Jesse Van Hiller

Rhythm. Narrative. Strategy. Community

Pattern, story, and direction.

I am Jesse Van Hiller, a Bay Area drummer, writer, and product strategist. Across live music, essays and fiction, and digital product work, I help ideas find their timing, shape, and use, and build community to drive outcomes and change.

Rhythm Narrative Strategy Community

Rhythm

Performance, timing, collaboration, and momentum.

Gigs, recordings, videos, audio, and projects.

Gigs

gigs TBD Soon

More dates coming

Contact me if you need a drummer or band.

Discography

Videos

Narrative

Writing that gives experience a voice and a throughline.

Selected writings and featured articles.

essay

Disrupt yourself

The NYT went from editorial titan to digital dwarf even after a massive effort to digitize their presence. Realizing the miss they attacked the problem as any reporting organization would: they talked to people like crazy. What they came up with was a two-pronged approach: disruptively grow their audience and digitally fortify their newsroom. 

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book

The Underachiever - Part 1: Anticipation

Jooles Mueller (AKA 'The Underachiever') is a dot-com burnout and is tired of his blind commitment to productivity. He’s on a collision course with his heart, pushing him towards adventure, while his mind restrains him towards responsibility. But both are telling him to go to Paris. They just may not be one and the same destination.

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medium

@jessevanhiller on Medium

Read my writing about life, science, product, music, and more on Medium.

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Strategy

Turning ambiguity into useful direction.

Product strategy is another kind of composition: listening for what matters, finding the structure, and giving teams a way to move with purpose.

Case studies Product strategyDiscovery and framingRoadmaps with judgmentDigital experience
case study

Streamlining Clinical Review Through AI

Implemented a third-party AI radiograph review layer to streamline clinical review for dental claims. Rather than replacing clinician judgment or changing core adjudication workflows, the solution added a layer of quality assurance and consistency, allowing clinicians to focus on decisioning rather than administrivia.

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Community

Gatherings that turn creative work into connection.

Annual and ad hoc events built around music, causes, friends, and shared momentum.

Events
July 2026

Third Annual Van Hiller Rock and Roll Backyard BBQ

Event details
Jesse Van Hiller

Across music, writing, and product strategy, I keep coming back to the same craft: shaping raw material into experiences people can feel, follow, and use.