Jacob Miknuk
Big Data Analytics Specialist at Alteryx
I am the Data Dude! Big Data and everything analytics champion. The world of analytics is changing so quickly and it is exciting to talk about and spark ideas in the greatest minds of our generation to create wonderful analytics projects. Alteryx is a major point of a lot of my discussions because self-service analytics gives analysts superpowers. Instead of having to spend of a lot of time in Excel or learning how to code, analysts can create analytics processes in a much faster way.
How did you get to become an expert in your key topics?
Graduated from California State University, Fullerton and learned business analytics there. I have also been invited back as an alumni to help teach higher level analytics and finance courses using Alteryx.
What topic areas are you most passionate about?
Analytics and Big Data. Specifically, setting up processes to help with data cleaning and preparation so that it can be used for predictive and prescriptive analytics. The world of ML and AI is also something that I am very passionate about.
Which influencers influence you within those key topics?
Kate Strachnyi, Christina Stathopoulos, Ken Black, Jim Libby, Jacob Kahn, Michael Green, Steve Nouri, Angela Baltes, Tarry Singh, Kirk Borne, Ned Harding, Alan Jacobson, Danny Ma, Andreas Kretz, George Firican, Ashton Walden, Amir Khan, Benjamin Randall, Mark Frisch, Brandon Bak, Michael Sullivan, Shawn Mock, Robert (Bobby) Cerda.
Outside of key topics, who else influences you?
Courtney Connell, Mark Anderson, Kelly Cabatuan, John Jensen, April Morris, Douglas, Valerie, and Jared Miknuk, Diana Connell, SueLynn Kim, Dean Stoecker, Libby Duane Adams, Tom McCrory, Dave Norwood, Steve Dodsworth, Ezequiel Peña.
How would you describe your offline influence?
Speaking, networking, consulting clients.
What’s your best source of information for getting ahead of a story? What resource do you use to stay ahead of the trend?
Steve Nouri, Danny Ma, and Kate Strachnyi’s content. I also spend a lot of time on https://community.alteryx.com/ and https://towardsdatascience.com/ to learn about the ever evolving space.
If a brand wanted to work with you, which activities would you be most interested in collaborating on?
What brands have you worked with?
Amazon, Microsoft, Alteryx, Coca Cola, Safariland.
Which non-paid activities would you be keen to take part in if the opportunity raised your profile or delivered value to your audience?
I would be keen to provide a quote for content or news article, share or create a social post, speak at an event, podcast or a webinar. I am also interested in creating video or long-form content.
What are your passions outside of work?
Spending time with family is really important to me. I love to read, run, and hike. Reading is a big part of my life because it is how I learn new things and stay current. Being outside is one of the best things about living in California so I try to go outside as much as I can. I also love spending time with my amazing girlfriend, Courtney Connell, and our dog, Shadow. Shadow is the most beautiful Alaskan Malamute in existence. Volunteering and helping kids get better educational opportunities is one of my biggest passions. I envision a world where everyone in the world has access to great educators and educational programs. I volunteer and am the Co-Chair of the Young Professionals Committee at KidWorks, a non-profit in Santa Ana, and am very committed to their work.
What would be the best way for a brand to contact you?
By email.