Welcome to Energy Bytes - your essential guide to the intersection of data and energy.

Hosted by industry veterans John Kalfayan and Bobby Neelon, this podcast dives deep into the world of energy, shedding light on how data, AI, and technology are revolutionizing this sector.
All Episodes

Latest Episodes

All Episodes
#78

EP 78: Bruce Holman & Corey Scott from Energy Payables

Bruce Holman and Corey Scott showed up ready to blow up the idea that accounts payable has to be slow, messy, and stuck in the past. They walked us through how Energy Payables is flipping the script with a platform that actually makes sense for operators and vendors, think cleaner workflows, real transparency, and smart tech like AI doing the heavy lifting instead of some poor soul buried in spreadsheets. Between the stories from the field, the back-office chaos they’re fixing, and the vision they have for where oil and gas operations should be headed, this conversation feels like a peek at how the industry finally gets out of its own way and into something a whole lot more efficient.Click here to watch a video of this episode.00:00 - Intro01:42 - EnergyLink Platform08:37 - JIBLink Overview14:15 - Understanding JIBs18:10 - Vision for the Platform20:57 - Evolution of Tech Stack26:08 - Introduction to Energy Payables28:18 - What is Energy Payables?30:14 - Network Effects in Energy Sector32:50 - Vendor Pain Points38:15 - Energy Payables Pricing Model40:25 - AI Impact on Energy Ogre44:05 - AI for Normalizing Frac Data47:43 - Data Extraction from PDFs50:35 - Azure Cloud Solutions52:07 - Introduction to DataFoundry55:54 - Token Models Explained58:12 - Overview of DuckDB59:04 - Energy Payables API Insights1:02:30 - Speed Round Discussion1:06:44 - Contact Information1:08:35 - Conclusion and Wrap Uphttps://twitter.com/collide_iohttps://www.tiktok.com/@collide.iohttps://www.facebook.com/collide.iohttps://www.instagram.com/collide.iohttps://www.youtube.com/@collide_iohttps://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.socialhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters
#77

EP 77: Justin McBroom, Operations Data Specialist

Justin has a way of making the oilfield and the data world feel like they’ve always belonged together. He walked us through how he’s helped teams untangle messy workflows, clean up data quality issues, and actually make analytics useful instead of overwhelming. From his time at Marathon Oil to experimenting with tools like Snowflake and Alteryx, he’s all about boosting efficiency and giving people the confidence to make smarter decisions. We also ended up talking about where AI actually fits into oil and gas, not the hype, but the stuff that genuinely moves the needle.Click here to watch a video of this episode.00:00 - Intro01:12 - Justin McBroom Introduction05:29 - Data as a Strategic Asset09:08 - Accessing Data Effectively11:04 - Optimizing Spotfire Performance14:30 - Common Pitfalls to Avoid17:44 - Empowering Your Workforce19:50 - Alteryx Virtual Query Builder Insights27:38 - Justin’s 100+ Day Streak Achievement29:37 - Analyzing Most Popular Posts31:12 - Strategies for Successful Posts33:55 - The Dynamics of Social Media Posting37:18 - The Return of Vine40:06 - Passionate Posts Discussion46:02 - AI Designed for Success50:29 - Recommendations for Companies55:20 - Encouraging Tool Exploration57:28 - Accountability in Work1:06:06 - Speed Round Q&A1:09:04 - Favorite Houston Restaurant Picks1:09:31 - Tools Everyone Should Use1:10:27 - How to Connect with Justinhttps://twitter.com/collide_iohttps://www.tiktok.com/@collide.iohttps://www.facebook.com/collide.iohttps://www.instagram.com/collide.iohttps://www.youtube.com/@collide_iohttps://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.socialhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters
#76

EP 76: Christy Hopkins & Philip Heggelund from PandoScape

PandoScape is on a mission to make data actually make sense. We sat down with Christy Hopkins and Philip Heggelund, the CEO and CTO duo behind the company, to talk about how they’re untangling the mess of data integration in energy. From subsurface insights to cloud headaches, they’re rethinking how information flows across the industry. We got into the good stuff: cleaning up bad data, breaking down silos, and figuring out how to build real trust in data systems. Christy and Philip aren’t just building tools, they’re building a future where energy companies actually use their data instead of drowning in it.Click here to watch a video of this episode.00:00 - Intro01:23 - Christy’s International Experience03:22 - Recent Cloud Outages06:05 - On-Prem AI Servers10:59 - PandoScape Overview18:05 - PandoScape's Services20:50 - Unique Features of PandoScape23:20 - PandoScape’s Technology Stack25:00 - PandoScape’s Business Model26:40 - Target Market for PandoScape28:20 - Future Plans for PandoScape30:00 - PandoScape’s Funding History31:40 - Hiring Plans at PandoScape33:20 - PandoScape’s Culture and Values34:15 - Data Engineering vs Data Science36:10 - Google vs Bing Comparison40:10 - Impact of COVID-1945:58 - The AI Hype Cycle49:15 - Choosing the Right Tools51:00 - Importance of Quality Data52:32 - MCP Server Overview56:25 - gRPC Technology57:49 - MCP Server Functionality1:00:32 - The Magic Layer Concept1:06:08 - Memory of Things1:12:30 - Speed Round1:15:57 - Contacting the PandoScape Team1:16:40 - Making a Good Mimosa1:17:22 - Making a Good Margarita1:17:33 - How to Drink Tequilahttps://twitter.com/collide_iohttps://www.tiktok.com/@collide.iohttps://www.facebook.com/collide.iohttps://www.instagram.com/collide.iohttps://www.youtube.com/@collide_iohttps://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.socialhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters
#75

EP 75: Rudy Lacovara from PetroBricks

Rudy Lacovara is on a mission to untangle the messy data spaghetti that runs through oil and gas. He built PetroBricks to be the “Zapier for energy”, a way to connect clunky systems, automate the repetitive stuff, and make workflows actually make sense. We got into the pain points everyone in the industry knows too well: outdated data standards, SCADA headaches, and the constant struggle to automate without breaking things. Rudy shared how his aerospace background shaped the way he approaches energy tech, why MQTT matters, and how low-code platforms could finally change the game for operators. If you’ve ever wished your data systems would just talk to each other, this one’s for you.Click here to watch a video of this episode.00:00 - Intro00:44 - Houston Energy and Climate Week02:56 - PetroBricks Overview06:36 - What is PetroBricks?09:58 - PetroBricks Location12:45 - Sparkplug B Overview14:07 - Common Integrations17:02 - Data Acquisition from Service Companies19:12 - Journey into Tech24:34 - Inspiration for PetroBricks28:05 - Entry into Oil and Gas31:15 - Issues with Frac Data34:55 - PetroBricks Insights38:58 - Tools Used by Matt41:18 - Akka Framework43:58 - AI Coding Tools Overview46:04 - PetroBricks Technology Stack48:49 - Understanding Containers51:01 - Benefits of Containers54:33 - Speed Round59:30 - Favorite Vacation Destination59:35 - Preferred LLM for Problem Solving01:01:09 - Houston Insights01:01:29 - Book Recommendation01:03:54 - How to Connect with Rudyhttps://twitter.com/collide_iohttps://www.tiktok.com/@collide.iohttps://www.facebook.com/collide.iohttps://www.instagram.com/collide.iohttps://www.youtube.com/@collide_iohttps://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.socialhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters