# MacNeil Media Group — Full Context

> Senior infrastructure and AI engineering for funded startups and growing companies.

Website: https://macneilmediagroup.com

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## About Luke MacNeil

Senior infrastructure and AI systems engineer with 20+ years building and operating large-scale distributed systems. USPTO patent holder in machine learning (US20210241019A1). Published technical reviewer (The Zabbix Cookbook).

### Enterprise Experience

- **Salesforce** (2014–2019) — Lead Infrastructure Engineer. Introduced Git for codebase tracking, microservices migration, Puppet for 10,000+ servers, Gov Cloud FedRAMP authorization, USPTO patent filed, Wave product launch.
- **CVS Health** (2008–2014) — Senior Infrastructure Engineer. 7,500 server nationwide migration, 15,000+ host fleet management, PCI-DSS compliance, embedded Linux kiosk infrastructure.
- **EMC Corporation** (2006–2007) — Data Center Operations. Multi-OS data center operations — Cisco, AIX, HP-UX, Linux, Windows.
- **Marsh & McLennan** (2007) — Senior Systems Engineer. Veritas Cluster, EMC PowerPath, SAN, VxVM.
- **Omgeo** (2008) — Infrastructure Engineer. SAS70, BladeLogic, VMware ESX, Solaris 10.

### Credentials

- USPTO Patent: Machine Learning Photographic Metadata (US20210241019A1)
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
- CompTIA Linux+ / Network+ / A+
- VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
- Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
- Published Technical Reviewer — The Zabbix Cookbook
- FCC Licensed General Class Amateur Radio (KB1WNK)
- PPA Certified Professional Photographer (CPP)
- FAA Part 107 Licensed Drone Operator
- Trademark: The Uncanny Valley (88625753)

### Tech Stack

- **Languages**: Python, Bash, JavaScript, Ruby, PHP, SQL
- **Cloud**: AWS, GCP, Docker, Kubernetes
- **IaC**: Terraform, Ansible, Puppet, Packer
- **AI**: Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, ElevenLabs
- **DevOps**: Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Spinnaker
- **Monitoring**: Prometheus, Grafana, Zabbix
- **Creative**: Sony G-Master, Adobe Suite, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Studio One 6 Pro

### Community & Leadership

- Economic Development Commission — Chairman, Town of Douglas, MA (2018–2021)
- ValleyCAST — Board of Directors (2020–2021)
- CERT Teams — Douglas, MA & Uxbridge, MA (2017–2021)
- Lordsburg Chamber of Commerce — Volunteer (2024)

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## Services

### Architect (Technical Architecture & Engineering Strategy)
Technical architecture, infrastructure assessment, and engineering strategy — from someone who has built at Salesforce and CVS Health scale.

Capabilities:
- Infrastructure audits and architecture assessment
- Cloud architecture and migration (AWS, GCP, Kubernetes)
- AI strategy and LLM integration roadmap
- Security and compliance planning (FedRAMP, PCI-DSS, SOC 2)
- Technology roadmap and systems design
- Technical leadership and engineering mentorship
- Build-vs-buy analysis and vendor evaluation

Proof: JET Hospitality (Fractional CTO)
Related reading: "What Does a Fractional CTO Actually Do?", "How to Build AI Infrastructure Without a $500K Team"

### Automate (AI & Workflow Automation)
Production AI pipelines, workflow automation, and LLM integration — engineered on your infrastructure to run without you.

Capabilities:
- Self-hosted workflow automation (n8n, Airflow, custom)
- AI/LLM integration into business workflows
- Automated content creation and publishing pipelines
- Social media content generation and scheduling
- Podcast and audio/video production automation
- Web scraping and data pipeline engineering
- CI/CD and infrastructure automation

Proof: Luke at the Roost, Media Automation, JET CRM LinkedIn System
Related reading: "How I Built a Fully Autonomous AI Podcast", "How to Build AI Infrastructure Without a $500K Team"

### Build (Custom Platform & DevOps Engineering)
Custom platforms, DevOps infrastructure, and open-source deployments — production-ready, documented, and built for your specific workflows.

Capabilities:
- Open source CRM, ERP, and project management deployments
- Custom web applications and full-stack platforms
- DevOps infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines
- Full-stack development (Python/Django, Node.js, PHP)
- Database design and API integrations
- Mobile-responsive, performance-optimized frontends

Proof: JET CRM, CareerPulse, JET Hospitality
Related reading: "How I Replaced $50K in SaaS with Open Source for a Hotel Group", "DevOps for Growing Startups: What to Build vs Buy"

---

## Case Studies

### JET Hospitality — Replacing SaaS with Open Source
**Role**: Fractional CTO for a 10-property glamping and boutique hotel group across the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain West.

**Metrics**: $50K+/year saved, 99.99% uptime, 10 properties managed, 6+ SaaS tools replaced.

**Challenge**: JET Hospitality was scaling fast with 10 properties spread across multiple states. They had accumulated a mix of SaaS tools over time — Zapier, Mailchimp, Asana, LastPass — each solving one piece of the puzzle. The opportunity was to unify everything into a cohesive stack purpose-built for hospitality.

**What was built**:
- Custom CRM (JET CRM) — Django 5.1 + HTMX + Tailwind + PostgreSQL. Lead management, Kanban pipeline, email campaigns, guest profiles, ATS, ticketing, project management, Level 10 ROCK reviews, LinkedIn content automation.
- 3 production websites migrated off GoDaddy, IONOS, and Wix onto unified AWS EC2 + S3 infrastructure.
- Sales intelligence system — Python web scraping tools generating qualified leads.
- Security infrastructure — Passbolt + GPG for company-wide secrets management.
- Observability stack — Uptime Kuma monitoring all properties.
- API integrations — Python integrations with booking and inventory APIs.
- Loyalty & rewards system — Custom points-based loyalty program.

**SaaS replacement breakdown**:
| What | Before | After | Annual Savings |
|------|--------|-------|---------------|
| CRM | No CRM (spreadsheets) | JET CRM (Django, self-hosted) | N/A — net new |
| Automation | Zapier Pro ($50/mo) | n8n + custom Python | $600+ |
| Email | Mailchimp ($300/mo) | AWS SES ($0.10/1000) | $3,500+ |
| Monitoring | Datadog ($23/host) | Uptime Kuma (self-hosted) | $2,760+ |
| Project Mgmt | Asana ($11/seat x 10) | Built into JET CRM | $1,300+ |
| Passwords | LastPass Teams ($6/seat) | Passbolt (self-hosted) | $360+ |
| Web Hosting | GoDaddy + IONOS + Wix | AWS EC2 + S3 | $3,000+ |

**Results**: $50K+ annual SaaS savings redirected to growth. 99.99% uptime. Unified dashboards. Enterprise-grade security. Technology roadmap aligned with growth strategy.

URL: https://macneilmediagroup.com/case-studies/jet-hospitality

### Entrada Escalante — Boutique Hotel Website
**Role**: Custom website build for an 8-room boutique lodge in Escalante, Utah.

**Metrics**: 8 rooms, mobile-first design, SEO optimized, booking integrated.

**Challenge**: Small boutique hotel competing with OTA platforms (Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia) needed a direct booking website that showcased the property and surrounding adventures, reducing commission fees.

**What was built**:
- Custom WordPress site with booking engine integration and mobile-responsive design.
- Adventure content pages capturing search traffic from travelers planning trips to Escalante and Grand Staircase.
- Local SEO optimization driving organic traffic.

**Results**: Direct booking channel reducing OTA commission fees. Adventure-focused content driving organic traffic. Mobile-first design serving travelers on the go.

URL: https://macneilmediagroup.com/case-studies/entrada-escalante

### Luke at the Roost — Autonomous AI Podcast
**Role**: Personal project demonstrating fully autonomous AI content production.

**Metrics**: 28+ episodes, 0 manual steps, 10+ publishing platforms, ~10 minutes per episode.

**Challenge**: Can AI run an entire podcast — every step, autonomously, at broadcast quality?

**Pipeline (6 stages, zero human input)**:
1. Script Generation — LLM creates unique callers with personalities, topics, and dialogue via OpenRouter.
2. Voice Synthesis — ElevenLabs TTS generates distinct voices for each caller character.
3. Audio Production — REAPER DAW with custom Lua scripts for silence removal, normalization, music bed trimming, ad/ident insertion, crossfades.
4. Publishing — Castopod (self-hosted) distributes to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, RSS.
5. Social — Postiz (self-hosted) auto-publishes to 10+ social networks.
6. Monitoring — Uptime Kuma tracks every service.

**Tech stack**: Python, OpenRouter, ElevenLabs, REAPER + Lua, Castopod, Postiz, Cloudflare CDN, Uptime Kuma.

**Results**: 28+ episodes produced autonomously. ~10 minutes of compute per episode. Entire pipeline on self-hosted infrastructure. Zero recurring platform fees beyond API costs.

URL: https://macneilmediagroup.com/case-studies/luke-at-the-roost

### Einstein Photo Tagger — USPTO-Patented ML Auto-Tagging
**Role**: Co-inventor at Salesforce. Built during a hackday, became a full USPTO patent.

**Metrics**: USPTO patent granted, ML Vision API, filed 2019, zero manual tags.

**Challenge**: Professional photographers shoot thousands of images per session. Every image needs metadata — keywords, categories, scene descriptions — to be searchable and sellable. Manual tagging is tedious, inconsistent, and the first thing skipped under deadline pressure.

**What was built**:
- Lightroom plugin connecting to Salesforce Einstein Vision API for automatic image classification.
- ML-generated labels mapped to industry-standard IPTC/XMP metadata fields.
- Feedback loop where photographer corrections improve future predictions.

**Patent**: US20210241019A1 — "Machine Learning Photographic Metadata." Inventors: Luke MacNeil, Paulson McIntyre. Assignee: Salesforce, Inc.

**Results**: USPTO patent granted. Automated tagging eliminated hours of manual metadata work. Demonstrated production ML integration years before the current AI wave.

URL: https://macneilmediagroup.com/case-studies/einstein-photo-tagger

### CVS Health — Enterprise Monitoring at Retail Pharmacy Scale
**Role**: Senior Infrastructure Engineer at CVS Health (2008–2014).

**Metrics**: 15,000+ servers, 50,000+ monitored items, PCI-DSS compliant, published book reviewer.

**Challenge**: CVS Health operates thousands of retail pharmacy locations nationwide. Every server handling payment card data needed PCI-DSS compliance with hard audit evidence. Manual monitoring at 15,000+ server scale was impossible.

**What was built**:
- Enterprise Zabbix deployment — one of the largest globally. 15,000+ servers, 50,000+ monitored items.
- Custom dashboards, alerting rules, and automation scripts for retail pharmacy scale.
- PCI-DSS compliance monitoring passing all external audits.
- 7,500-server SCO UNIX to SuSE Linux migration.
- Core infrastructure services (DNS, SVN, NFS, MySQL, Apache, CUPS) for the fleet.

**Recognition**: Packt Publishing invited Luke to serve as technical reviewer for *The Zabbix Cookbook* based on this deployment.

**Results**: One of the largest Zabbix deployments in the world. All external PCI-DSS audits passed. 7,500-server migration completed. Published technical reviewer.

URL: https://macneilmediagroup.com/case-studies/cvs-enterprise-monitoring

---

## Pricing

### Fractional CTO — From $5K/month
Embedded engineering partnership.
- Architecture, infrastructure & AI strategy
- Hands-on engineering — I build, not just advise
- DevOps, CI/CD & cloud infrastructure
- Vendor evaluation & compliance guidance
- Team mentorship & hiring support
- Weekly syncs + async Slack/email

### Project Work — From $10K
Fixed scope & timeline.
- AI/LLM pipeline development
- DevOps & infrastructure buildout
- Custom platform development
- Automation & workflow engineering
- Open-source deployments & migrations
- Defined deliverables, no surprises

### Tech Assessment — Free
30-minute call.
- Review your current architecture
- Identify scaling bottlenecks
- Assess AI/automation opportunities
- SaaS spend optimization check
- No obligation

### Add-ons
- Content Automation: From $2K setup
- Monitoring & Support: From $500/mo

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## Blog Posts

### "What Does a Fractional CTO Actually Do? (Week by Week)" (2026-03-12)
A fractional CTO isn't a consultant who drops a slide deck and disappears. Here's what the role actually looks like week to week — from architecture decisions to team mentorship.
URL: https://macneilmediagroup.com/blog/what-does-a-fractional-cto-do

### "How I Built a Fully Autonomous AI Podcast" (2026-03-01)
Luke at the Roost produces full episodes with zero manual intervention — from LLM script generation to multi-platform publishing. Here's how.
URL: https://macneilmediagroup.com/blog/autonomous-ai-podcast

### "Fractional CTO vs Full-Time CTO: When Each Makes Sense" (2026-02-24)
The decision between fractional and full-time technical leadership depends on your stage, budget, and what you actually need built. Here's a framework.
URL: https://macneilmediagroup.com/blog/fractional-cto-vs-full-time

### "How I Replaced $50K in SaaS with Open Source for a Hotel Group" (2026-02-15)
A practical breakdown of every SaaS tool we replaced, what we replaced it with, and how much we saved at JET Hospitality.
URL: https://macneilmediagroup.com/blog/replacing-saas-with-open-source

### "How Much Does a Fractional CTO Cost in 2026?" (2026-02-10)
Fractional CTO pricing ranges from $5K to $15K/month depending on hours and scope. Here's what drives the cost and how to budget for it.
URL: https://macneilmediagroup.com/blog/fractional-cto-cost

### "How to Build AI Infrastructure Without a $500K Team" (2026-01-27)
You don't need a team of ML engineers to deploy AI. Here's how funded startups can build practical AI infrastructure with a fractional CTO and the right architecture.
URL: https://macneilmediagroup.com/blog/building-ai-infrastructure

### "Running 29+ Services on a Single NAS with Zero Monthly Fees" (2026-01-20)
My self-hosted stack runs Mastodon, Gitea, Castopod, Postiz, and more — all on a QNAP NAS with Cloudflare Tunnels. Here's the setup.
URL: https://macneilmediagroup.com/blog/self-hosting-29-services

### "DevOps for Growing Startups: What to Build vs Buy" (2026-01-13)
A practical guide to DevOps decisions for startups with 20-200 people. What to invest in, what to skip, and when to bring in help.
URL: https://macneilmediagroup.com/blog/devops-for-startups

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## FAQ

**What does fractional CTO mean?**
I embed in your company as a part-time CTO who actually builds. You get a senior engineer handling architecture, infrastructure, AI pipelines, and DevOps — plus the strategic leadership to tie it all together. No $300K+ salary, no consulting slide decks. I typically work with 2-3 companies at a time, which means you're getting someone who sees patterns across multiple businesses.

**Do I need to be technical?**
Not at all. Most of my clients aren't technical — that's why they hire me. I translate business needs into technology decisions and handle all the implementation. You'll always understand what I'm doing and why.

**What's the minimum engagement?**
The initial assessment is truly free — 30 minutes, no obligation. For ongoing work, I typically start with a focused 2-4 week project so we can both assess the fit. No long-term contracts required.

**What size companies do you work with?**
I work best with funded startups and growing companies — typically 20 to 200 people — who need senior technical leadership but aren't ready for a full-time CTO. I also work with established small businesses on automation and infrastructure projects.

**What happens after the initial assessment?**
You get a clear picture of where your infrastructure stands, what's working, and where the gaps are. I'll outline specific recommendations — whether that's an AI initiative, infrastructure improvements, or cost optimization. No pressure. If we decide to work together, I'll scope an engagement with fixed deliverables and timeline.

**How is this different from hiring an agency?**
I'm one senior engineer, not a rotating team of juniors. You get direct access to 20+ years of experience at Salesforce, CVS Health, and dozens of other environments. No account managers, no handoffs, no markups on junior work.

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## Contact

- **Email**: luke@macneilmediagroup.com
- **Phone**: (774) 573-8963
- **LinkedIn**: https://linkedin.com/in/luke-macneil
- **GitHub**: https://github.com/tcpsyn
- **Book a call**: https://macneilmediagroup.com/contact

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## Site Map

- Homepage: https://macneilmediagroup.com
- Services: https://macneilmediagroup.com/services
- Pricing: https://macneilmediagroup.com/pricing
- About: https://macneilmediagroup.com/about
- Blog: https://macneilmediagroup.com/blog
- Case Studies: https://macneilmediagroup.com/case-studies
- Portfolio: https://macneilmediagroup.com/portfolio
- Contact: https://macneilmediagroup.com/contact