I start small
One workflow, one pilot, one real before-and-after. Big transformations are how AI projects die; small wins are how they compound.
About Ian
The camera taught me how work really gets done.
I'm Ian Steven — a Madison, Wisconsin creative who spent twenty years behind cameras and microphones — the last five of them in the food world. This year I turned that same curiosity toward AI, and I haven't stopped building since.
Selected credits- IDDBA
- What's In Store podcast
- Wildfire Creative
- City of Madison
- Dane County Airport
- Our Lives Magazine · 19 covers
- FAA Part 107 drone pilot
The story
Two decades of production. Six very productive months.
For sixteen years I've been a freelance editorial photographer for Our Lives Magazine — nineteen covers and counting. I've shot for the City of Madison and the Dane County Regional Airport, and flown drone missions for the city as an FAA-licensed Part 107 pilot.
The last five years pulled me deep into the food industry: working the IDDBA trade show floor, filming the World Championship Cheese Contest, food-industry camera work, and — through the ad agency Wildfire Creative — producing the What's In Store podcast for four years, from show prep to final edit.
In January I went all-in on AI. Not reading about it — building with it, daily. The difference matters: when I recommend a workflow, it's because I've already run it myself and hit the same walls your team will.
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2010 → today
Editorial photography
Sixteen years freelancing for Our Lives Magazine, plus the City of Madison and Dane County Regional Airport.
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2021 → today
The food world
Five years with IDDBA: the trade show floor, the World Championship Cheese Contest, and food-industry production work.
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2022 → today
What's In Store podcast
Four years producing IDDBA's podcast at Wildfire Creative — recording, editing, and shipping every episode.
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Jan 2026 → today
All-in on AI
Kestrel (presented to a company board), Iron-Log (a free fitness app with guided workout plans and exercise videos), and this site.
Why this combination works
Production people understand the messy middle.
Marketing work isn't the polished thing that ships — it's the briefs, revisions, approvals, and last-minute changes before it ships. That middle layer is where AI genuinely helps, and it's exactly where I've spent my career.
Humans stay on review
Brand voice, factual claims, legal language — AI drafts, people decide. I'll be the first to tell you where AI shouldn't touch your process.
I say what's real
Kestrel's case study tells you it runs on sample data. My tools are small and narrow on purpose. If a job needs a bigger shop, I'll say so.
Old friends welcome
Know me from the food world?
Then you already know how I work. Let's talk about the AI part — bring one workflow and I'll show you what's possible.
The button opens an email — or write to realiansteven@gmail.com. I reply within one business day.