About
Jen Simmons is a designer who builds stuff, too. She’s best-known as the host of The Web Ahead, a podcast about changing technologies and the future of the web.
Creating websites since 1996, Jen currently designs innovative sites and products using the latest web technologies, pushing the envelope of what’s possible. She’s also an independent consultant and trainer, helping teams transition to a responsive design process and envision implementations of the HTML5 APIs. Her clients have included Google, Apress, CERN, the Annenberg Foundation, Mt. Holyoke College, MIT Press, Zinch, and The New York Stock Exchange. In 2010, Jen designed and created Bartik, the new default theme that ships with Drupal 7. She was also the co-host of The Daily Edition with Dan Benjamin.
Besides designing for the web, Jen has 20 years experience designing for live performance and for print. Back in the day, she’d make the poster for a film festival one day, mix the sound for a live salsa band the next, and hang a photo exhibit the week after, all while designing the lighting for an upcoming play. In 2006, she created seven-channel digital projections for an opera about Nikola Tesla for the BAM Next Wave Festival. She directed several short films that toured film festivals around the globe, including screening with RESFEST and on MTV Television. She taught video-making to high school kids in San Antonio and film production to college students in Philadelphia. Jen has a MFA in Film and Media Arts from Temple University. She lives in New York City.
Interviews and Appearances
- The East Wing
- A conversation with Tim Smith in March 2013
- The Shop Talk Show
- A conversation with Chris Coyier and Dave Rupert in Dec 2012
- The Crossover: Assumptions
- A conversation about sexism in tech with Gina Trapani, Dan Benjamin and Haddie Cooke in Dec 2012
- 5by5 Specials: Thank You, Steve Jobs
- A collection of stories, thoughts, and memories about Steve Jobs and Apple from Oct 2011
- The Daily Edition: I Love New York
- An interview with Dan Benjamin in March 2011
- The Big Web Show
- An interview with Jeffery Zeldman in Jan 2011
Bio
Do you need a bio for me? You can find one here.