# Media Kit

Press-ready biography, key facts, and full-resolution photography.

- **Name:** Justin Watts
- **Pronouns:** they/them
- **Current role:** Distinguished Engineer · TELUS
- **Based in:** Nelson, BC

## Press biography

Justin Watts (they/them) is a Distinguished Engineer at TELUS, working across the enterprise wherever the technical stakes are highest. They help shape direction and prove it in code, turning urgent problems into systems the organization can scale. Their work includes Fuel iX, the Agentic Control Plane, and the Sovereign AI Factory. Outside TELUS, their software stretches from a home media system born on a modified Xbox to open-source tools and weather systems for pilots; they also contribute to large-scale collaborative art and race paragliders as a BGD Team Pilot, from El Peñón in Mexico to the Canadian Nationals in Golden. They live in Nelson, British Columbia, with their wife Jamie and their dogs.

## Long biography

Justin Watts (they/them) is a Distinguished Engineer at TELUS, a lifelong builder, and a competition paraglider. They live in Nelson, British Columbia, with their wife Jamie and their dogs, Hannibal and Harper.

Justin started programming, hacking, and modding computers as a kid, then studied anthropology and computer science at the University of Toronto. After deploying telecom systems in more than 25 countries, they read Jeff Morgan's Cucumber & Cheese, which changed how they thought about readable software. Fizz—the framework they built from those ideas—led to their first engineering leadership role at Loblaw Digital. They went on to build the platform organization supporting Loblaw Digital's applications and run engineering at TunnelBear through its first post-acquisition years.

At TELUS, Justin created Unicorn.ai, which grew into Fuel iX, the company's enterprise AI platform. They now oversee engineering on the Sovereign AI Factory and lead engineering on the Agentic Control Plane. Across that work, they turn unclear paths into working systems, then create room for other engineers to own and carry them further.

Building has never been confined to Justin's job. A home media system begun on a modified Xbox became a decades-long education in infrastructure and operations; other needs and curiosities became open-source tools, maps, weather systems, and independent products. They have also contributed to large-scale collaborative art projects.

Justin learned to paraglide in 2021 in the mountains above Nelson. They now race as a BGD Team Pilot and help open flying sites in the Kootenays, install weather stations on remote launches, and keep the local club running. On clear days, they are in the air.

## What I work on

- Enterprise AI and agentic systems
- Platforms people choose to use
- Growing engineers, teams, and technical communities

## Education

Honours Bachelor, Anthropology & Computer Science · University of Toronto

## Personal

Helped open six interior-BC flying sites; co-founded the Kootenagan, a four-day fly-and-camp traverse from the Okanagan to the Kootenays.

## Identity

A field record of work, flight, places, and ideas. Justin Watts is the primary name; Azohra is the publishing imprint behind justin.azohra.com.

- [@telus](https://www.instagram.com/telus/) — Distinguished Engineer
- [@flybgd](https://www.instagram.com/flybgd/) — Team Pilot 🇨🇦
- [@uoft](https://www.instagram.com/uoft/) — Anthropologist & Computer Scientist
- [@jamiejwatts](https://www.instagram.com/jamiejwatts/) — Life Partner

**Profiles:** [github](https://github.com/azohra) · [linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinbwatts) · [instagram](https://instagram.com/justin.b.watts) · [bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/azohra.com) · [twitter](https://twitter.com/justinbwatts)

- [Primary Azohra mark](https://justin.azohra.com/brand/azohra-mark.svg)
- [Reverse Azohra mark](https://justin.azohra.com/brand/azohra-mark-reverse.svg)
- Homepage photography: [Marcus King / @skytribe](https://www.instagram.com/skytribe/)

## Headshots

### Editorial portrait

![Justin in a cap looking upward with one hand on their beard](https://cdn.azohra.com/v1/images/portraits/justin-editorial.webp)

- **Full resolution:** [6000 x 4000 · 1.9 MB JPEG](https://cdn.azohra.com/v1/press/headshots/justin-watts-editorial-full-res.jpg)
- **Web preview:** [1800 x 1200 WebP](https://cdn.azohra.com/v1/images/portraits/justin-editorial.webp)

### Studio headshot

![Justin smiling against a blue background](https://cdn.azohra.com/v1/images/portraits/justin-headshot.webp)

- **Full resolution:** [2592 x 3456 · 2.8 MB JPEG](https://cdn.azohra.com/v1/press/headshots/justin-watts-headshot-full-res.jpg)
- **Web preview:** [1200 x 1600 WebP](https://cdn.azohra.com/v1/images/portraits/justin-headshot.webp)

## Press contact

Justin Watts · Nelson, BC · [justin@azohra.com](mailto:justin@azohra.com)

- [Media kit](https://justin.azohra.com/media-kit/)
- [Press archive](https://justin.azohra.com/press/)