“Every industry I’ve worked in has been on the edge of great change. My job is to bring that future into focus.”

Allow me to introduce myself.

I’m Justin R. Melville. My work has always been about taking things from zero to one — from problem to transformation. Whether it was helping musicians make a living through direct fan support at Airborne, rethinking rentals with Ekaya and reOS, or reshaping media and real estate in Canada, my role is to take vision and make it real. That means weaving ideas into something you can see and feel, something worth investing time, money, and trust into.

I’ve been fortunate to work in industries going through seismic shifts — music, health, housing, media — alongside some of the most maverick and magnificent minds I could imagine. What I’ve learned is simple: success or fail, things change. My contribution is to help shape that change with clarity and courage.

I believe in partnership. Whether with a co-founder, an investor, a customer, or an audience, all commerce is conversation, and all conversation is about connection. I don’t “manage” — I lead teams of talented people to achieve mighty results, often with small constraints. What ties it all together is this: I look ahead, I see what’s coming, and I work to make it tangible.

Some of things I’ve done & accomplished.

Thought Leadership

TEDx speaker, 2012.

Published internationally on creative industries and the music economy.

Entrepreneurship & Leadership

Serial entrepreneur, founder of 3+ startups
(Airborne, Ekaya, reOS).

CEO/CPO roles with exits and acquisitions
(Ekaya → Rental Connect).

Mentorship & Global Impact

Advisor at African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) since 2013.

Mentoring startups in AI and ecological tech.

Brand & Product Transformation

Rebranded and scaled multiple companies across real estate, fintech, health, music, and media.

Created iconic brand assets (50+ logos/identities).

    • Led the rebrand of Western Canada’s largest community media business as part of transformation.

    • Unified multiple legacy brands into a modern multi-channel platform.

    • Drove change management, experience design, and product/brand strategy.

    • VP, Brand: transformed BC’s #1 real estate portal into a major consumer and industry brand.

    • Shifted business from advertising → membership & premium business model.

    • Elevated REW from listings page → premium real estate experience.

    • Founded REW Studio, producing RealTours™ original content series (multiple seasons).

    • Contract role as Principal Designer during pandemic.

    • Spearheaded brand refresh and design of online payment gateway services.

    • Contributed to $83M Series C fundraising.

    • Chief Product Officer, founding exec team.

    • Built next-generation rental payments platform.

    • Launched Automagic™ automations, boosting rental property manager productivity by 20x.

    • Co-founded South Africa’s first residential rental marketplace.

    • Raised ~R10M via Dragon’s Den, 88mph accelerator, SparkUp.

    • Designed innovative rental discovery, verification, and payments tools.

    • Successfully acquired by Rental Connect (2017–2019 transition).

    • Creative Director for startup using computational biology + wearables to predict health and longevity.

    • Helped shape early brand, product concepts, hardware/software experience design.

    • Communicated radical science to corporates, insurers, academia, governments.

    • Founded pioneering peer-to-peer patronage and music distribution service.

    • Built global reach: 168+ countries, 150 currencies; viral-tracking analytics for artists.

    • Delivered TEDx Talk (2012): Rethinking the Music Industry.

    • Partner in design agency delivering tech-enabled campaigns for brands like Bacardi, V&A Waterfront, El Jimador.

    • Specialized in translating traditional brands to digital-first experiences.

    • Created South Africa’s first iPad-driven brand activation.

    • Early innovator in digital-first brand experiences & influencer marketing.

    • Led branding and experience design for pioneering mobile VoIP and messaging startup (pre-iPhone).

    • Built brand system and early IM/VoIP application.

    • Positioned company for acquisition by TelFree.

    • Helped publisher create South Africa’s first premium men’s weekly magazine.

    • Oversaw brand identity, visual system, and launch art direction.

    • Collaborated on sales creative and magazine positioning.

Career, at a glance.

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