AI workflows & custom software
Build useful technology.
Bring people with it.
I turn practical problems into working software, AI workflows and clear communication. My work includes a recognition app used for two years, a classroom dashboard used for a year, and student-led live production systems.
What I can take on
A prototype, a production or a new way of working.
For a product or operations team, I can develop a focused prototype and explore how AI fits a real workflow. For a communications team, I bring video, motion graphics and production experience to make an idea clear to its audience.
My apps are used daily in classrooms across Berkley Normal Middle School and by Berkley TV for filming and media production. My ClassroomScreen dashboard has been used by me and other teachers for a year, as of September 2026. Alongside development, I bring experience coordinating people, managing budgets and helping users adopt new tools.
Operational workflow automation
Attendance automation
Connected absence emails to checked eTap updates and a morning staff handover. The attendance officer reports saving over an hour per school day, closer to two.
Custom software & Microsoft Teams integration
YumDonut
Built a recognition system used for two years by my classroom team of 20+, with shared goals and a working Microsoft Teams integration alongside the web app.
AI & publishing automation
Just the Good News
Built a live publishing workflow connecting RSS sources, AI selection and summaries, and automated website delivery. See the workflow and design decisions.
Custom software & interaction design
Prompter
Developed a browser teleprompter and refined its reading controls, with a demo you can try and source code you can inspect.
People & creative leadership
Berkley TV
Four-camera live production and student television under my programme leadership, with real broadcasts, a trained student crew and supporting colleague testimonials.
Web development & creative communications
Berkley website & prospectus
Proposed and delivered in-house website customisation, practical tools for families and a prospectus from writing and photography through design. Savings helped fund a new camera.
Practical AI
Choose the tool around the task.
I use AI assistance to develop software. Some of my products also use AI as part of their operation: Just the Good News selects and summarises stories with AI; Prompter’s voice-following mode connects to a speech-recognition service.
I start with the task, the information involved and the result people need. That gives the team a practical basis for choosing where AI will be useful.
From prototype to business use
Define success before expanding the scope.
I would start with one workflow, the people using it and a clear measure of success. A focused pilot gives the team something tangible to test before committing to a wider rollout.
The next decisions are practical: data access, service costs, failure handling, testing and who will maintain the result. My public apps are evidence of what I have built; a company deployment needs its own agreed requirements and checks.
Experience behind the work
I’ve carried responsibility beyond the screen.
At Capital E SoundHouseNZ/MediaLab, I managed staff and budgets and designed and ran programmes reaching over 5,000 students annually from around the world. Game design, animation, music production and movie-making all achieved sell-outs.
At SJI International, I ran ESTV and project-managed its studio, combining student-led production with my teaching and production standards. The school’s YouTube channel grew from 200 to 1,600 subscribers during my 2016–2022 tenure. Today I lead Berkley TV and build my own digital products.
Let’s talk
Let’s talk about the role.
Need someone who can build useful tools, communicate clearly and help a team deliver? Send me the challenge, the role and where your team is based.
carl@carlrayner.com · Hamilton, New Zealand