The Intersection of Innovation, Ethics, & Performance
John J. Higgins, known professionally as Johnny Diggz, is a creative technologist, entrepreneur, and “starter of things” based in the Orlando/Sanford area. His career is defined by the intersection of the cloud communications revolution, the global maker movement, and a life as a professional entertainer.
Currently, Johnny serves as the SVP of Partnerships at Remixed, where he co-created the Higgins-Berger Scale of AI Ethics — a framework that ensures human authenticity remains at the core of AI-driven creative work. He is also the founder of Streets to Stages, currently launching a 2026 pilot program in Sanford, Florida, to create a sustainable ecosystem for local performers and venues.
A Legacy of Community & Building
His legacy includes co-founding Voxeo and Tropo (acquired by Cisco in 2015), founding the humanitarian tech incubator Geeks Without Bounds (GWOB) in 2010, and co-founding Orlando’s first makerspace, Factur, in 2014. He was also instrumental in establishing Random Hacks of Kindness and the International Space Apps Challenge.
Film, Music, & The Playa
On the creative side, Johnny is a veteran dueling pianist, previously performing at Howl the Moon and Baby Grands Dueling Pianos in Orlando and is the founder and “Chief of Lounge” of Lounge Diggaz, with its ever-changing line-up of performers, dedicated to “loungified” mashups. His 2025 album Algorithmically Elevated explores transhumanism and our digital future. Since 2012, he has been a staple of Burning Man as a leader of the Playa Piano Bar mutant vehicle/art car, the world’s first and only elevated mobile dueling piano venue.
He is also the Producer and Music Supervisor of the romantic musical comedy The Karaoke King (IMDb), and leads visual storytelling at Diggz Studios, exploring the human spirit through a digital lens.
Follow his thoughts on Marketing, AI strategy and ethics on Medium
