Background file
No. JR-0424

Background / why this desk exists

About Jake

I am Jake Rains, a builder, creative technologist, and former broadcast storyteller based near Sioux City. I spent years making complicated stories understandable on tight deadlines, then moved deeper into product, AI tools, education, and weird practical software.

Builder / Storyteller / Voice-AI Translator

These days I am mostly interested in the gap between this technology is impressive and this is actually useful now. I build prototypes, apps, field notes, demos, and learning systems that make that gap smaller.

This site is less a resume and more a living desk: projects in progress, shipped experiments, notes from the edge of AI tools, and artifacts from the way I think through things by making them.

Online I have been known as the GenAI Alien, mostly because the internet rewards a good bit. Underneath the bit is a pretty simple instinct: learn the new thing, make it tangible, then help other people find the handle.

Browse the project index Read field notes
Experience ledger
01

ElevenLabs

Customer Enablement

Working on customer enablement: the connective tissue between powerful voice-AI tools and people learning to use them well.
02

LemnIQ

Founder + Product Builder

Built and launched AI-powered products across inventory, transcription, retail analytics, and practical training systems.
03

Sterling

Creative Lead

Owned summit production, brand systems, partner demos, marketing creative, and the company first wave of AI-powered micro-apps.
04

KTIV-TV

Promotions Coordinator + Chief Drone Pilot

Produced Emmy-nominated storytelling, launched the station drone program, and learned how to make complicated ideas land fast.
Working vocabulary

Product + GTM

Product launches, workshop facilitation, brand strategy, technical writing, event production.

Technical

Vibe coding, context engineering, AI coding agents, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor, voice interfaces.

Creative

Video production, motion graphics, UI/UX design, scriptwriting, broadcast storytelling, drone work.

Older notes on the page

Graphic Design & Advertising, Western Iowa Tech Community College, 2007.

Upper Midwest Emmy nominations, MBJA award for USS Sioux City coverage, NVIDIA AI technical curriculum, HubSpot, and Microsoft/LinkedIn generative AI training.