Tim Jenison's aptitudes, interests and insights have shaped NewTek from the outset. Jenison's most lasting education fell more into the casual than the formal category. He began learning about technology and electrical equipment from his father, who ran an electrical engineering firm in the midst of an otherwise farm-centered community north of Ames, Iowa. At an early age he also learned to play the piano, and his keyboard talents propelled him to leave college to join a rock band - where, of course, he continually worked on ways to improve the sound equipment. Throughout his life, Jenison has had a fascination with movies, proclaiming himself a "frustrated film maker" at heart.

Jenison was one of the early enthusiasts for personal computers. By the late 1970s, he saw the computer as the integrating medium for his various passions: electronics, music, film, and video. He decided that forming a company was the best way to fuel his continued work to create sophisticated yet affordable video software tools that he and others could use and enjoy.