FAQs
why advertising? why do you work in this industry?
i’m not a suit. i’ll never be happy staring at spreadsheets all day. in advertising, i get to work with some of the weirdest, smartest, craziest people in the world—and that’s something special. one of my favorite memories was working in 1WTC and getting into the same elevator as a dude in a 3-piece suit while i was in a hoodie and ripped jeans. granted he prob made $300K more than me but that didn’t matter. my 2.8 GPA and my baggy sweatshirt were working in the same damn building as the suits. [the security guard even stopped me and asked where i was going.]
what inspires you these days?
i think the best inspiration comes from the cultural inputs you consume [movies, poetry, fashion, sports, music, art, etc.] and the underappreciated little moments in life [i.e. weirdly deep conversations at the bar with friends, overhearing the guy at the pool table next to me, the good samaritan helping the woman with her stroller down the subway steps]. the mix of these inputs and moments are what inspire the best ideas and eventually the best creative.
what’s your dream client?
a lot of hardos in this industry will be quick to respond with nike or disney or instagram. my top two are spam and vans. spam because it’s a fixture in every asian kid’s diet growing up. it’s a perfect, common man’s food that’s misunderstood and underappreciated. vans? yeah, I’m a diehard californian. vans are a perfect, everyday shoe. and vans are the most timeless shoe in culture—a cemented look in fashion that can’t be beat.
i’ve also wanted to get back into tech and entertainment work. launching shows for apple tv, netflix, or hbo would be a killer gig. my line is open if you have a project in that lane hehehe
do you like living in new york? how does it compare to los angeles?
yea, new york rocks. it’s different than los angeles [for better and for worse]. i love the fall weather, i love the pizza, i love the grittiness, i love my citibike membership. BUT...it’s not los angeles. i miss the beach, i miss mexican food, i miss strip malls, i miss immigrant-owned doughnut shops, i miss my dog, i miss good produce, and i miss driving.
are you gonna stay in new york forever?
fuck no. but i also don’t know when i’m gonna leave. if any LA agencies [or apple or netflix] are looking to hire, i’m open to chatting. or maybe one day when everyone is smart enough to adopt remote work, i can scurry off to some small coastal town and live that life.
do you really make your own ice cream?
hell yeah. i firmly believe ice cream is the most superior dessert on the planet [sorry lactose folks]. so i went down a deep rabbit hole researching recipes, tips, and techniques on making the best ice cream possible. now my friends get to reap the benefits sometimes too. so far, some the some flavors i’ve experimented with include: apple pie, pistachio + chocolate chip, cookies + cream, thai tea, lemon + strawberry, cake batter, lychee sorbet, and coffee.
i’m a student who wants to get into the industry—do you have any advice for me?
yup.
1. have a POV—be able to tell me what you like and WHY you like it.
2. hobbies > side hustles. have things you enjoy doing because you enjoy doing them.
3. make sure your portfolio is inherently YOU. include work and make projects for brands that you like. it’s the only time in your career where you can run wild without being at the hands of clients.
4. learn to network. make connections → build relationships → foster those relationships.
5. be a human first. don’t get overly caught up in the ad bubble and think you need to know about everything that every brand/agency is doing. just be someone we can work with for 12 hours and then go grab a beer with afterwards.
why advertising? why do you work in this industry?
i’m not a suit. i’ll never be happy staring at spreadsheets all day. in advertising, i get to work with some of the weirdest, smartest, craziest people in the world—and that’s something special. one of my favorite memories was working in 1WTC and getting into the same elevator as a dude in a 3-piece suit while i was in a hoodie and ripped jeans. granted he prob made $300K more than me but that didn’t matter. my 2.8 GPA and my baggy sweatshirt were working in the same damn building as the suits. [the security guard even stopped me and asked where i was going.]
what inspires you these days?
i think the best inspiration comes from the cultural inputs you consume [movies, poetry, fashion, sports, music, art, etc.] and the underappreciated little moments in life [i.e. weirdly deep conversations at the bar with friends, overhearing the guy at the pool table next to me, the good samaritan helping the woman with her stroller down the subway steps]. the mix of these inputs and moments are what inspire the best ideas and eventually the best creative.
what’s your dream client?
a lot of hardos in this industry will be quick to respond with nike or disney or instagram. my top two are spam and vans. spam because it’s a fixture in every asian kid’s diet growing up. it’s a perfect, common man’s food that’s misunderstood and underappreciated. vans? yeah, I’m a diehard californian. vans are a perfect, everyday shoe. and vans are the most timeless shoe in culture—a cemented look in fashion that can’t be beat.
i’ve also wanted to get back into tech and entertainment work. launching shows for apple tv, netflix, or hbo would be a killer gig. my line is open if you have a project in that lane hehehe
do you like living in new york? how does it compare to los angeles?
yea, new york rocks. it’s different than los angeles [for better and for worse]. i love the fall weather, i love the pizza, i love the grittiness, i love my citibike membership. BUT...it’s not los angeles. i miss the beach, i miss mexican food, i miss strip malls, i miss immigrant-owned doughnut shops, i miss my dog, i miss good produce, and i miss driving.
are you gonna stay in new york forever?
fuck no. but i also don’t know when i’m gonna leave. if any LA agencies [or apple or netflix] are looking to hire, i’m open to chatting. or maybe one day when everyone is smart enough to adopt remote work, i can scurry off to some small coastal town and live that life.
do you really make your own ice cream?
hell yeah. i firmly believe ice cream is the most superior dessert on the planet [sorry lactose folks]. so i went down a deep rabbit hole researching recipes, tips, and techniques on making the best ice cream possible. now my friends get to reap the benefits sometimes too. so far, some the some flavors i’ve experimented with include: apple pie, pistachio + chocolate chip, cookies + cream, thai tea, lemon + strawberry, cake batter, lychee sorbet, and coffee.
i’m a student who wants to get into the industry—do you have any advice for me?
yup.
1. have a POV—be able to tell me what you like and WHY you like it.
2. hobbies > side hustles. have things you enjoy doing because you enjoy doing them.
3. make sure your portfolio is inherently YOU. include work and make projects for brands that you like. it’s the only time in your career where you can run wild without being at the hands of clients.
4. learn to network. make connections → build relationships → foster those relationships.
5. be a human first. don’t get overly caught up in the ad bubble and think you need to know about everything that every brand/agency is doing. just be someone we can work with for 12 hours and then go grab a beer with afterwards.