HOWDY.
...
i’m andrew sakuda. i’m a senior creative and communications strategist who grew up cruising beaches in southern california and trout fishing with my family in mammoth lakes—and i currently work at mischief @ no fixed address in new york city.
i’ve had the privilege of working at some of the world’s most recognized advertising agencies learning from some of the most respected strategy leaders in the game. and i do my best to take what i’ve learned from them everywhere i go.
i like college baseball, small-batch ceramics, japanese americana, acoustic renditions, and starting my days with a quad shot of espresso.
i believe in firm handshakes and i love [and miss] my grandparents more than anyone.
let’s get to know each other. ︎
CONTACT.
...
︎ AKSAKUDA7@GMAIL.COM
︎ @NOTANDREWSAKUDA
︎ IN/SAKUDA
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. i get to work with some of the weirdest, smartest, craziest people in the world—and that’s something special. and i don’t have to wear a stupid suit every day. one of my greatest 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. the security guard even stopped me and asked what i was doing.
what inspires you these days?
ithink the best inspiration comes from the cultural inputs you consume—movies, fashion, sports, music, art, weirdly deep conversations at the bar with my friends, overhearing the guy at the pool table next to me, etc. the best ideas are shaped by the references you’re pulling from.
what’s your dream client?
a lot of hardos in this indstury 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 mans’ food that’s often misunderstood and underappreciated. vans? yeah, I’m a diehard californian. vans are a perfect, everyday shoe. and vans are timeless, which i love because fuck fast fashion.
do you like living in new york? how does it compare to los angeles?
yes, 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 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 hiring, 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.
i’m a student who wants to get into the indsutry—do you have any advice for me?
1. do things that help shape your perspective and POV—be able to tell me what you like and why you like it.
2. 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.
3. learn to network. make connections → build relationships → foster those relationships.
4. be a human. don’t get overly caught up in the ad bubble. be someone we can work with for 12 hours and then go grab a beer with afterwards.