Industrially Mastered My Conversation With Jason Mayden
Last week I sat down and learned about why my good friend Jason Mayden left Nike to capture his masters degree from Stanford University in the summer of 2010. I have been wanting to discuss this with Jay for months as it is such a rare thing to have your masters as a designer. Sit back and listen to Jason’s inspring words as he describes why he decided to get his masters, who he was surrounded by while at Stanford and ultimately how it influences his new role at Nike, Director of Innovation in Digital Sport.
So sit back and take in all the information that Jay is dropping and feel free to comment and ask questions below.
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“We get so caught up on getting a pat on the back from other designers versus getting a pat on the back from the people we’re serving…”
Guilty. Thanks to Jason for taking time to do this.
Thanks for sharing this Brett. Appreciate your effort in keeping your site full of new and relevant content. Thanks again!
Thank you for checking it out! Keep coming back there is plenty more to come.
As always thanks Brett, J is an awesome dude and when I met him a few years ago he took some time to sit down and talk with me and it really meant a lot. Glad he is having such great success, couldnt happen to a better person.
No problem Trevor, I am glad you liked it!
Jay is a true advocate of design for many reasons but the number one is what you mentioned above. He is always more than willing to help guide the next generation of designers. Which is a quality that many designers aren’t always willing to embrace. I can’t thank him enough for the amount of time he has spent with me over the years talking shop and helping me guide my way through my crazy career.
Great probing opened-ended questions with great articulate answers makes this interview awesome. This seems like a basic insider interview but provides a lot of insight into how the guys on the inside think and what the strategies are for the big sport companies.
I love the description of Stanford atmosphere vs the Harvard types. I almost started to fill out an app for grad school there after the interview, then I woke up! What stood out to me is I always think is there someone I can relate to like me; passionate about design, hip hop head forever, athlete, who loves math, and works hard but doesn’t brag. It’s good to hear I don’t have to be one or the other but being all is cool and works.
Question for Jay:
What does he suggest for a guy who drove from Florida to live in Beaverton,do to get inside of Nike WHQ?
First, congrats on following your dreams!
I would suggest getting involved in the local sneaker community. Try reaching out to Dwayne Edwards and PenSole, take a tour of Nike but most importantly let people know what it is that you are trying to do and how they (we) can help. We can’t give you a job but we can prepare you for when your opportunity comes. Preparation is key to success.
Good luck and God Bless!
Thanks for the reply Jay. That is a good way to phrase asking how do I get into Nike. From now on. I will ask how can I prepare for the opportunitiy of getting into Nike. I have looked into pensole classes but they look like they are for college students but I guess I can’t let that stop me. I’ll have to get with Dwyane directly. Thanks again and good luck to you too!
Non stop, inovative ideas always coming from you Bret. That’s why I dial you in daily.
Inspiring words from Jason make this a great interview. My hats off to both of you for sharing.
So I have to ask . . . Does Jason inspire you to add a masters to your career? And if so, what would be your reasons?
Thanks Dave, consistency is king so I have to be nonstop.
Jason definitely inspires me to get my masters, that’s part of the reason why I wanted to do this podcast. As of right now I would get mine in business or marketing. Marketing in particular excites me as I love to communicate the story of product to people.
Both I think can help me within my corporate career and both can help me if I ever decide to build my own empire.
Jason, I’ve heard that you have left your Digital Sport position at Nike recently. Where are you off to now?