| In Creative Minds, we ask APAC creatives a long list of questions, from serious to silly, and ask them to pick 11 to answer. (Why 11? Just because.) Want to be featured? |
Name: Hyeah Nahm
Origin: Seoul, Korea
Places lived/worked: Seoul, Korea
CV:
Copywriter, Seoul D’Arcy, Korea, 1996 – 2002
Copywriter, Diamond Ad (Hyundai), Korea, 2002 – 2006
Creative director, Welcomm Publicis, Korea, 2006 – 2014
Executive creative director, Leo Burnett, Korea, 2014 – ongoing
1. How did you end up being a creative?
Back in my 20s, I was a free spirit, and my life motto was ‘heart first, mind follows’. Anything that dealt with emotions intrigued me; I inhaled music, art, books, movies, omnivorously. And most of all, observing and understanding people’s emotions has always been fascinating. Uncovering insights from the depths of people's hearts, and putting them into words, may have been my calling. I got into the ad industry as a writer.
2. What's your favourite piece of work in your portfolio?
Our McDonald’s ‘Yes Kids Zone’ campaign. I've been in advertising for a long time, and I've tasted the joys of competition and achievement, but I always wanted to make creative to do good in the world, to change prejudice or misperceptions, and the 'Yes Kids Zone’ campaign was a very meaningful creative project in that regard, converting 400+ McDonald’s into inclusive, welcoming Yes Kids Zones so far. It’s now in its second year and helping to change society's perceptions—you’ll see our next instalment very soon.
3. What's your favourite piece of work created by someone else?
One creative idea that left a lasting impression on my mind was Droga5's Tap Project. This idea dates to 2006. It puts a price on free tap water by selling it to help children in water-stressed countries—a blindingly brilliant idea that costs nothing, it’s simple, scalable, and most importantly, adds to the good in the world. I was a zealous young copywriter then, and I saw how much power an idea can have. This idea is what drives me to do the creative to this day, and I’m still striving to make good creatives for the world.
4. What's the craziest thing you've ever done?
Early in my career, when I was too passionate about creative ideas, I spent days and nights sleeping on a rollaway bed at work, ideation without going home for a week. This is crazy, right?
5. What's on your bucket list?
On wheels and beyond
For someone who loves to travel, the pandemic has been a challenging time. In order to travel while keeping socially distanced, I bought a motorhome and have been able to travel across the whole country for the past two years. Since then, traveling around the world in my motorhome has been on my bucket list.
6. Do you work best under pressure, or when things are calm?
I work better under pressure, but ironically, the best ideas come when things are calm. So, on nights when my pressure gauge is full, I don't work, I sleep. Because I know that the next day, in the calm moments of my morning shower, I'll have a better idea.
7. What makes you really angry?
Violence. Whether it's physical, verbal, ideological, or any other kind of violence, it’s violence that destroys goodness and it makes me really angry.
8. What makes you really happy?
Sunday morning, the moment I open the door to my motorhome in a new place. When the smell of nature, the sound of silence, and the wide-open spaces become my front yard. When a week of city noise falls silent, and my daughter's laughter fills up the place.
9. What's your guilty pleasure?
With a bottle of Ballantine’s whiskey and a table full of delivery food, being home alone with 24-hour non-stop Netflix.
10. Your favourite music or film or TV show / book of the past year, and why?
The Before trilogy
Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight. The ‘Before’ series is all about the dialogue between two lovers. The lovers grow old together with the audience and share their life stories with them. Filled with gems of words, expressions of emotion, and unforgettable quotes, these movies you can't help but love if you're a writer.
11. Early riser or night owl?
The answer to this question is divided into before and after I became a mom. I was a total night owl at one point and became an early riser after I became a mom. As a working mom, I don't have the energy left to enjoy the night, so I use the early morning hours as my me-time. I love my morning routine of working out, meditating, and listening to music.
