About

About

Based in San Francisco, I work at the intersection of story and systems, bringing products, brands, and films to life.


I’m a Stanford-trained designer with a background in film, shaped by a cross-cultural upbringing (German-Brazilian, raised in Dubai). My work focuses on how people find meaning through media and technology, and how narrative, emotion, and interface merge to shape such experiences.


Over time, I’ve moved fluidly between filmmaking, product design, and strategy, often acting as the connective tissue between creatives, engineers, and operators. Today, I focus on the consumer edge of media: how stories are positioned, discovered, and connected with the right audiences, and how design can support that journey end to end.

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Email

Email

jdvrees@stanford.edu

Recent work

Recent work

Sep 2025 – Present

Sep 2025 – Present

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Research Assistant

Research Assistant

Support Professor Ali Yurukoglu with data analysis on his research analyzing the economics of the entertainment industry.

Support Professor Ali Yurukoglu with data analysis on his research analyzing the economics of the entertainment industry.

June 2025 – Jan 2026

June 2025 – Jan 2026

8VC

8VC

Design Fellow

Design Fellow

Initiated and lead 8VC’s video department, producing founder stories on companies across the incubation program and portfolio.

Initiated and lead 8VC’s video department, producing founder stories on companies across the incubation program and portfolio.

Sep 2024 – Aug 2025

Sep 2024 – Aug 2025

ESHAP

ESHAP

Researcher

Researcher

Consulted for partners at ESHAP: Emmy and Peabody award-winning producer Evan Shapīro's 'change agency' that consults on media strategy.

Consulted for partners at ESHAP: Emmy and Peabody award-winning producer Evan Shapīro's 'change agency' that consults on media strategy.

Aug 2024 – Dec 2024

Aug 2024 – Dec 2024

qibb

Product Marketing Manager

Product Marketing Manager

6-month internship at qibb: the leading integration platform for media workflows, they serve major broadcasters, film studios, news outlets and more.

6-month internship at qibb: the leading integration platform for media workflows, they serve major broadcasters, film studios, news outlets and more.

Jan 2024 – Dec 2024

Jan 2024 – Dec 2024

Newform

Head of Design

Head of Design

Led design for the Stanford startup pioneering short-form content marketing, scaling Kajabi, Western Union, 18Birdies, and more.

Led design for the Stanford startup pioneering short-form content marketing, scaling Kajabi, Western Union, 18Birdies, and more.

Jun 2023 – Aug 2023

Jun 2023 – Aug 2023

Wonder Dynamics

Wonder Dynamics

Product Manager

Product Manager

Recently acquired by Adobe: Wonder Dynamics spearheaded AI visual effects innovation.

Recently acquired by Adobe: Wonder Dynamics spearheaded AI visual effects innovation.

John Rees

2026