Jake Owens

I've been teaching myself how to make things on computers since I was a kid. It started with wanting to design intros and branding for YouTube creators on a Toshiba laptop that could barely run — I once let a 10-second render cook for 48 hours straight. That stubbornness never really went away. It just found better outlets.

I grew up between Cincinnati and Dayton, played catcher through high school, and poured everything creative into my school's digital media arts program — where I eventually placed 1st out of 44,000 students in the Adobe ACA US National Championship. I studied graphic design at the University of Dayton, starting in digital and fine art, then moving through typography, design systems, branding, and client work. Along the way I picked up a minor in video production, which put me in the truck as a technical director for live sports broadcasts — the same situational awareness I built behind the plate translated directly into calling cameras and leading a crew. I've designed, directed, filmed, and edited across baseball, soccer, volleyball, studio productions, music videos, and a solar eclipse.

What drives all of it is a pretty simple thing: I care about people, and I want to build things that actually help them. That's what pulled me into studying psychology, emotional intelligence, social media's impact on mental health, and eventually building Wingman — an AI-powered EQ coaching app I've been developing from the ground up. I watched AI go from a novelty to something genuinely powerful, and I saw most people using it in ways that barely scratched the surface. I wanted to create something that used it meaningfully — something that felt like it was making a real difference when someone picked it up. That same instinct applies to everything I take on, whether it's a full-stack e-commerce platform for a client or a gameday graphic for a team. I learn what I need to learn, I build what needs to be built, and I try to leave things better than I found them.