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

        Résumé

      • PROFILE

        Listener Maker Communicator

        SKILLS

        • Communications
        • Brand Storytelling
        • Experiential Marketing
        • Creative Direction
        • Strategic Planning
        • Social Media Strategy
        • RFP Development
        • Creative Briefs
        • Relationship Building
        • Program Design
        • Business Development
        • Brand Strategy
        • Team Management
        • Agency Management
        • Agile Project Leadership
        • Web Design
        • Content Development
        • Music Curation & Production
        • Graphic Design
        • Writing
        • Photography
        • Public Speaking

        EXPERIENCE

        Founder & Creative Director

        Metabolize

        2018 to Present

         

        Human-centered brand strategy and communications agency engaging audiences by metabolizing complexities into concise stories that resonate

         

        Work includes:

        • Strategic planning
        • Branding (naming, identity, positioning, messaging)
        • Multi-channel campaigns. (web, print, social, event, PR)
        • Content development & curation (writing, photography, music)
        • Website design and development
        • Experiential marketing

        Founder & Creative Director

        Mashit

        2003 - Present

         

        Record label with over 20 releases on vinyl, CD, and digital formats; URB Magazine described Mashit as “one of the most forward-looking labels,” and legendary BBC Radio 1 host John Peel said their “releases are killing dance-floors across Europe and the US months before their release” when he featured Mashit as “Label of the Month” on his show along with a session recorded by Mashit founder DJ C

         

        Music Producer

        DJ C, Jake Trusell

        1994 - Present

         

        Recording artist, DJ, music curator, and film score composer who has performed at mountain-top festivals in Japan, underground raves in London, and nightclubs in Prague, alongside artists including Lupe Fiasco, Four Tet, Rhymefest, Flosstradamus, and DJ /rupture (with whom he founded the Toneburst event production collective); discography features more than 50 records on labels including XL Recordings, Ninja Tune, and Soul Jazz, sharing production credits with the likes of Diplo, Quincy Jones, M.I.A., and Gregory Isaacs; a Chicago Reader review of his 2021 Do Radly album said that the music “brings life-giving daring to his hybridized dance music;” DJ C has held night club residencies in Boston and Chicago where he has also booked other artists from around the world

         

        Creative Director

        World Business Chicago

        2009 to 2018

         

        Designed and managed brands, initiatives and experiential marketing campaigns for Chicago's economic development organization chaired by the Mayor; managed the brand of Chicago as a global business destination (#1 for corporate investment 7 years straight); built brands and communications for a number of civic startups incubated there; designed and led programs and initiatives focused on innovation and entrepreneurship

        Key Roles and Responsibilities:

        • Served as in-house marketing and communications leader, collaborating with C-suite, cross-functional teams, and external government, civic, and private-sector partners to provide clear, strategic leadership through sometimes ambiguous situations; led marketing and communications campaigns with a focus on human-centered experience design (UX) and driving measurable outcomes aligned with company vision, mission, objectives, and values
        • Led the ThinkChicago talent recruitment initiative, bringing more than 1,500 university students to meet with leaders in Chicago’s tech sector, in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office, Lollapalooza, Chicago Ideas Festival, and the University of Illinois
        • Led the ChicagoMade initiative in collaboration with the City's Department of Cultural Affairs, Choose Chicago (tourism agency), and the Mayor’s Office, in order to support the creative economy and elevate the city as a hub of innovation; activations at SXSW led to 175 media stories, 3,000+ attendees at the ChicagoMade music showcase which included artists like Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Saba, and Mick Jenkins, and 50+ meetings between leaders including Mayor Rahm Emanuel, (now Governor) J.B. Pritzker, and executives of companies including Apple, Amazon, Google, and Warner Brothers
        • Led teams using agile project management to design, build, test, and iterate human-centered digital products in collaboration with in-house teams and outside agencies, including numerous websites and the award-winning Site Selector web application; Toolset includes WordPress, Drupal, Squarespace, Strikingly, Jira, Basecamp, Trello, Slack, Creative Suite, G Suite, Office365
        • Managed and mentored internal marketing, communications, and design teams, along with outside agencies to solve problems by collaborating cross-functionally
        • Led teams to design new business processes and systems to improve internal communications and company alignment, including the development of vision, mission, measurable objectives, and company values developed in partnership with a team of organizational psychologists

        Web Consultant

        MacArthur Foundation

        2008


        Developed content for Annual Report, Digital Learning, and MacFound.org websites

        Webmaster

        Massachusetts College of Art & Design

        1999 - 2007

         

        Designed and developed the College's first website in 1999, coordinating across the organization to develop clear, coherent story-telling while maintaining brand consistency; managed an external agency to develop the award-winning website redesign in 2002; provided branding, communications, and technology strategy for the College President and departmental directors

        BOARDS & VOLUNTEERING

        Vice Chair, Board of Directors

        Arts & Business Council of Chicago

        2018 – Present

         

        A&BC envisions a world where creativity is universally valued as a resource with limitless potential for social and economic impact, and provides programming that serves Chicago’s cultural workers and enterprises in order to ensure community vitality and an equitable creative economy; led development of the 2022 strategic plan; led 2020 anniversary events with the ChiMusic35 experiential marketing campaign generating 9 Chicago Reader articles and over 2 million online impressions in order to raise funds for, increase awareness of, and generate engagement with the organization in lieu of in-person events during the Covid19 pandemic

         

        Braintrust

        GreenHouse Innovation

        2018 – Present

         

        A group of thinkers using the Innovation Dynamics framework to help solve social problems in collaboration with organizations like the Chicago Literacy Alliance, Shedd Aquarium, and Design for America

         

        Advisor

        Year of Chicago Music

        2019 – 2021

         

        Served on 3 working groups with the City’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (Marketing; Professional Development & Music Industry; Research, Infrastructure, and Cultural Policy) to support and promote Chicago's vibrant music sector

         

        Mentor
        2112 Creative Industry Incubator

        2015 – 2020


        Mentor startup entrepreneurs in design, branding, and marketing strategy at business incubator focused on music, media, entertainment, and other creative industries

        Radical Creator

        Chicago Ideas

        2014 – 2020


        Active in a community of change-makers breaking down silos and sparking connections across Chicago

         

        Advisor
        Year of Chicago Theatre

        2017 - 2018

         

        Worked with Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and the League of Chicago Theatres to support and promote Chicago's theatre industry, leading to the “Year of Chicago Theatre” (2019)


        Advisor
        LakeFX Summit

        2014 – 2017


        Creative industry professional development conference

        Advisor
        Chicago Music Summit

        2013


        Music industry professional development conference

        EDUCATION

        BFA, Media & Performing Arts, Interrelated Media

        Massachusetts College of Art & Design - Boston, MA | Graduated with Distinction

        1998

         

        Blockchain Certificate

        edX (Linux Foundation)

        2018

        Insights for Innovation Certificate

        IDEO U

        2016

        SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

        Thrive Talk
        Havas Life

        2022

        Presented the ChiMusic35 campaign to the Havas Life agency teams in Chicago and New York as part of their Thrive Talk series focused on how to help people thrive.

         

        Psychology of Creativity
        Illinois Institute of Technology

        2020


        Presented to an organizational psychology class on the ways in which the creative process, design thinking, and innovation can be applied across sectors.

         

        Design for America Summit
        Northwestern University's Segal Design Institute

        2019


        Presented on the use of design methodologies to improve employee experience

         

        Leadership for Creative Enterprises
        Northwestern University's School of Communications

        2018

         

        Spoke on building and collaborating with innovative businesses and organizations, in conversation with Melissa Kaufman, Executive Director of The Garage incubator

        Lake FX Summit

        Multi-venue Creative Industry Conference

        2015 - 2017


        Moderated discussions with Kickstarter co-founder Charles Adler, Cards Against Humanity co-founder Max Temkin, Threadless CEO Jake Nickell, Fake Shore Drive founder Andrew Barber, Young Chicago Authors Artistic Director Kevin Coval, and others

        Taste of Chicago
        Grant Park

        2016


        Moderated a discussion on designing experiences across industries with Lupe Fiasco's tour manager, Iridium Clothing Co. Creative Director and rapper Pugs Atomz, and the creative agency for The Second City and Pitchfork Meida

        Grammy Town Hall

        2014


        Moderated a discussion on Chicago’s creative industries at a Recording Academy event

        Visiting Lecturer
        Harvard University

        2000 – 2007


        Lectured on music production and culture

        AWARDS

        Site Selection Magazine’s Top Metro for Corporate Relocation & Investment

        2013 – 2019


        Top industry accolade 7 years in a row for Wold Business Chicago’s work marketing Chicago as a business destination

        International Economic Development Council Award

        2012


        SiteSelector Web Application

        AIGA Web Design Award

        2002


        MassArt.edu

         

      Jake Trussell

      Listener
      Maker
      Communicator

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