How did Young Guns get on your radar?

I attended Miami Ad School in Berlin where The One Club was the pinnacle of creative competition and awards. That’s where I submitted to (and won) my first advertising student award — a Pencil — attended a variety of their events over the years, and now it feels full circle to win one of the most celebrated young creative awards.

Especially amongst a fellow few nominees who I look up to immensely and those I consider some of my dearest friends.

How did you end up in the creative field?

Both of my parents were creatives and artists, and I can’t appreciate enough their consideration of what it takes to pursue a creative career. Though my roots didn’t begin as such while sprouting from the world of action sports, I competed in downhill skateboarding for most of my teenage years — traveling the world, racing, while producing films and photos for my sponsors, which laid the initial groundwork for my interest in production.

After giving a valid effort in college, I dropped out and had my first internship under Creative Director, Kolin Quick, who encouraged me to attend MASB. After serving my couple of years at the art school — having learned so much on both sides of agency and production — I happened upon the renowned photographer, Anatol Kotte at his gallery. We created some small projects for Leica Camera which led into being my first recurring client.

I lived out of my bag for the next two years around Europe, shooting small content projects for Leica, Corona Beer, Nike, and Porsche. It was a whirlwind — every other week a new city or country — till I found myself living in Portugal for the next year as a soft basecamp.

Having a minor foundation to a portfolio, I moved to LA where I’d spent a good deal of time skating and was given a chance by a few local production companies to start directing. Since then, it’s been a constant build and evolution of my practice, which I’m indebted by everyone who took the risk and gave me a chance — I truly appreciate you all endlessly.

Why did you decide to enter this year?

You’re always going to be chasing your tail. The expectations you set yourself and your portfolio are constantly going to be just out of reach — I think it’s a necessary evil to the character traits of those in our industry. It breeds the hardest working to always better themselves and to never grow comfortable.

I have projects still unreleased that I believe are far better than anything in my portfolio, but I knew this will always be the case. I sought out a submission here knowing that, to myself a year ago, I would’ve been so proud with what I’ve made — and to accept just that.

I know I’d be feeling the exact same next year, so I thought to see where the judges saw my holistic portfolio at, and I truly appreciate their recognition in what I’ve managed to create thus far.

“You’re always going to be chasing your tail… just out of reach.”

You only get to submit six projects. How did you decide what made the cut?

My choice pieces all have my favorite common thematic thread of the human experience. Whether it strains on the side of the subjective or objective, it’s my favorite theme to explore. This tends to be the most common projects I get called to, and always have the concepts I prefer to realize the most.

Each of my submitted pieces call to some degree of this theme and all lean the most dear to me. I feel I had the impression of my collaborators and myself fingerprint the most across each of these.

What was your reaction when you found out you won?

I’d just woken up in Tokyo while over in Japan for a recent sports commercial. It was the second day of shooting schedule and we were waking up at 5am to catch sunrise. I glanced at the message when I woke up and had to immediately get ready.

It wasn’t till I was on my way to location when I had to do a double take for what I swore I read that morning, thinking my foggy brain was deceiving me. I was absolutely elated and had first told my Mom, then Thomas Marchese who was shooting the project with me.

I couldn’t wait to make plans to attend the show and participate in it with some of my closest friends.

In what ways does where you’re living right now inspire your creativity?

The greater west coast of the U.S. has some of my favorite regions of land in the world. The outdoors is my greatest source of influence — where it is something that pulls me towards it or I bring back with me. California has some of the starkest display of terrain with the most incredibly diverse sub-cultures that certainly takes effort to find, but one that you can shape into your own version of Los Angeles and broader California.

Those I’ve managed to find and get to call my dearest friends are constantly sources of support and inspiration. I truly couldn’t have gotten this far without them and unfortunately for them, I’m not letting them go anytime soon.

Now that you’re a part of the ADC Young Guns community, are there any past winners you look up to and admire?

Oh my goodness — too many to count: Daniel Eskils, Mika Aberra, Giada Bossi, Jonas Lindstroem, Rubberband, Sandra Winter, Mah Ferraz, Marko Roth — seriously this series has some of the most incredible talents.

Especially this year of nominees, I’m fortunate to be surrounded by friends and those I truly admire to no limit including Lucas Raimondo, Christopher Clark, Dakota Giglio, Kalum Ko and so many more. Knowing this crowd, this year’s celebration and party is going to be unmatched.

Name a creative/professional dream project that you have yet to fulfill.

I want to continue to explore the human experience through narrative filmmaking and adaptations of novels. I think the commercial space is an incredible means of practice for this as there’s so many sources of challenge — you constantly find yourself in a new creative puzzle to solve.

The design, sport and automotive space will always be ones that grab my attention. I’d love to contribute more to the non-profit space including Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders and The Red Cross.

There’s a long list of creatives and collaborators I’m hoping to work with in the future, especially those amongst my generation as we’re to ride and die together in the years to come. It’s a missed opportunity to not invest in those lateral to you — we’re all in this for the long run.