Jake Trussell

Listener Maker Communicator

Whether designing a brand, running a campaign, or producing music, my objective is to create resonant experiences.

Biography

As a multifaceted creative entrepreneur, Jake Trussell is renowned for his work in various fields including creative direction, music production, and communications strategy.

He's the founder and Creative Director of Metabolize, a strategic communications agency that uses human-centered design to engage audiences by metabolizing business complexities into concise stories that resonate.

Trussell is also the founder of Mashit, a record label that has produced over 20 vinyl and digital releases, earning critical acclaim for its “forward-looking” (URB Magazine) approach “at the crossroads of the … international DJ scene … pushing underground dance culture forward” (Time Out Chicago).

Legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel chose Mashit as a “Label of the Month” after noting their releases had been “killing dance-floors” across Europe and the USA. He then invited Trussell to mix a session of Mashit tracks for his show.

As a recording artist and DJ, Trussell has gained international recognition, touring globally, releasing over 50 records, and composing film scores. He has been praised for his creativity and innovation, and called an “alchemist of sound” (Boston Magazine), a “pivotal figure” (XLR8R Magazine), “clever” and “futuristic” (The Chicago Reader), and a “producer of growing influence” (Time Out Chicago). He also writes about music at Mood Bling.

For most of the 2010s, he served as Creative Director for Chicago’s economic development organization chaired by the Mayor, working to position the city as a global business destination (rated #1 for investment for each of his last 7 years there).

Trussell currently serves as the vice chair of the board of directors for the Arts and Business Council of Chicago, a nonprofit organization serving Chicago’s cultural workers and enterprises to ensure community vitality and an equitable creative economy.

He holds a BFA in Interrelated Media from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and an innovation certificate from IDEO U.

Résumé

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