Ryan Staake

Staake was born in Los Angeles, CA, but grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. At a young age, his father, Illustrator Bob Staake, introduced him to Macs and digital imaging tools like Photoshop. Staake initially attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, studying Communication Design, before transferring to Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI to major in Graphic Design.

Apple

Upon graduation, Staake moved to San Francisco to begin employment with Apple, Inc. as a UI Designer on the Human Interface Group. During his time at Apple, Staake contributed to the user experience of iPhone, iPad and MacOS X and was listed as an inventor on 5 patents.

Pomp&Clout

Staake left Apple to found his own design and video practice, Pomp&Clout. He currently works with artists such as Lil Wayne, J. Cole, ScHoolboy Q, Clams Casino, Vince Staples, Major Lazer, alt-J, Route 94, Diplo, A-Trak, Caribou, Yelle, Nicolas Jaar and brands such as Balenciaga, McIntosh, Scion, Duolingo and Visa. The company has created several award winning projects, from music videos and tour visuals to motion graphics and interface designs. His ongoing explorations into Virtual Reality merge his knowledge of user interface and product design with his filmmaking experience. Staake is based in Brooklyn, NY, where he continues to work on a wide range of projects with his team at Pomp&Clout.

Wyclef Jean

His latest music video, Wyclef Jean, only features Young Thug for a few seconds, after the $100k shoot was derailed by Thug arriving late, then refusing to get out of his car because his “Instagram account was hacked.” Instead of abandoning the project after Thug failed to show up, co-director Staake completed a snarky cut that shows how the video fell apart and breaks down the rise and fall of the video's creation. Recordings of Thug detailing his ideas for the video are played over the top of the track, accompanied by text that further explains how the shoot turned into an expensive catastrophe for 300 Entertainment. An altercation between Thug’s camp and the LAPD even occurred during shooting so Pomp&Clout opted instead to use B-roll footage for the final video. Of the project, Staake said, "I was trying to deliver to make an interesting statement, but also fulfill a contractual obligation."

Entertainment

The positive reaction to the Young Thug video resulted in Staake being tapped to begin developing feature films and TV shows, and he was signed to The Gotham Group in 2017.

Mirage

In early 2017, Staake co-founded Mirage Worlds, Inc. with Patrick Piemonte. They’re currently operating in stealth mode.

• Young Thug: Wyclef Jean (2017)
• ScHoolboy Q ft. E-40: Dope Dealer (2016)
• Clams Casino Ft Vince Staples: All Nite (2016)
• Yili: Jay Chou Kinetic Milk (2016)
• Lil Wayne & Charlie Puth - Nothing But Trouble (2015)
• J. Cole - Wet Dreamz (2015)
• Caribou - Our Love (2014)
• Alt-J: Left Hand Free (2014)
• Steve Aoki & Diplo & Deorro - Freak (2014)
• The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - My Club (2014)
• Booka Shade - Crossing Borders (2014)
• Route 94 - My Love (2014)
• A-Trak and Tommy Trash: Tuna Melt (2013)
• Major Lazer: Sweat (2013)
• Magnet - Hook N Sling (2013)
• Acid Youths - David Heartbreak (2013)
• A-Trak - Tuna Melt (2013)
• Diplo: Set It Off feat Lazerdisk - Party Sex (2012)
• Portable Sunsets - California (2012)
• A1 - Darkside (2012)
• Nick Hook - Sirens (2012)
• Nadastrom - !II (2012)
• The Suzan - Devils (2011)
• Telephoned - Hold Me (2011)
• Gucci Vump - Shashtilism (2011)
• The Suzan - Home (2011)
• Zoos of Berlin - Electrical Way (2011)
• Dre Skull - I Want You (2010)
• Rusko - Woo Boost (2010)
• Boys Noize - Jeffer (2010)
• Congorock - Babylon (2010)
• Designer Drugs - Dead Meat (2010)