Will's family is intensely involved in Okii Systems, and he is especially fortunate to have their help, support, and experience. His mother Cookie, sister Kristi, and brother-in-law Fabio are all amateur or professional photographers and filmmakers. Kristi and Fabio are both graduates from Pratt Institute, and Fabio currently runs 3Toad Films and Love Sick Video Journalism in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The origin of Okii Systems began during one of the most recent family trips to Japan. Will's background in embedded systems design and enthusiasm for photography coincided with Fabio's expertise in filmmaking. While lugging multiple cameras around Tokyo, they realized there was a need for something lighter and smaller than a mechanical follow focus and rig. A controller that leveraged Canon's USB implementation could potentially replace a mechanical follow focus, while providing a whole range of additional functions.