origin story
ʻOhana is everything – and my family is super!
Unmasking Happiness
Dark Knights & Brighter Days
Aloha – My name is Kaʻohele Carlos but you can call me Kaʻo (the a is pronounced “aw” like “awesome”, then there is a glottal stop, then the o is pronounced “oh” like the letter “o”).
I am a proud dad of 3, a loving husband, and the VP of Design and Research at ID.me (say “Aloha” on LinkedIn). I started SECRET IDENTITY with my 2 daughters, Leialoha Batgirl Carlos and Kara Zor-El Carlos and my son, Kaʻohele Kal-El Carlos Jr.
I am blesses to have healthy children and a very understanding wife who let me name all of them after the superheroes that they are. We call our son by his middle name, Kal-El, which is Superman’s real name from Krypton. Our eldest daughter, Leialoha, has the middle name Batgirl. We call her Leia (my wife Diana was named after Princess Diana – so I named my first born after a princess too)! Our second daughter, Kara, has the middle name Zor-El. Kara Zor-El is Supergirl’s real name from Krypton. As mentioned, my wife happens to be named Diana, which is Wonder Woman’s secret identity. With several Batmobiles, a Batcave Office, and a BatVision Pro, I am Batman to complete our super-family!
As Hawaiians, it is important that we build a strong community and support those in need. Together with our friend Hawa, we started KeepCalm.org to help underserved communities gain access to mental health services. We are starting with Hawaiian and Black communities – then expanding from there.
As someone who attempted suicide in high school and has dealt with depression throughout my life, I am building a supportive community so that my keiki (Hawaiian for kiddos) and others can deal with their emotions in a healthy way.
Life is much better now. My job at ID.me is awesome and I fight off my depression with a balance of creativity, family and fitness.
In my downtime, I channel my passion for technology and AI into projects like the BatVision Pro (formally an Apple Vision Pro!), the Community Batmobiles (gadgets galore!), and SECRET IDENTITY News (current news with a superhero multiverse twist made with AI!).
As a father and husband, I am remain grounded and grateful through the love of my wife and keiki.
As an athlete, I aim to inspire wellness through fitness, sharing my routines via the SECRET IDENTITY Fitness app and offering supplements through our shop, with all proceeds supporting KeepCalm.org.
With our mission to: KEEP CALM AND SAVE LIVES, this is probably the closest I will ever get to being a hero.
And now my Career Journey:
I moved to LA from Hawai’i right after college with only $100 to my name. I had an ex girlfriend who said I could stay with her but when I arrived, she let me know she had to move back to Hawai’i the next day. With a place to crash for 1 night – I ended up at a party where I met a person named Eric Saqui from Hawai’i who said I could stay with him (send Eric some “Aloha” on LinkedIn).
I then use the $100 to fax out my resume to anybody who listed a designer role in the newspaper in the middle of the dot com crash (yes, I am from the era of fax machines, newspapers and the early stages of the Internet)!
My resume was a design of the front page of the Daily Planet. (Clearly, I was in a Superman phase.) The headline read “Web Design Hero Moves to L.A.”. The photo was taken by my friend JOSS. He suggested the idea on a whim when I showed up to a modeling shoot wearing a Superman t-shirt.
I got my first call back the next day and I had to walk across Los Angeles to get to my interview. My shoe was falling apart as I walked and I knew I HAD to make this work. If not for the lack of resources – for the amazing origin story this would make.
I was wearing superman socks so I could walk in with superhero confidence. Not only did I nail the interview and get hired on the spot, I negotiated a starting bonus. I bought my first car with that money. It was a black 1982 Corvette that my friends called the Batmobile.
That was the beginning of my Batman phase.
Since then, I have had a great career in the Tech industry. I am currently an executive at ID.me as the VP of Design and Research.
Early in my career, I was part of a start-up when a small group of us created Fandango, selling online movie tickets. When Steve Jobs announced the first iPhone on stage – he did a bit where he pretended to buy movie tickets on Fandango on the iPhone 1. It was so cool to see my work on the world stage. We sold Fandango to Comcast on the heels of the Batman Begins movie.
I was then recruited to join CBS when they were still a television station. I helped transform them into an interactive company and created our streaming service from the ground up, Paramount Plus. We went from a small space called “the slice” at the CBS studios in Hollywood to a state-of-the-art building in Burbank when we starting generating in a billion in annual revenue, leading to the merger with Paramount.
At CBS, my dual role as the UX leader and head of the Philanthropy Team was a cornerstone of my commitment to giving back. My efforts in organizing impactful initiatives like food drives with the LA Food Bank, mentoring programs with CoachArt, holiday gifts with Santa for a Senior, back-to-school drives for children living in poverty with LIFT, and support drives for the Downtown Women’s Center have not only enriched our Los Angeles community but have also laid the groundwork for my passion project, KeepCalm.org. This platform is a testament to my belief in the power of collective action to support underserved communities, particularly in accessing vital mental health services.
Just a few floors down from CBS was DC Comics and I made friends with everyone there at the building gym. Most of the comics, statues, and gadgets in my Batcave office (that my daughters helped me build) are from my friends at DC.
I was then recruited by Amazon to helm Prime Video. I came with a vision to create a service that was not only a formidable rival to Netflix and Disney Plus but also a beacon of accessibility and inclusivity. Leading a Team of 50, we embarked on a comprehensive redesign, implementing rigorous accessibility protocols to ensure that everyone, regardless of ability, could enjoy our content. The diversity of my Team, which I evolved from all male and all Caucasian to a perfect gender balance with a rich mix of ethnicities and backgrounds, was my proudest achievement, reflecting the broad spectrum of our audience. My time at Amazon was defined by breaking barriers, not only in streaming technology but in creating a platform that was truly for everyone.
Leaving Amazon for ID.me wasn’t just a career move; it was a calling. As the newly appointed VP of Design and Research, I was drawn to ID.me’s noble mission to ‘Leave no identity behind,’ a principle that resonated with my own commitment to creating universally accessible products. At ID.me, my journey continued with a focus on ensuring that our services are inclusive to all, a testament to which is the recent hiring of a deaf Principal UX Designer. This move not only enriches our team’s diversity but also strengthens our expertise in accessibility, aligning perfectly with ID.me’s heroic vision. Leading initiatives like rigorous adherence to Section 508 and WCAG standards, and fostering partnerships for regular accessibility audits, I am committed to ensuring that ID.me’s products are a beacon of inclusivity in the tech landscape.
In the high-stakes world of tech, the pressures can be immense, often leading to stress and anxiety. Over the years, I’ve learned that the antidote lies in focusing on work that has meaning and the potential to positively impact lives. At ID.me, this philosophy has been my guiding light, helping me navigate the challenges with a sense of purpose. By concentrating on initiatives that foster inclusivity and accessibility, I find a profound sense of fulfillment that not only mitigates stress but also reaffirms the value of my contributions to making the digital world a more equitable place.
I will leave you with photos of my keiki that I took when each one turned 1. Look into their eyes to see their hero shine through.
