USAW
A voice system—not another blank AI text box.
USAW turns how a person or brand communicates into a structured, reusable identity, then uses that identity to write consistently across audiences and formats.
Read the case studyEnterprise AI enablement · Product builder
I build systems for work that needs human judgment.
I’m Russ Vance. I work like a forward-deployed engineer inside the enterprise: start with the problem, help people use AI confidently, and build the workflows and applications that make sales, marketing, communications, and design work better.
PRODUCT FIELD / 2026
How the work moves
- 01Find the frictionWhere quality, time, or confidence breaks down.
- 02Shape the interventionTeach, enable, automate—or combine all three.
- 03Ship the whole loopInterface, intelligence, review, and operations.
- 04Learn in the workUse real behaviour to make the system better.
PROBLEM FIRST
[ Selected work · 01—08 ]
Products built around a point of view.
Each one starts with a specific friction—not a model looking for somewhere to land.
Protagons
Portable character identity for any AI model.
An open standard that replaces vague persona prompts with structured character files: 28 linguistic and psychological dimensions, 287 fields, and a public library of 800+ profiles.
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Sales Practice
A rehearsal room for conversations that matter.
Realistic AI buyer personas for browser and phone practice, with live coaching, transcripts, and competency scorecards that turn every attempt into a learning loop.
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PDF Hound
PDF accessibility, finally explained like a product.
A self-serve audit and repair workflow that makes hidden document barriers visible in plain language, shows the reading sequence, prices the work upfront, and keeps review in the customer’s hands.
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You Suck at Writing
Fourteen editorial perspectives. One useful verdict.
A productized critique service that runs 14 AI specialists in parallel, then synthesizes their evidence into a practical editorial report in about three minutes. Users choose professional Editorial Mode or a sharper Roast Mode—each report is $5, with no subscription.
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Sitular
Build a room of specialists around the problem.
A configurable swarm workspace where specialist agents collaborate in user-directed or autonomous mode, grounded in your own files, with reusable task templates and a bring-your-own-key setup that never leaves the browser.
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Thought Stream
From stream of consciousness to grounded point of view.
A voice-enabled writing flow that researches a raw narrative, synthesizes it into a thought-leadership draft, and links claims to fresh, verifiable sources.
Contact me for a demo
Heritage Recipe
Turn a handwritten family recipe into a print-ready keepsake.
A consumer app that reads a handwritten recipe photo in any language, redraws it as designed keepsake art, and quality-checks every word before you approve—with real checkout and print-on-demand fulfillment behind it.
Read the case study[ Enterprise AI · 09 ]
Put AI where the work happens.
Embedded enablement, education, and application building for teams solving real business problems.
AI enablement · Product delivery · Design systems
A forward-deployed builder for enterprise AI.
At CAAT, I start with the business problem—not the model. I work as a forward-deployed builder across design, content, and business development: finding where AI or a better system can raise quality, remove friction, or get a service to people sooner—then prototyping and building whatever moves the work forward.
THE OPERATING QUESTION“Can AI make this better, improve the quality, or help us provide the service sooner?”
Prototype the gap, then hand it off
For CAAT’s website, I work prototype-first. I find where the current component system leaves designers and product teams stuck, build a working prototype that proves the value, and hand it to the product teams to run with. It usually means acting as a consultant across groups that hadn’t been comparing requirements—turning a gap into a shared, buildable spec. The public design system is one visible output.
41Components
3Templates
16Colour tokens
14Contract sections
Encode the brand, then let AI check it
With the content and editorial teams, I capture the brand’s visual and editorial standards—then build AI quality-control agents that review real release artifacts against them: PDFs, social posts, ads, and editorial content. The agents also check legal and compliance requirements, so legal review becomes a breeze—typically pulling 1–2 weeks per artifact out of the go-to-market timeline.
Ramp new sellers on complex deals
I build in-house sales enablement tools—in the same family as Sales Practice—that shorten ramp time for new business-development team members. Complex sales cycles and standardized product messaging are hard to learn on the job; these let people rehearse on realistic scenarios and get to market faster.
How I work
Start with the problem, not the prompt.
AI is useful when it improves an outcome—not when it merely adds another tool.
- 01
Find the real friction
Listen for where people improvise, repeat themselves, or lose confidence.
- 02
Ask where AI helps
Look for a real gain in quality, speed, confidence, capacity, or service.
- 03
Teach, enable, or build
Choose the lightest intervention that lets the team do better work sustainably.
- 04
Ship the whole loop
Connect interface, intelligence, human review, operations, and feedback.
About Russ
I’m interested in AI when it becomes a better way to do the work—not a better way to demo the model.
I’m a Toronto-based digital experience leader, AI enablement champion, and hands-on product builder. I came to engineering through design, content, product, and innovation—not through a traditional computer-science path.
Over the last three years, my work has become increasingly engineering-led. I operate like a forward-deployed engineer: embedded with the people doing the work, translating business friction into something teachable, configurable, or buildable. At CAAT, that currently means AI-enabled sales and marketing work in the pension industry—not engineering pension systems.
Enterprise AI enablementAI educationCustom GPT systems
Rapid application developmentSales enablementMarketing & communications
Product strategyDesign systems
[ Career journey ]
Built from the interface up.
More than two decades moving from making digital experiences to shaping the systems, products, and teams behind them.
-
2024 — Now
CAAT Pension Plan
Manager, Pension Solutions Digital Experience
Progressed from Team Lead, Digital Marketing to Senior Digital Experience Specialist and now Manager—championing practical AI adoption, building custom applications, and advancing sales enablement, marketing, communications, and design practice.
- Digital experience
- Human-centered AI
- Design systems
-
2013 — 2023
OMERS
From communications to innovation and product ownership.
A decade spanning Digital Communications Specialist, Design Lead for Innovation, and Product Owner for Pension Products & Technology—connecting content, service design, accessibility, and platform delivery.
- Product ownership
- Service design
- WCAG
-
2002 — 2012
Digital foundations
Designer, developer, and producer.
Started hands-on in digital design and web development, then grew into digital production roles across Toronto and New York. That maker’s perspective still shapes how I lead and build today.
- Digital design
- Web development
- Production
[ Endorsements ]
The people I’ve built with.
A selection of recommendations from clients, managers, and collaborators over the years.
“Russell and team were fantastic. He always overdelivered on expectations. He listened to our direction and somehow transformed the limited graphic and text assets we had into something powerful, persuasive, and beautifully designed.”
“He’s a unique blend of creative and analytical. He has so many tools and skills at his disposal that he can solve problems with multifaceted solutions—a strategist who can ensure the projects deliver success. I’d work with Russ any time.”
“Russ’s ability to capture and express brand essence in digital space is rare. We’ve engaged Russ for several complex digital executions, and each time he has produced work nothing short of remarkable—on time, on brand, on budget.”
“Russell represents the absolute best of digital strategists. His ideas and practices always have a positive impact on the relationships our business creates. I would recommend Russell for any project that requires the very best in strategy and execution.”
“Russell brings a great blend of creativity and technical ability to the table—he can execute at any project level.”
“Russell is one of those types who has bundles of enthusiasm and energy to pour into his many ideas. I continually enjoy working with him as he develops new and exciting concepts—success is certain for him.”
“Russ has consistently delivered innovative solutions to meet our digital advertising needs. Working under tight deadlines and for high-profile clients, his work has been of great value.”
“Russell is both creatively talented and technically skilled. He adds value in any capacity—personable, great sense of humor, upbeat, holds his end of the bargain, and takes ownership of the project.”
Have a difficult problem?
Let’s make it useful.
I’m interested in enterprise problems where AI might improve quality, accelerate service, or give a team new capacity—and where someone needs to turn that possibility into practice.
Start a conversation