardware & IoT
Arduino, Raspberry Pi, RFID/NFC, Crestron, Lutron, Control4, Inncom, Serial/MQTT, GPIO

### AI & Machine Learning
Computer Vision, NLP, Neural Networks, StyleGAN2, LLM Training, Diffusion Models, ComfyUI, Flux, ElevenLabs, LoRA Training, Rekognition, Textract, PyTorch, TensorFlow

## Career Highlights
- 10 years of design, animation, and engineering at Walt Disney Studios (Orlando, FL)
- Original music on MTV, VH1, Adult Swim, and Cartoon Network (ASCAP credits)
- Interactive installations at theme parks, cruise ships, museums, five-star resorts, and science centers worldwide
- United States Air Force veteran (3C0X2, TS/SCI clearance)
- Defense contract work with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman (C4ISR)
- Interactive exhibits at Orlando Science Center and Spaceport America
- World-class resort automation systems in Las Vegas, Dubai, Paris, Berlin, and NYC
- Award-winning post-production and animation
- Cross-platform mobile development (Android, iOS, wearables)
- Game development for VR, AR, console, and mobile platforms

## Career Journey
Started programming with Logo and QBasic as a kid. Learned x86 Assembly and reverse engineering with SoftICE. Enlisted in the United States Air Force (3C0X2) with TS/SCI clearance, working with SQL, ColdFusion, C++, COBOL, and Ada. After the military, worked defense contracts with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman on C4ISR systems.

Transitioned into professional audio with ASCAP credits on MTV, VH1, Adult Swim, and Cartoon Network. Spent 10 years at Walt Disney Studios doing post-production, 2D/3D animation, and interactive exhibit engineering. Built interactive installations with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and RFID at the Orlando Science Center and Spaceport America.

Led mobile development across iOS, Android, and cross-platform. Built game experiences with Unity, Unreal Engine, and VR/AR platforms. Architected world-class resort automation systems deployed across 200+ properties in Las Vegas, Dubai, Paris, Berlin, and NYC. Currently focused on cloud architecture, DevOps, and applied AI/ML including generative AI with ComfyUI, Flux, and LLM training.

## Engineering Philosophy
I map the full system before writing a line of code. APIs and interfaces come first, implementation follows. Deep experience across hardware, software, and creative domains taught me that the best architecture emerges from understanding the complete picture.

## Notable Clients & Industries
Walt Disney Studios, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, MTV, VH1, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Orlando Science Center, Spaceport America, Fortune 500 companies, theme parks, cruise lines, five-star resorts, film studios, small businesses, start-ups

## Contact
- Website: https://thomas.codes
- Email: thomas@thomas.codes
- GitHub: https://github.com/ThomasDotCodes
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/thomasgorence
- Resume: https://thomas.codes/Thomas%20Gorence%20Resume%20(2026).pdf

## Projects & Privacy
- Projects: https://thomas.codes/projects
- Privacy Policy: https://thomas.codes/privacy