Jake Trussell

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, and music producer.
As Director of Marketing and communications at Intuit Art Museum, Trussell helps welcome audiences to explore the work of artists who have traditionally been 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 earned critical acclaim for what the Chicago Reader called its “Innovative … clever … futuristic” approach. Legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel even invited Trussell to mix a session of Mashit tracks for his show.
As a recording artist and DJ, Trussell has released 50+ records, composed film scores, and performed around 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.
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.
Résumé
Portfolio
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.”
- Chicago Reader
“Trussell said … the new initiative will sustain Chicago’s vibrant artistic community by building a brand that highlights the city’s history and future.”
- The Daily Northwestern
“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.”
- Chicago Tribune
“World Business Chicago Creative Director Jake Trussell Talks Side Hustles, Brands, & Job Creation”
- Leadership for Creative Enterprises at Northwestern University
“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.”
- NBC4 Washington D.C.
“For the past 10 years, Jake Trussell has been a pivotal figure in Boston’s electronic music scene”
- XLR8R Magazine
“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”
- Boston Phoenix
Review of The Strangler's Wife by Cul de Sac (Featuring Jake Trussell): “Positively georgous.”
- Pitchfork
Selected Writing
The Sound of Chicago: Where Creativity Meets Innovation
- Huffington Post
How to Attract the Brightest Tech Talent? ThinkChicago
- Microsoft Blog
Black Music in Chicago: 100 Years of Innovation & Influence
- Mood Bling ->
Elevating Creative Economies
- Design Innovation
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
Read Mood Bling
Design Innovation
Thoughts on human-centered design, creativity, and the process of metabolizing complex ideas into resonant experiences
Read Design Innovation
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Jake Trussell

Listener Maker Communicator

“Whether designing a brand, running a campaign, producing music, or making art, I aim to create resonant experiences.”

Biography

Philosophy

Create Resonant Experiences

Listen

Make

Communicate

Did You Hear That?

Press

“Chicago producer Jake Trussell has developed a gift for extracting the DNA from an eclectic variety of pop subgenres.”

- Chicago Reader

“Trussell said … the new initiative will sustain Chicago’s vibrant artistic community by building a brand that highlights the city’s history and future.”

- The Daily Northwestern

“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.”

- Chicago Tribune

“World Business Chicago Creative Director Jake Trussell Talks Side Hustles, Brands, & Job Creation”

- Leadership for Creative Enterprises at Northwestern University

“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.”

- NBC4 Washington D.C.

“For the past 10 years, Jake Trussell has been a pivotal figure in Boston’s electronic music scene”

- XLR8R Magazine

“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”

- Boston Phoenix

Review of The Strangler's Wife by Cul de Sac (Featuring Jake Trussell): “Positively georgous.”

- Pitchfork

Selected Writing

The Sound of Chicago: Where Creativity Meets Innovation

- Huffington Post

How to Attract the Brightest Tech Talent? ThinkChicago

- Microsoft Blog

Black Music in Chicago: 100 Years of Innovation & Influence

- Mood Bling ->

Elevating Creative Economies

- Design Innovation

More Writing

Mood Bling

Design Innovation

Drop a Line