CHANEL HICKS-GRAY
AI architect and builder. I ship production systems with real auth, real payments, and real users, and I take over the ones that stalled, broke, or got vibe-coded into a corner.
5
LIVE CLIENT SYSTEMS
6+
INDUSTRIES
Web · AI · Games
WHAT I SHIP
ABOUT
I started in psychology, studying how people make decisions, what drives behavior, and why the most logical solution isn't always the one people choose. That foundation changed how I see everything I build. Every system I design is really a question: will a real person actually use this?
Today I work as an AI architect and builder: part strategist, part engineer, part teacher. I take on the whole problem: figuring out what to build, building it (or rescuing the version that stalled), and making sure your team can run it. Sometimes the answer is AI. Sometimes it's a clean workflow and good engineering. The point is what actually works.
I care as much about the team that inherits a system as the system itself. So a build doesn't end at launch, it ends when your people can run it without me, through training and documentation that demystifies the technology instead of hiding behind it.
Founder, Hicks Virtual Solutions LLC
Founder, Stackd Studios AI
I map complexity into clarity, whether that's an operations workflow, a business model, or an AI architecture.
From first conversation to live system: strategy, design, build, and handoff. I own the whole arc, not just the part that's easy to code.
I build with AI when it's genuinely the best tool (agents, automation, LLM features) and reach for plain, solid engineering when that wins instead.
Advice on what to build first, then the training and documentation that lets your team run it confidently without me.
SELECTED WORK
Every window is the live site. Click through to the real thing.
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
Villa Concierge Co
Insurance operations
Chanel replaced three separate tools with one platform that actually fits how we work. Placements, billing, and inventory finally live in one place, and her training meant our team was running it confidently from day one.
Capital Core Dance Studio
Midlothian, VA
“She understood our studio before she touched the code.”
The site she built is fast, beautiful, and made for enrollment, and inquiries climbed within the first month of launch.
Evolution Production Co
Touring ice & dance, DMV
Full brand site shipped in two weeks with zero revision rounds. Chanel just got it, the work carried the weight a performance brand needs without us having to spell it out.
OUTCOMES
3 → 1
Villa Concierge Co
Three separate tools replaced by one operations platform.
2 wks
Evolution Production Co
Full brand site shipped with zero revision rounds.
Monthly
Dance Studio Portal
Tuition billed automatically through PayPal, in production.
EXPERTISE
Three ways to work with me. Every one ends with a system that runs in production and a team that knows how to run it.
01 / NEW BUILD
From idea to live product: data model, auth, payments, email, admin tools, and the AI features that actually earn their place. You get a system you own, documented, deployed, and handed off.
02 / RESCUE
Stalled build, a contractor who disappeared, or an AI-generated codebase that works until it doesn't. I audit it, stabilize it, fix the security holes, and get it shipping again, without a from-scratch rewrite unless it truly needs one.
03 / HIRE ME
Contract or fractional. I design and build agent harnesses, multi-agent orchestration, and AI workflows for teams that need them to run reliably in production, not just in a demo.
Workflows, data structures, and integrations that scale without adding headcount.
Agents, tool use, retrieval, and AI features built into the product itself, with the guardrails that keep them honest.
Web apps, portals, and internal tools that are technically solid, documented, and built to last.
Training and SOPs so your team can run what I build long after the engagement ends.
Not sure which one fits? Tell me where it's stuck.
Start a conversationTECH STACK
What I actually ship with, from the database to the agent layer. I pick what the problem needs, not the trendiest option.
AI & AGENT ENGINEERING
FRONTEND
BACKEND & DATA
PAYMENTS & COMMUNICATION
DEPLOYMENT & OPS
GAMES & 3D
Every tool is chosen on purpose. The goal is always a system that's lean, secure, and built to last.
Let's build togetherFAQ
Yes. That's the rescue work. I audit it, fix the security and payment problems, and get it shipping again without a rewrite unless it truly needs one.
It depends on scope. We set milestones in discovery so you see working pieces early instead of waiting on one big reveal.
Yes, on a contract or fractional basis, as an AI architect and builder: agent harnesses, orchestration, and AI workflows that hold up in production.
A system you own, deployed and documented, plus training so your team can run it without me.
Mostly Next.js, Supabase, and Stripe or PayPal, with Claude and agent tooling where AI earns its place. The full list is in the stack section above.
play ↗CURRENTLY BUILDING
Collect, grow, survive, explore across city and farm worlds, live on Roblox. Outside client work I build games: Roblox, Phaser sims, and a cruise ship management game in Unity.
THE PROCESS
$ discover --or-auditNew build: we map the business and goals first. Rescue: I audit the codebase and tell you plainly what it needs.
$ buildI design and develop the system, keeping you in the loop at every milestone.
$ ship && handoffWe ship and refine, then I document it and train your team to run it.