Joshua McKenzie German
01 About 02 Podcasts 03 Photography 04 AI 05 Brand Work 06 Culture Shop Contact Book a shoot
Portfolio — 2026 Edition Photography × Podcasts × AI × Brand Strategy Los Angeles, CA — 34.05°N, 118.24°W

Joshua McKenzie German

Portrait of Joshua McKenzie German
01 / 09 35mm Film · Lab Scan
Photographer Podcaster AI Builder & Creator Brand Strategist

Strategy, stories, and the things I build when nobody assigned them. Now booking independent work.

8+
Years Strategy
50+
Campaigns
4+
Years Building With AI
Book a Shoot Start a Project
CH. 01

About Joshua

My Journey
Columbia, SC → Los Angeles, CA
Joshua McKenzie German
Joshua McKenzie German Fig. 01
Based
Los Angeles, CA
From
Columbia, SC
Currently
Senior Connections Strategist
Agency
TBWA\Chiat\Day
Education
Mass Communications, University of South Carolina
Status
● Now booking shoots & projects

I started as a reporter. I still work like one — find the real story, then make people feel it.

Columbia, South Carolina. Journalism & Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina, a minor in Information Science, and a run as assistant sports editor at The Daily Gamecock. Deadlines taught me the whole job: find the story, get it right, file it before midnight.

Then advertising. Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Wieden+Kennedy, and now TBWA\Chiat\Day, where I’m a Senior Connections Strategist on Levi’s, Sephora, and DIRECTV. My job is deciding where a brand shows up — and making sure it earns the attention once it gets there. Some of that work ran in the Super Bowl. Some of it won at Cannes.

I also build. For four years I’ve shipped my own tools with Claude, Codex, and Gemini — audience intelligence systems, strategy apps, interactive experiences. A strategy is easier to believe when you can click on it.

Off the clock I shoot, host, and write. Behind the lens or behind the mic, it’s the same instinct: understand the thing, then tell it better than I found it.

The Signal Trace — Five Cities, One Trajectory Index of Chapters
Origin Born and raised, Columbia, South Carolina University of South Carolina Born and raised in the capital of South Carolina. Studied Journalism & Mass Communications with a minor in Information Science. Served as assistant sports editor for The Daily Gamecock. Where the storytelling started.
2021–23 Charlotte, NC → San Francisco, CA Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (Remote) Lived in Charlotte, worked for Goodby in San Francisco — remote, with long stretches on the ground in SF. Campaigns for BMW, Pepsi, and more. Built a home studio and learned cultural strategy from one of the best shops in the business.
2023–24 Portland, OR Wieden+Kennedy Media and Communications Supervisor at W+K. On the team behind DoorDash “All The Ads” — the Super Bowl campaign that took the Cannes Grand Prix.
2024–Now Los Angeles, CA ● Current TBWA\Chiat\Day Senior Connections Strategist at the Disruption Company. Levi's × Beyoncé, Sephora, DIRECTV. Where culture, entertainment, and technology collide — the best place to be building what’s next.
CH. 02

On Air

My Voice
Four Shows · 2020 – Present

Four shows I host, produce, and edit myself. History and power. AI without the jargon. Creative strategy. Long conversations with people who make things.

The Eclectic Polymath Podcast
2026 – Present

The Eclectic Polymath

Everything is interesting when you dig deep enough. Deep dives on history, geopolitics, power, culture, and human behavior. No lane. No niche. Curiosity without borders.

Now Airing
Approachable AI
2026 – Present

Approachable AI

Demystifying AI, one episode at a time. No jargon, just what's actually happening and why it matters.

Now Airing
Curious & Creative
2026 – Present

Curious & Creative

With co-host Janelle. Where creative strategy meets real conversation: the ideas, decisions, and cultural moments that shape how we see, and sell, the world.

Now Airing
Dominate The Decade
2020 – 2023

Dominate The Decade

Weekly conversations about growth, culture, and building a meaningful decade. Exploring what it means to live intentionally and dominate your own path.

Archive · 3 Seasons
CH. 03

Photography

People · Places
Gatherings
Book a shoot →Full photography site →
Black-and-white portrait of a father holding a baby outdoors.
Fashion portrait of a model in a red coat and knit hat against a pale studio wall.
A red sun hangs over a hazy landscape lined with palm trees.
Two people stand in red and blue light against a wall covered in newspaper pages.
Mist moves through a pine forest and mountain valley.
Fashion portrait of a model seated in a patterned green look and white trousers.
Two visitors share a quiet conversation inside an art museum.
Portrait of a man in dark glasses and a leather jacket against vivid graffiti.
A concert crowd faces intersecting beams of white and blue stage light.
A lone walker crosses a mountain overlook as sunlight breaks through cloud.
Fashion portrait of a woman with copper hair seated against a rough concrete wall.
A small production crew gathers around a plated dish on a culinary set.
Rock formations sit offshore beneath a pale band of ocean haze.
Portrait of a woman standing beside railway tracks in warm evening light.
Fashion portrait of a man with red-tipped hair, red boots, and a painted black denim look.
Palm trees and beach umbrellas form silhouettes against a blue-orange dusk sky.
Swimmers appear as small figures in a calm sea beneath a pastel sky.
A crowd gathers beneath the glowing sign of a night market.
Sailboats fill a marina with a city skyline rising beyond them.
Portrait of a woman in warm window light beside a chrome pole.
Hands finish a row of carefully plated dishes at an event.
Two men share a conversation outside a corner bar in Rio de Janeiro, a golden dog resting at their feet, a mural of a painted face on the wall behind them.
A full moon rises over fog-shrouded islands in Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro.
The peak of Dois Irmãos rises over a lagoon and the Rio de Janeiro skyline at dusk.
Two yellow trams meet on the tracks in Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro, passengers and pedestrians filling the street.
Portrait of an artist seated in a colorful studio surrounded by his work.
A woman holds a red rose in a brightly colored portrait setting.
A couple in dark clothing stands close together before a graffiti-covered wall.
A tall waterfall drops through a granite valley framed by green trees.
A snow-covered mountain rises behind dark trees at blue hour.
A lifeguard house and palm trees sit on a quiet beach beneath a pink sky.
Two rock formations rise from bright blue water along the coast.
A performer in a quilted jacket stands beneath intense blue stage light.
A DJ works behind a booth in a club lit with purple and green light.
A graduate smiles in cap and gown outdoors after commencement.
A graduate celebrates on the steps of an engineering building.
Friends pose together during a crowded evening market event.
CH. 04

The AI Lab

Superintelligence
Built end-to-end

Apps, tools, and prototypes — from quick Google AI Studio experiments to full platforms shipped end to end with Claude Code and Codex.

View on GitHub
Live
Gen α
Cultural Intelligence

Gen Alpha Intelligence Lab

A living research lab on the forces shaping Gen Alpha culture — insights, findings, creators, and the spaces they actually occupy, with an ingest pipeline for reports, interviews, and field notes. Built with Next.js 16 and Supabase.

Codex View Live →
Live
Dream Journal · Voice

Dreamcatcher

Speak your dream the second you wake up, before it's gone. An adaptive AI interview deepens the recall, then reads it back through four lenses — Jungian, Freudian, cognitive, and cultural — and correlates it against your sleep data.

Codex View Live →
Live
Cultural Search

Meme Library

Describe the meme you half remember and it finds it. Natural-language recall across 1,000+ source-linked clips, reactions, and GIFs — each with provenance and a spread timeline showing how it travelled.

Codex View Live →
Live
♚
Chess · Real-Time

Grandmaster

A live, shared chess tournament hub. Think ESPN Tournament Challenge — but for your friend group. Live bracket tracking, Chess.com integration, auto-seeding by rating.

Claude Code View Live →
Quest Active
XP 2,847 / 5,000
Life Gamification

Life Gamified

A fully-gamified RPG quest journal for real life. Track tasks as quests, earn XP, level up your character, unlock achievements, and build a talent tree. Because life should feel like an epic adventure. Built with React 19 and Claude Code.

Claude Code View Live →
Live
AI Music Collaboration

The Man and the Machine

Play bass or connect MIDI — and the AI plays back. A real-time jam session tool with 10 AI musician personalities: from Supportive to Adversary, Listen to Free. Built with React, TypeScript, Web Audio API, and Claude Code.

Claude Code Launch App →
Music Social

Jukeboxd

Letterboxd for music. Track, rate, and review albums. Share your musical journey and discover new sounds.

Google AI Studio Launch App →
Media Intelligence

Veritas

AI-powered bias detection for news and media. Analyze content for perspective, compare sources, and see the full picture.

Google AI Studio Launch App →
Creator Discovery

Creator Search

AI-powered influencer and creator discovery. Find the perfect creators for your brand based on audience, style, and engagement.

Google AI Studio Launch App →
Digital Closet

Archive

AI-powered wardrobe organizer. Catalog, style, and manage your closet with intelligent outfit recommendations.

Google AI Studio Launch App →
Sound Therapy

Ætheria

AI-generated binaural beats for focus, relaxation, and meditation. Custom soundscapes tailored to your mental state.

Google AI Studio Launch App →
Productivity

Momentum

AI-powered productivity and goal tracking. Build momentum with intelligent task management and progress insights.

Google AI Studio Launch App →
☀️
Life Design

Perfect Day Crafter

Design your ideal day with AI. Plan routines, optimize your schedule, and build habits that align with your goals.

Google AI Studio Launch App →
CH. 04B

Sites I’ve Built

Shows, family & small business
Built from scratch

Websites I’ve built for my own shows, family, and small businesses: booking flows, menus, QR menu boards, contact pipelines. Each one written from scratch, not dropped into a template.

01 Podcast · Show site

Curious & Creative

The home for the show Janelle and I host. Episodes, the conversations behind them, and a way to pitch a guest.

Visit the site ↗
02 Bookkeeping · Walterboro, SC

Milton German Bookkeeping

My dad. Thirty years of South Carolina state government accounting, now keeping the books for small businesses.

03 Private Chef · Dining

DG Creations

Daniel German, Johnson & Wales trained. Private dining, catering, meal prep. "Every plate, a creation."

04 Alterations · Walterboro, SC

Janie Bell's Alterations

A seamstress who'd done professional-grade alterations for fifty years and charged almost nothing for it. Drop-off, mail-in, real booking flow.

05 BBQ & Soul Food · Columbia, SC

The Comeback Truck

My brother Brig's truck. Slow-smoked ribs, pulled pork, chili cheese fries, and the Carolina mustard sauce that brings you back.

Launching soon
06 Percussion · Columbia, SC

Nicholas German

Nick — working drummer. Jazz gigs, gospel worship, weddings, corporate dates. Media reel and a booking pipeline.

Launching soon
CH. 05

Brand Work

Campaign Strategy
TBWA · W+K · GS&P
Levi's × Beyoncé
Senior Connections Strategist • TBWA\Chiat\Day

Levi's x Beyoncé: REIIMAGINE

Redefining an icon. A cultural reset for the denim giant that reimagined American heritage through a modern lens.

🥈 Clio Silver — Fashion & Beauty 2026 🎖️ 2× One Show Merit — 2026
Gatorade × Stranger Things
Connections Strategist • TBWA\Chiat\Day

Gatorade × Stranger Things

An entertainment partnership that took Gatorade into the Upside Down for the final season of a cultural phenomenon.
DoorDash — All The Ads
Media & Comms Supervisor • Wieden+Kennedy

DoorDash: All The Ads

Cannes Grand Prix winning Super Bowl phenomenon.

🏆 Cannes Titanium Grand Prix — 2024 ✏️ D&AD Yellow Pencil — 2024 🦁 8× Cannes Lions — 2024 ✏️ 7× One Show Gold Pencil — 2024 🎖️ 7× One Show Silver/Bronze/Merit — 2024
Driving While Black
Communication Strategist • Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

Driving While Black

A concept car designed to survive racial profiling. Launched at the Detroit Auto Show.

🏆 Clio Grand — 2024 🏅 Shorty Award Winner 🎖️ One Show Bronze + Merit — 2024 ⭐ D&AD Shortlisted
All The Reasons Not To Quit
Connections Strategist • TBWA\Chiat\Day

Gatorade: All The Reasons Not To Quit

An NFL season platform built on every reason athletes have to quit — and why they don’t.
Samuel Adams
Communication Strategist • Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

Samuel Adams: Brighter Boston

Kevin Garnett. Super Bowl LVII. Boston pride.

⭐ Clio Shortlist — 2023
Sephora — Don't Overthink It
Senior Connections Strategist • TBWA\Chiat\Day

Sephora: Don't Overthink It

Holiday gifting made effortless — directed by Taika Waititi.
Xfinity — The Greatest Gift
Communications Strategist • Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

Xfinity: The Greatest Gift

Steven Carell as Santa. Holiday campaign orchestration with strategic influencer partnerships.

🎖️ The One Club Merit — Casting 2021
Preach
Built In-House — Not a Client Brief • Co-Creator, GS&P BLK

Preach

An Instagram game that opened a window into the real Black experience. Something we built, not something we were briefed on — created by GS&P BLK for Black History Month 2021.
Gatorade — Trust What's Inside
Connections Strategist • TBWA\Chiat\Day

Gatorade: Trust What's Inside

Gatorade’s global football platform — fuel and belief, built from the inside out.
Gatorade — Lower Sugar
Connections Strategist • TBWA\Chiat\Day

Gatorade: Lower Sugar

Introducing Gatorade Lower Sugar — all the fuel, less of the sugar.
Gatorade — Body of Science
Connections Strategist • TBWA\Chiat\Day

Gatorade: Body of Science

Gatorade’s sports-science story, told through the athletes who live it.
Sephora — Skin Obsessed
Senior Connections Strategist • TBWA\Chiat\Day

Sephora: Skin Obsessed

Sephora’s skincare platform, built for the skin-obsessed.
DIRECTV — Emmys Hijack
Connections Strategist • TBWA\Chiat\Day

DIRECTV: Emmys Hijack

An OOH hijack of TV’s biggest night — DIRECTV showing up where the Emmys were already looking.
DIRECTV — Like You've Never Seen It
Connections Strategist • TBWA\Chiat\Day

DIRECTV: Like Never Seen

The rebrand platform — DIRECTV like you’ve never seen it.
DIRECTV — Nothing On Your Roof
Connections Strategist • TBWA\Chiat\Day

DIRECTV: Nothing On Your Roof

No dish. No clutter. The satellite company, minus the satellite.
MLB — Baseball Is Something Else
Brand Strategist • Wieden+Kennedy Portland

MLB: Baseball Is Something Else

MLB’s first brand platform in 8 years. Gen Z favorability up 10 points. The campaign that brought a new generation to the ballpark.
BMW — Zeus & Hera
Communication Strategist • Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

BMW: Zeus & Hera

Arnold & Salma. The ultimate electric driving machine.
Califia Farms — Calilujah!
Communication Strategist • Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

Califia Farms: Calilujah!

A joyful celebration of plant-based living.
CH. 06

Culture & Practice

Agency, Culture &
Independent Work

Not client briefs — a selective independent advisory practice, plus the open-source Digital Task Brief.

Digital Task Brief
Independent Practice

Early-Stage Advisory & Brand Strategy

A small number of selected engagements with early-stage companies — brand, audience, and go-to-market strategy for founders building from zero. Separate from agency work. Case details on request.

Pre-launch Brand Strategy Go-to-Market Fractional CMO
Enter Access Code or ask for case details →
Independent Practice
HIIKE Film Festival Platform
Advisor & Strategist • Independent

HIIKE: Brand & Go-to-Market

Built foundational brand, audience, and GTM strategy from the ground up for a pre-launch startup.

Audience Mapping Content Swim Lanes Posting Framework Brand Strategy Go-to-Market
U&AI AI Visibility Venture
Fractional CMO • Independent

U&AI: Chief Marketing Officer

Serving as Fractional CMO for an AI-visibility venture — leading marketing strategy, brand direction, and go-to-market.

Marketing Strategy Brand Direction Go-to-Market Fractional CMO
CH. 07

Media Diet

Follow Along
What I consume
Films I've Watched Recently Letterboxd Check out my film journey — letterboxd.com/jgerms → Books I'm Reading Goodreads Track my reading progress — goodreads.com/joshua-german → Chess Chess.com Follow my games and rating — chess.com/member/jgerms → Early Writing The Daily Gamecock Sports journalism at USC's student paper — where it all started → Articles Written Substack My latest thoughts and essays — jgerms20.substack.com →
CH. 08

In the Works

Prints & a planned series
In the shop

The Collection

Prints of my photography. The first set is four frames from Rio de Janeiro, in the shop now.

Shop the Rio prints
Planned

On the Record

An interview series I’m planning. Know someone who should be on it?

Suggest a guest
Now booking independent work

Let’s book
the next thing.

Photographer, podcaster, AI builder, and brand strategist in Los Angeles. Send the brief, the shot list, or the half-formed idea.

Jgerms20@gmail.com
Book a Shoot Start a Project
Available For
Photography bookings — portraits, events, product, food & hospitality, spaces
Podcast collaborations — guest spots, co-hosting, production
AI builds & websites — custom tools, prototypes, small-business sites
Brand strategy consulting — positioning, audience, go-to-market
Focused On
Photography — people, places, gatherings
Podcasting & audio storytelling
AI building & workflows
Brand strategy & creative direction
Marketing & connections planning
Entertainment, film & IP-driven storytelling
Building and scaling platforms & companies
Spaces
Entertainment & media
Technology & AI
Music, audio & podcasting
Fashion & retail
Food, hospitality & real estate
Consumer brands with cultural presence
Sports & culture-driven brands
Startups & early-stage ventures

“Columbia, SC to Los Angeles, by way of Goodby, Wieden+Kennedy and TBWA\Chiat\Day. Same instinct the whole way: find the real story, then tell it better than I found it.”

Joshua McKenzie German · Los Angeles, CA

Independent Practice

Early-stage advisory work. Access is restricted — enter the code or reach out directly.

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