Clay Hester was raised on a cattle ranch in Millersville, MO, about two hours south of St. Louis. He studied multimedia journalism and social science in his undergrad at Southeast Missouri State University. During his undergrad, he created a collective of artists, actors, sound designers and composers that created audio dramas/fiction podcasts. He worked in radio and then television and streaming for several years. For two years he led singing in his little church back home. His fascinations include music, media, art, poetry, the history of ideas, Latin, homesteading, Classic Hollywood, acting, and psychology. Clay's goal in the Creative Technology and Design program is to explore how to build tools creatives can make things with and find new techniques to make a living doing what they love.