AMA: James Buckhouse, Story-driven design

September 17, 2024

We held a special, on-location AMA on September 17th, with James Buckhouse from Sequoia Capital.

James Buckhouse got his start at Dreamworks Animation, lensing shots, crafting character arcs, and punching up story for some of the biggest franchises in popular entertainment, including Shrek, Madagascar, and The Matrix trilogies. These days, he's at Sequoia Capital helping companies create exceptional products and experiences. In this AMA, we'll talk with James about how Hollywood storytelling can inform and improve product design.

About James Buckhouse

James Buckhouse is an artist and designer practicing at the intersection of the visual and performing arts. He has exhibited his art at the Whitney Biennial, the Solomon R. Guggenheim’s Works & Process Series, The Institute of Contemporary Art in London, The Berkeley Art Museum, and the Dia Center. He has collaborated with leading choreographers at the New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, LA Dance Project, Oregon Ballet Theatre, and Pennsylvania Ballet.

He got his start in film, lensing shots, crafting character arcs, and punching up story for some of the biggest franchises in popular entertainment. He uses the invisible architecture of story as the starting place for every project, from ballets to apps to art exhibits.

As an early Twiter employee, he co-invented the Twitter Mirror, Twtter Reverb (for news broadcast), Twitter Stories, Twitter Sports (leagues and teams), and text-to-join for World Cup. His product innovations led to a new approach for brands, media, sports, and influencers to grow new audiences.  In 2014, he founded the Sequoia Design Lab to help companies create exceptional products and experiences.  Buckhouse regularly lectures on Story-Driven Design at Stanford GSB, d.school and Harvard GSD.

You can find more great insights and articles from James on his Substack Story, Art, and Design: