James CHEUNG

What was your very first job?

Washing dishes. More specifically, rinsing dishes in a restaurant kitchen, then loading them into an industrial dishwasher. Every night when I left work, my pants were all wet.

Please describe, in your own words, what your job is and what work it entails.

I had a creative director once tell me his job was “to take out the trash.” I disagree. One person’s trash is another’s treasure. My job is to create, invent, inspire, discover, direct, add, and sometimes destroy and rebuild.

How did you discover that the creative world was right for you? Was there a time in your life that you credit to this discovery? What was there train of events that brought you to where you are today?

I had an internship at an ad agency in Chicago (DDB) where I sat on the same floor as the creative department. I walked into someone’s office one day and saw him playing video games with his feet up on his desk. I asked what he was doing, to which he replied, “I’m working.” I thought to myself, I could do that.

In your constantly growing and expanding industry, how do you find inspiration to keep your work fresh, innovative and relevant?

I find it in people’s stories, street art, subway musicians, someone’s dress, a pair of shoes, overheard conversations (eavesdropping). I’m lucky because I live in NY and I just have to walk outside and pay attention to the city.

If you had to pick one piece of work or project that you are most proud of, more for the creative work and innovation it required, rather than its recognition or industry “success,” what would it be? 

We once made this TV remote control out of a vuvuzela (a rather obnoxious sounding horn that was made popular at the South Africa World Cup). By blowing into it, you could automatically change your TV channel to this futbol/soccer network.