Therapuss with Jake Shane

As a journalism student at the Newhouse School, I've had the chance to give feedback on real advertising campaigns, which gave me a firsthand look at how input from an outside perspective can actually shape a direction. Working through those campaigns, I learned that honest and specific feedback carries weight, and that the people building something genuinely benefit from hearing how it lands with someone outside the room. That experience made me take the feedback process seriously because I've seen what happens when it's done well.

As a journalism student, I've been trained to never rely solely on my own perspective. The best stories, and the best products, come from actually talking to people. User interviews feel natural to me for that reason. I genuinely want to understand how someone else experiences something because that outside perspective is where the real insight lives. It's the same reason a good reporter goes to the source instead of assuming they already have the answer.