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  • About
  • Résumé
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    • Overview
    • Branding
    • Web
    • Experiential
    • Writing
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    • Video
    • Music
  • Connect
  • …  
    • About
    • Résumé
    • Portfolio 
      • Overview
      • Branding
      • Web
      • Experiential
      • Writing
      • Print
      • Photo
      • Video
      • Music
    • Connect
  •  
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    • About
    • Résumé
    • Portfolio 
      • Overview
      • Branding
      • Web
      • Experiential
      • Writing
      • Print
      • Photo
      • Video
      • Music
    • Connect
    • …  
      • About
      • Résumé
      • Portfolio 
        • Overview
        • Branding
        • Web
        • Experiential
        • Writing
        • Print
        • Photo
        • Video
        • Music
      • Connect
    •  
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      • Jake Trussell

        Listener Maker Communicator

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

         
         
         
      • Biography

        Multifaceted creative entrepreneur Jake Trussell is known for his work as a creative director, music producer, and communications strategist.

         

        He's the founder of Metabolize, a strategic communications agency that uses human-centered design to metabolize business complexities into concise stories that engage audiences.

         

        He also founded 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” and invited Trussell to mix a session of Mashit tracks for his show.

         

        As a recording artist and DJ, Trussell has released more than 50 records, composed film scores, and toured the globe. He's been called an “alchemist of sound” by Boston Magazine and a “pivotal figure” by XLR8R Magazine for his innovative recordings and DJ style. The Chicago Reader called his music “clever” and “futuristic” pointing out that he's a “producer of growing influence.”

         

        He continues to produce and curate new music, sometimes writing about it at Mood Bling. He also manages PhilipTrussell.com for his father, a painter and poet living in Austin, TX.

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

         

        For most of the 2010s, he served as Creative Director for Chicago’s economic development organization chaired by the Mayor, positioning the city as a global business destination (#1 for investment, 2013 - 2019).

         

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

        Résumé
        Portfolio
      • Philosophy

        Create Resonant Experiences

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        Listen

        to goals, needs, and problems to be solved

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        Make

        solutions using the right media for the job

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        Communicate

        compelling stories that resonate with audiences
      • Thoughts

        Mood Bling

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        Writings on music in the liminal space between underground & mainstream where no genre is off limits as long as there's magic

        Read Mood Bling

        Design Innovation

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        Writings on human-centered design, creativity, and the process of metabolizing complex ideas into resonant experiences

        Read Design Innovation
      • Drop a Line

      • Connect

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        Email

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        LinkedIn

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        Twitter

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        Facebook

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        Instagram

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        Medium

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        Flipboard

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        Spotfy

      • Thoughts

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        This 6-Step Design Thinking Method Could Improve Employee Experience

        While many organizations have become adept at designing great customer experiences that lead to strong brand affinity, there are far fewer as skillful at creating this level of resonance with their employees, even though companies with a focus on employee experience tend to outperform their competitors … Read on

         

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        Black Music in Chicago: 100 Years of Innovation & Influence

        Black music not only defines the American canon but in one form or another it has dominated global popular music for the past 100 years. Chicago a major global platform for that immense creativity for the past century and its role as a hub of Black musical innovation continues today. … Read on

         

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        Rumination on Innovation

        To innovate is to alter established practices by introducing new ideas. It’s fundamentally creative, but it’s also a science. So why and how do we innovate? … Read on

         

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        Rebranding: A Case Study

        Refreshed positioning and identity shed new light on the who, what and why. … Read on

         

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        Building Site Selector

        Designing and developing an application for mapping optimal business locations … Read on

         

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        Kids Don't Love Terrible Music, They're Taught To

        The New York Times piece “Why Do Kids Love Terrible Music” underestimates kids’ ability to develop their own complex musical tastes. … Read on

         

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        Which Came First, Creatives or the Cash

        How Does the Creative Economy Impact Economic Development? … Read on

         

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        Employee Experience Design is Key for an Exceptional Customer Experience

        Meaningful brand interactions can forge positive relationships with customers. This is amplified when employees also feel good about their company. … Read on

         

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        Passion for Working Late

        Retirement sounds nice, but what if you love your job? How might we deviate from the social norms around aging in the workforce in order to shift from the industrial age into the knowledge economy. … Read on

         

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        The Go

        what is it about Chicago that generates so much creativity and innovation. After all, this is the city that gave birth to both the zipper and the skyscraper; the city where Ferris invented his Wheel; the city where the mobile phones we all carry around were first designed. … Read on

         

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      Jake Trussell

      Listener
      Maker
      Communicator

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