I am a creator and a lifelong learner. I take an idea and give it visual wings. I am currently a content creator for several popular social media pages with a weekly reach well into the millions, a graphic artist for Amazon’s merchandise program, and a freelance graphic designer.
My background: I was raised in my family’s business Holub Garden Center and Greenhouses Inc. in Oskaloosa, Iowa. I learned hard work, integrity, and management skills from an early age.
My passion for helping others and providing counsel led me to getting a Bachelor’s Degree with a double major in Pastoral Ministries and Bible at Vennard College. While in school I was active in admissions work, camp counseling, and served in leadership roles such as Senior Class President. During these years I discovered a real love for working with zany teens at camps and was often leading/writing skits, playing guitar singing funny songs, and doing just about anything to make them laugh and feel included. I also photographed sports events, student activities, and provided work for the yearbook committee.
Upon graduating, a good friend in Arkansas tried to set me up with the most beautiful woman in the world at an IHOP of all places. His plan worked so I transplanted to her hometown of Fayetteville, Arkansas and became a school photographer. I realized quickly that my interpersonal skills, ability to make everyone laugh, and my attention to production value was reflected in the shots I was getting. The owner of the studio said I was always able to capture the twinkle in the client’s eye.
My wife and I became Family Counselors together, an intensive position where you live in a residential house with at-risk youth in a family setting. We loved working with the teenagers and their families and met some of the most incredible people along the way. Our experience allowed us to teach new residential home startups and build programming and staffing models from the ground up.
At Ruth Harbor, a maternity home for young women facing unplanned pregnancies, I was able to flex my creative muscles by photographing events, updating the website, administrating the social media pages, and shoot video for the annual fundraisers. The videos can be found here. I shot and edited them, provided the lighting and backdrop, and even recorded the music used to score them. I am passionate about video as an effective medium to convey a story as you can use so many captivating elements.
During the 2016 presidential race I submitted some work to several libertarian outlets and was invited to be the Chief of Graphic Design for Being Libertarian and was given the opportunity of branding, logo design, and leading merchandise sales. The journey has been incredible and I have even been able to design with former presidential candidate Dr. Ron Paul and his team at the Liberty Report. I’ve provided graphics and social media content for several candidates running for state and local offices, and in 2020 was brought on as a designer and content creator for Jo Jorgensen’s presidential campaign team.
As a content creator I have grown audiences of over 1 million and have viral posts regularly with some approaching 100 million views. My influence is seen daily as I can see my work shared in groups even as niche as Tiny Boat Nation, and a simple google search of any product I’ve designed will show hundreds of copycats.
If you need design work, photography, videography, content creation advice, or even help with memes I’m your guy. Contact me below if you have any projects you’d like my assistance on. I look forward to meeting you in person. Thank you.
DAVE VAN ENGLEHOVEN 