Jake Ströh may be best known in the Hype community for his fantastic Lynda course. He’s been working in the digital production and education space for years. When he’s not teaching motion graphics, web design, and digital storytelling at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, he’s creating new digital experiences for clients.
Tell me a bit about yourself and what brought you to Hype:
I started off in audio engineering and video production. The internet started to become “a thing” about 5 years into my career. I was fascinated with the possibilities. It didn’t take long for me to come across Flash. I was particularly interested in working with audio and video on the web. Flash just seemed to open that door. It didn’t take long and I was really getting into motion graphics and interactions which then led to ActionScript, HTML and the beginnings of CSS.
Fast forward to April 2010, where a majority of the work I was doing was Flash/Video based. Steve Jobs declared Flash to be dead and therefor it would be so. 🙂 Other options needed to be explored (despite this declaration from Mr. Jobs) as mobile was becoming the dominant medium for which I was creating content. HTML5, CSS 3 and JavaScript were the logical tools for moving forward, yet I was still yearning to create/generate ideas within a keyframe/timeline based platform. HTML5 canvas wasn’t quite the same experience for roughing out ideas and concepts. When I discovered Hype, it was similar to running across an old friend who had changed with the times, just as I had. We could move onward together with new ideas and possibilities.
What’s most exciting about your job or projects you’re working on?
Directing content through various levels of media channels. No matter what medium I jump in at with a client, it typically leads to translating that content into another platform. I enjoy the challenge of taking a video concept or campaign and translating that into a web or printed piece that extends or complements the overall purpose for the content.
Can you share a hint about what you’ll be speaking about at the conference?
Because Hype has had the Hype Reflect app since version 2.0, it was a logical progression and curiosity to create and preview content specifically for mobile. From using pins to being able to create flexible layouts for different screen sizes in Hype Pro, there is nothing like creating a high fidelity prototype and putting it in the hands of an app developer and/or client and watching them interact with it. I’m excited to share some of the various works that my UI/UX students have done when prototyping, since they are the ones who, with their passion, have pushed the edges of Hype to create the most engaging prototypes.
Anything else you might want to share with attendees about yourself?
The day of our event is my wife’s (Tracey) birthday. 🎂 She works in marketing and is excited to attend the conference.
A Milwaukee based web content creator, educator and author; Jake Ströh enjoys the balance between practitioner and educator. He manages and directs web-based projects that focus on brand-centric development and integration for regional and national clients. He also teaches motion graphics, web design, and digital storytelling at his alma mater, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, where he enjoys educating young talent on the latest creative technology and career trends.
Learn more about Jake at http://jakestroh.com
Meet Jake and more speakers & attendees at the Hype Conference on October 8th.
