
- Jake Trussell
Listener Maker Communicator
“Whether designing a brand, running a campaign, producing music, or making art, I aim to create resonant experiences.”
Biography
Jake Trussell is known for his work as a creative director, communications strategist, music producer, and DJ.
As Director of Marketing and Communications at Intuit Art Museum, Trussell welcomes audiences to explore the work of artists who have developed a sustained practice outside the mainstream art world.
He is also the founder of Mashit, a record label that has produced over 20 vinyl and digital releases and gathered fans worldwide, including legendary BBC Radio 1 host John Peel, who invited Trussell to mix a session of Mashit tracks. The Chicago Reader has called Mashit “Innovative … clever … futuristic.”
As a recording artist and DJ, Trussell has released 50+ records, composed film scores, and performed around the globe. Boston Magazine has called him an “alchemist of sound,” and XLR8R Magazine a “pivotal figure” for his innovative recordings and DJ style.
He's currently producing an interdisciplinary project called HopesAndDrums, combining music, writing, visual art, video, bookmaking, and games. Their work has been published in creAtIva Magazine (Spain), WowWorld Magazine (Germany), and Prompt Magazine (Italy), and exhibited at the LABoral Center for Art in Spain, and Mass MOAA in the US. Limited edition giclée prints of their work are available from FineArtPrints in Spain.
Trussell previously served as Vice Chair of the Arts and Business Council of Chicago and, for most of the 2010s, was Creative Director for Chicago’s economic development organization chaired by the Mayor, where he successfully positioned the city as a top global business destination, recognized as #1 for corporate investment for 7 consecutive years.
He earned a BFA in Interrelated Media from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, a generative AI prompt engineering certificate from IBM, and an innovation certificate from IDEO U.
- Philosophy
Create Resonant Experiences
Listen
to gain understanding
Make
using appropriate media for the project
Communicate
work that engages audiences
Did You Hear That?
100 Years of Popular Music… In 2 Minuites
When Trussell presented at 20x2 — an event where 20 people from various walks of life are asked the same question and given 2 minutes each to answer in any way they choose — the question was, “Did you hear that?” The results could take any form, from spoken word to music to film. Trussell presented an overview of 20th-century popular music genres squeezed into those 2 minutes. Here's a video of his presentation. He also wrote an article that takes a deeper dive into the subject and features a Spotify playlist.
Press
“Chicago producer Jake Trussell has developed a gift for extracting the DNA from an eclectic variety of pop subgenres.”
“Trussell said … the new initiative will sustain Chicago’s vibrant artistic community by building a brand that highlights the city’s history and future.”
“ChicagoMade … returning to [SXSW] to promote the city's offerings for the third time in three years … will host a daylong networking event … said Jake Trussell, Creative Director at World Business Chicago.”
“World Business Chicago Creative Director Jake Trussell Talks Side Hustles, Brands, & Job Creation”
“Jake Trussell … a prime mover … frequently spins around [Chicago] at clubs like Lava & Subterranean, hosts a radio show on WLUW, [and runs] his own Mashit label.”
“For the past 10 years, Jake Trussell has been a pivotal figure in Boston’s electronic music scene”
“A remix of [M.I.A.'s] text-flirt anthem U.R.A.Q.T. by Boston’s Jake Trussell, a/k/a DJ C, has been licensed by XL Recordings”
Selected Writing
The Sound of Chicago: Where Creativity Meets Innovation
How to Attract the Brightest Tech Talent? ThinkChicago
Black Music in Chicago: 100 Years of Innovation & Influence
Elevating Creative Economies
More Writing
Mood Bling
Thoughts on music in the liminal space between the underground & the mainstream, where no genre is off limits as long as there's magic
Design Innovation
Thoughts on human-centered design, creativity, and the process of metabolizing complex ideas into resonant experiences
Drop a Line

Jake Trussell
Listener
Maker
Communicator