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Bread and bytes: Russell Muzzolini brings Saskatchewan values to Silicon Valley

The family business in Saskatoon is still close to his heart after decades of working for notable tech startups in California.

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Russell Muzzolini was well on his way to a computer science degree when a trip to the movies showed him how he might put his qualifications to use.

“Terminator 2 was the show I was watching, I think I had taken third or fourth-year computer graphics at the University of Saskatchewan,” Muzzolini says of the 1991 film, which saw director James Cameron employ landmark computer-generated visual effects to bring killer cyborgs played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robert Patrick to life on the big screen.

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“I saw that show and I thought: ‘OK, this class I’m doing, I could actually do that kind of stuff.’ ”

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Muzzolini admits that before seeing the film, he chose computer science simply because he was “OK at math,” and it seemed like a field with decent career prospects.

Saskatchewan winters also helped keep a young Muzzolini focused on his studies.

“I wanted to get out of the cold weather, so I was like ‘oh crap, I better look at something where I can actually get to a nice state like California.'”

Muzzolini made it to Silicon Valley in the late ’90s, with his PhD in computer science from the U of S in hand. His first stop was Alias, the company behind the Terminator 2 movie effects that wowed him earlier that decade.

From there, he “lived and breathed tech” while doing everything he could to make connections.

Tracey Muzzolini (left) and Russell Muzzolini in the kitchen at Christies Bakery in Saskatoon.
Tracey Muzzolini (left) and Russell Muzzolini in the kitchen at Christies Bakery in Saskatoon. Photo by Michelle Berg /Saskatoon StarPhoenix

He soon found that his U of S training had given him more than enough technical skills, but unfortunately, it didn’t do much to wow recruiters more familiar with schools like Stanford or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“When you say ‘Saskatchewan’ and you have to repeat it once or twice, I just stopped saying it, I’d just say: ‘I went to school in Canada.’”

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A lack of name-brand credentials might have been a hurdle, but a Saskatchewan upbringing gave him plenty of advantages as he hunted for a foothold in the tech industry.

Muzzolini’s family has owned and operated Christies Bakery in Saskatoon’s Mayfair neighbourhood since his parents, Ennio and Janet, bought it in 1966. He says being immersed in the day-to-day operations from childhood was an education no six-figure American college could ever hope to match.

“Just being practical about business is a huge thing that carries a lot of weight,” he says. “You’d be surprised how many people don’t understand that (in Silicon Valley) — a large number.”

Muzzolini also benefited from a number of mentors along the way. He points to Herbert Yang, his supervisor at the U of S, as someone who provided inspiration and motivation early on.

In California, two people stand out from his time at Shutterfly, the online photo service where he started as a software engineer in 1999, before rising to vice-president of engineering in just over a decade.

Dwayne Black, Shutterfly’s second-in-command at the time, remains a friend and source of advice.

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“Coming from the Midwest, he’s sort of like us (in Saskatchewan). You know, very practical, and doesn’t lead with his wallet and try to show off. Tremendously high emotional intelligence. Tremendously high.”

Andy Wood, who was Shutterfly CEO in the early 2000s, also helped shape his career.

“He took me and a good friend of mine under his wing,” Muzzolini explains.

“We’d have once-a-month breakfast with the CEO and we’re like, peon engineers. And he was the CEO and he was like: ‘OK, you guys wanna learn stuff? Meet me at this breakfast place once a month.”

Russell Muzzolini (left) and Tracey Muzzolini in the kitchen at Christies Bakery in Saskatoon.
Russell Muzzolini (left) and Tracey Muzzolini in the kitchen at Christies Bakery in Saskatoon. Photo by Michelle Berg /Saskatoon StarPhoenix

The focus of the breakfast sessions with Wood was “hardly ever engineering stuff, it was always business stuff,” Muzzolini recalls.

Since leaving Shutterfly, Muzzolini has taken on roles as chief technology officer of Spire Global, a satellite data company and YourMechanic, an online mobile car repair network. Since 2018, he’s focused on working as an adviser to startups.

While he plans to use the new-found freedom of remote work ushered in by the COVID-19 pandemic to travel more, California remains Muzzolini’s home. He’s taken up cultivating grapes for wine on his property and has also become something of a local celebrity in his community by orchestrating elaborate holiday light displays, featuring tens of thousands of bulbs festooned on his home and a park across the street.

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But, Muzzolini says Saskatchewan and the family business are still close to his heart.

These days, Muzzolini is working with his sister Tracey and brother Blair on Moda Market; an online platform for Christies Bakery started in earnest as COVID-19 forced retailers to close their doors.

The original concept was an online order service for specialty cakes. That niche had to rapidly expand into a full online retail experience in order to keep the business afloat during the pandemic.

Tracey, who now co-owns the bakery she also grew up in, explains that she handles the baking, while Blair and Russ lend their skills to the technical and business aspects.

Russell Muzzolini (left) and Tracey Muzzolini in the kitchen at Christies Bakery in Saskatoon on Aug. 19, 2021.
Russell Muzzolini (left) and Tracey Muzzolini in the kitchen at Christies Bakery in Saskatoon on Aug. 19, 2021. Photo by Michelle Berg /Saskatoon StarPhoenix

“Each of us Muzzolinis have our own special skill sets, we’ve all had success in our own ways,” she says, adding that her brothers are “mathematical geniuses” while she’s “the creative.”

The online venture is a true family affair, with Russ’s son Gabe also a key part of the team, alongside Janet — the matriarch of the Muzzolini clan — who handles the bookkeeping and found herself in charge of navigating the various government supports for small businesses during the pandemic.

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Tracey says working with Russell has reminded her that he’s still, in many ways, the same older brother he was when they were kids.

“He’s always been a force of nature,” she says with a laugh. “He always does what he says he’s going to do, and he keeps a timeline.”

While she says Russell can be a tough taskmaster, he uses his full range of tools to get the best out of people.

“He’s sensitive to people’s needs, and just trying to work it out,” she said. “He’s a problem-solver.”

Having watched him claw his way into one of the toughest business environments on Earth, Tracey is confident Russell will continue moving from success to success.

“Whatever he wants to do, he’s going to do it because he’s Russ Muzzolini.”

Russell, Ennio and Tracey Muzzolini stand for a photo in front of the photo collage wall at Christies Bakery which has been in their family since 1966.
Russell, Ennio and Tracey Muzzolini stand for a photo in front of the photo collage wall at Christies Bakery which has been in their family since 1966. Photo by Michelle Berg /Saskatoon StarPhoenix

blevy@postmedia.com

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