Jonathan VINGIANO

What was your very first job? 

I worked in a photo lab and then for a guy who sold baseball cards on eBay.

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

I'm an advertising creative director. Before that I was a creative technologist and before that I was a designer. As corny as it may sound, I've always seen my job as creatively solving business problems for brands. That can be through integrated campaigns, films, websites, apps, you name it.   

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?  

When I was a kid my mom told me that advertising is evil and to never trust it. But then I grew up and found out how much fun client work can be. I guess I'm kind of a hedonist so it all worked out. 

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

You're crazy if you think that anyone outside of the advertising industry actually likes advertising. So it's important to stay well versed in pop culture at large instead of just ad industry stuff. Keep up with the worlds of art, film, fashion, literature, technology, etc,

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?  

The visual album for Jim-E Stack's record "Tell Me I Belong" comes to mind. I had figured out how to hijack all the feeds of NYC traffic cameras and wasn't sure what to do with it. When his label approached me to make the visual album for him it was the perfect fit. The record is super moody and has themes of loneliness and voyeurism. Pairing his music with images from NYC's public cameras has this hypnotizing effect I love.