Jakob Montrasio: Digital Craftsman & Visual Storyteller
The analogue filmmaking beginnings
Jakob was born on the 17th of June, 1982, in Freiburg, Germany. His father was a student of Philosophy at the time. From very early on, Jakob was surrounded by art in the form of writings, poetry, music, paintings and finally films. After noticing his son’s creativity, his father would expose Jakob to as much art as possible, supporting him in whatever ways he could afford. Seeing the BLUES BROTHERS movie at the tender age of 10 spiked Jakob’s interest in films even more. From then on, using his father’s camcorder, he’d spend hours shooting stop motion pieces using nothing but Lego in his nursery in Heidelberg. Jakob did not once spend his pocket money on anything but cinema tickets during his youth.
Digital apprentice in media design
Databases and designs
In 2003, Jakob founded the news portal mysan.de together with a partner. Eventually, it would grow and include multiple subdomains with their own unique content. While designing the UI with Photoshop in the very beginning, Jakob switched to HTML and CSS2 later on, creating the website in the browsers directly. The project was running on PHP in the beginning, but when unique visitor numbers reached a monthly six-figure number, Jakob and his partner switched the system to Python – since those days Jakob is not only invested in graphical, but also technical UI.
Realization in Asia
After visiting the Festival de Cannes in 2005, Jakob moved shortly afterwards to the New York of the East, Shanghai, China, and started to shoot. Within 5 years, 孟亚柯 (that’s his Chinese name) did not only work for high profile clients such as Porsche, Dell and Microsoft, but also managed to open his own production company, MK Media Productions, write three feature film scripts, work on the big-budget production “John Rabe” in the visual effect crew, and shoot his first feature film “The Way Of The Spur”, a Martial Arts Spaghetti Western feature film with various martial artists, stuntmen as well as Jon T. Benn, Bruce Lee’s villain from the famous movie „The Way Of The Dragon”.
From smog to Saar
In 2011 Jakob moved back to Germany with his wife and daughter. In the city of Saarbrücken, he worked as a video producer for a while. Thanks to his friend Tim Graf, he was able to join the documentary film production „Souls of Zen“ and joined Tim as a director and cinematographer. His work with the camera was later nominated for the „Golden Eye Award“ at the Zurich Film Festival. Jakob also produced various music videos as well as television and cinema advertisements in this period.
Influencing on the internet
It wasn’t without reason when Microsoft asked Jakob in 2014 to become one of their Lumia-faces: Since years Jakob has been an early adopter, his very early HDR works in photography led to the exhibition of his work in the New York Skyscraper museum, his Flickr stream has been viewed by hundreds of thousand and his photography has been used on book covers as well as websites such as CNN. He never stops posting with a passion to all of his social media channels, where he has gained thousands of followers over the years.
Back to the beginnings
Jakob came back to freelancing in 2015, and with this step, the focus moved back to web design and web programming. Since then he gained vast knowledge in HTML5, CSS3 as well as UX/UI design, which he uses daily on his new web projects. Now he lives in Bammental near Heidelberg, in Germany, with his wife, daughters and Corgi Benji. He works at a local newspaper as an frontend developer and runs various media projects on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
His skills
As a media design professional, Jakob leverages cutting-edge tools including CMYK printers, 4K Red Epic cameras, Adobe Creative Suite, and full-HD quadcopters to deliver exceptional results. With his technical expertise and state-of-the-art equipment, he ensures your vision becomes reality.
Responsive Web Design
Jakob believes that a website should perform consistently across all platforms—from mobile phones to large desktop displays. By applying responsive web design principles, he ensures layouts adapt seamlessly to any device or resolution.
Given that browsers are now integrated into everything from gaming consoles to car navigation systems, responsive design is crucial. Jakob specializes in creating websites that maintain visual appeal and functionality across all viewing contexts.
Responsive web design adapts layouts to device requirements using HTML5, CSS3 media queries, and JavaScript. Jakob ensures optimal presentation of navigation, sidebars, and content while supporting both mouse and touch interactions.
Page Speed Optimization
In today's fast-paced digital world, site performance is essential. Many websites suffer from bloated files and poor optimization, especially noticeable on mobile networks.
Common issues include oversized images, excess code, unnecessary plugins, and unused external stylesheets. These factors slow page loading, leading to visitor abandonment.
Jakob prioritizes efficient programming and minimal file sizes, ensuring flexibility for future updates and cross-device compatibility.
Design
Jakob specializes in creating cohesive brand packages including websites, business cards, and letterheads, often incorporating logo design and promotional materials. His portfolio demonstrates his ability to develop sophisticated concepts and execute them across various media, whether crafting new identities or adhering to established guidelines.
Video Production
Video production combines visual arts, music, editing, and narrative into a powerful medium. From pre-production through post-processing, Jakob manages every aspect including screenwriting, filming, color correction, sound design, and special effects using tools like Adobe After Effects.
Each project receives careful consideration of its viewing context—whether for mobile devices or large displays. Employing techniques like drone cinematography and slow-motion, Jakob creates compelling content even with modest budgets.
To sum it up: Jakob is a skilled digital craftsman and a visual storyteller who blends technology and creativity to craft compelling narratives across various media. With a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of digital tools, he brings ideas to life through imagery, design, and innovative storytelling techniques.
