Frank Gullo has spent much of his professional life working in technology, but his creative interests have always extended beyond software. With a master’s degree in English and a career that began in programming and database development, he is now a CTO for a global talent staffing company. Alongside that work, he is developing a growing collection of science-fiction stories across books, audio and other media.
“I would say more creating,” he says when asked whether writing has always been his ambition. “I’ve always thought of creation as a mixed media. I do like writing, but I’m not as much of a long-form writer. So it takes me longer to do a novella than it would maybe you. Writing, but more like audio as well, and increasingly, the spaces between.”
Gullo’s approach reflects his interest in how younger audiences consume stories. His daughter is 19, and he sees an opportunity to keep reading relevant by allowing stories to move between formats rather than treating the printed book as the only destination.
His young adult science-fiction sports story, originally published as a novella, is set in the world of American football. After regaining the rights, he released it independently as an ebook, paperback and audiobook. A Spanish-language edition is now in development, while other audio stories are expanding the same fictional universe.
Black Mirror Quality
He has also recently completed a more adult science-fiction serial, which he describes as having a Black Mirror quality. Originally written as a story during graduate school, it was later developed as a screenplay and adapted into an audio podcast. The premise involves an AI interrogating a prisoner, with a vision of what might happen if an extreme technology-control system gained control.
“I always thought it would work better as a dialogue piece,” he says. “I wanted to do the podcast first, in part to learn audio, but I have a prose version of it, along with other stories, a standalone audiobook version of the audio podcast, and then I do think it would adapt to film.”
The audio work is becoming increasingly ambitious. Rather than relying solely on a narrator reading a text, Gullo wants to incorporate sound design, music and performance. A recent recording with an American country music artist includes a cover of a song by 10,000 Maniacs, the band associated with Natalie Merchant. He expects that release, along with the Spanish-language edition, to be available around October.
“All of them, I want to be production,” he says. “To me, that’s more exciting, and it’s more tied to doing more movie and gaming stuff. I want to move more toward that. It’s just harder. It takes time and money to do sound.”
Immersive StoryTelling
Gullo is also interested in the possibilities of immersive storytelling, including augmented reality, virtual reality and technologies that could make fictional worlds more interactive. He believes science fiction has only begun to explore these possibilities and that the genre can move beyond familiar stories about robots as a threat.
For now, he is balancing his creative work with his corporate career, gradually building an audience and looking for collaborators. He is particularly interested in connecting with European creatives and audio platforms, and is open to working with publishers while continuing to develop his projects independently.
“I do reach out to publishers sometimes,” he says. “I think eventually, if I have enough followers, they’ll be interested. But they will probably be interested when I don’t need them anymore, which will be funny. That’s always the author paradox, I think.”
His interest in AI is similarly practical. He sees value in tools that connect people and support creative work, while maintaining that the human contribution remains essential. In a world where more people have access to the same technology, the distinction lies in what the creator brings to it.
Gullo’s work can be explored through Only Human, where his audio projects and trailers are available. He is also planning further releases and collaborations as he develops his science-fiction universe across formats.
The future
Gullo’s audio work is growing more ambitious. Rather than a lone narrator reading text, he’s layering in sound design, voice actors, and music. Only Human: BOUND, a fully produced audio serial with original sound design, is available now. A new Only Human story, “Noah’s Dove” — narrated by an American country music artist — will feature a 10,000 Maniacs cover. Gullo expects it, along with the Spanish-language edition (Tan Solo Humano), to release this fall.
