Jenn Wong of MullenLowe on the Power of Possibilities

Jenn joined MullenLowe West in 2024 with nearly two decades of experience leading teams at agencies and brands. She previously held senior posts at SoundCloud, Wieden+Kennedy, TBWA\Chiat\Day, 2K Games, Beats by Dre and Gap.

We spent two minutes with Jenn to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations and recent work she’s admired.

Jenn, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I was born in Daegu, South Korea. Raised in Alberta, Canada, I now now live in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. In between, I lived in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Beijing, Shanghai and San Francisco.

How you first realized you were creative.

I started playing the violin at age 3. Also, I studied piano and clarinet. I was lucky to have cool older siblings with excellent taste in music.

A person you idolized creatively early on.

Claudia from the The Baby-Sitters Club was the height of cool to a 7 year-old.

A moment from high school or college that changed your life.

I grew up on BBSs, ICQ and LiveJournal. The internet was my portal to the rest of the world.

A visual artist or band/musician you admire.

Klaus Nomi and that whole ’80s East Village scene was an incredible influence. I am too young to have actually lived that life, although God knows I tried.

A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.

Most recently, I loved Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart. I saw Didi in theaters a few weeks ago and thought it was incredible. I love seeing Asian-American stories told so naturally. On TV, Industry is so, so good.

One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on.

In 2008, for Converse with W+K, we picked two rock bands from Beijing and built an American-style tour bus that took them on a five-city tour of China. We filmed a documentary. I was an incredible celebration of rock ‘n’ roll and the vibrancy of the creative scene. The tour ended back in Beijing in time for the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

A recent project you’re proud of.

MullenLowe just developed a super-simple game for Corona called Lime Wedge Football. It’s a couple of beer bottles for goal posts, plus a lime wedge. The one-of-a-kind set is signed by Eli Manning. You flick the lime wedge through the two bottles, and celebrate with a sip of beer. Life doesn’t get much better than getting paid to invent lighthearted tailgate games.

Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago.

I love everything Nick Cohen does. We spent years together working at W+K. He founded Mad Dogs & Englishmen in the early-90s and wrote a book about it called Honest! The stories and the work are hilarious and wonderful. It’s easy to forget about this industry’s crazy history. Today, much of it is different, and for good reason. But a lot of the richness and insanity remain.

Someone else’s work you admired lately.

I loved the “Walls of Honor” from Rethink and the FealGood Foundation. So simple and meaningful.

Your main strength as a creative person.

I believe that anything is possible. If you can imagine it (and get it sold!), it can become reality. You can make it snow in July, you can get a celebrity to do seemingly anything. Yyou can build the world’s biggest (or smallest) fill-in-the-blank. What fun. And then you get awards!

A mentor who helped you navigate the industry.

Jason White (currently president of W+K Portland) has been my boss three times, both at agencies and on the brand side. He’s been my friend for almost 20 years. He has taught me so much about leadership and creativity and has been a strong advocate.

How you’re paying it forward with the next generation of creatives.

I am a mentor to both the Asian-American Collective (shout-out to Zeena Koda) and Asians in Advertising (shout-out to Bernice Chao). I love these organizations and have so much respect for what they do. Since joining MullenLowe, I’ve also become active in our AAPI ERG, AAMPLIFY.

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.

One day, I’m going to open a little shop on Main Street in Bozeman, Mont.

The article was originally posted on Muse by Clio: HERE