👋 Hello there, I’m Jacob Tender.
I am a full stack web developer working in northeastern Ohio.
At work, I build quality web experiences for brands. This means care and attention to both consumer and business UX. I'm on my cloud journey in AWS and find any opportunity to flex my design experience that I can.
I have an AA in Music Industry Management [1] and a BS in Computer Information Systems and Computer Programming.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading and writing. I like to camp, hike, kayak, and climb when I get the opportunity. Taking photographs normally accompanies these activities.
My interests include technology, film, design, and organizing both my digital and physical media libaries which are growing out of control.
You can find my film diary on Letterboxd, my physical music and book collections on Discogs and Library Thing, book reading diary on Bookwyrm, current music listening habits on Apple Music and Last.fm, and show list on Concert Archives. When I drink craft beer, I log it on UnTappd. I keep a list of the technology I use here.
You may be interested in my occasional music writing at discography.fm.
See more on my work in the entertainment industry below. ↩︎
Previously
In 2009, I began my foray into the entertainment and technology industries by handling the administrative duties of several fan forums and music blogs. This continued through my junior year of high school when I joined Under The Gun Review as Managing Editor.
Within the first several months there, I took over administrative duties. My areas of expertise in this role included analytics, SEO, and social media integration. I learned a lot about these topics in my 3 years at Ayzenberg Group. After the first year, the Under The Gun’s traffic tripled due to these strategies and the site’s premium content. Not long after, the publication was noticed by SpinGroup LLC (formerly BuzzMedia and SpinMedia), which resulted in an acquisition in 2012. The site returned to independent operation shortly before it was archived in 2016.
Over the years, I’ve also contributed writing to other alternative music publications such as Alternative Press, Mind Equals Blown, Absolutepunk, Modern Vinyl, and WhatCulture. I've backed up most of this writing here.
In 2013, I began Bottle Cap Media, a boutique publicity firm. My clientele included Antique Records, InTheClouds Records, Late In The Playoffs, Squid The Whale, and Shapes & Colors. I also worked as an in-house publicist and A&R for Other People Records, working press placements for bands like Taken, Trade Wind, Sea Cycles, Avaberee, Narrow / Arrow, and Souvenirs.
For a time, I took on the role of Digital Content Editor at Substream Magazine. My duties there included managing and editing original content for the publication’s website. I managed a team of 30+ contributors and wrote two cover stories in print.
For several years, I had the good fortune of being the Community Manager for Breaker, a podcast app with a social twist and knack for discovery. There I facilitated relationships with podcasters and their growing base of dedicated users.
I co-hosted both a Star Wars themed podcast called Bantha Fodder and general interest program and audio journal called Podchasm, both with friend and musician Mike Comite. My show about the working lives of creatives is called Variable Bitrate. All of these are currently on hiatus.
I've also done some freelance podcast editing and graphic design work on the side.
That takes us back to the present. 🔝
