120: The Threat of Creative Annhilation - Adu

The Pathways to Success with Julian Placino

Justin Adu, or Adu as he is affectionately known by to his peers, is currently the Global Social Media Marketing & Community Management Manager at THX Ltd. (Founded by George Lucas). Prior to leading the digital and social media executions for movies like Solo: A Star Wars Story, Jurassic World, Creed 2, Uncle Drew and several other well-known summer blockbusters, Adu’s diverse career has impacted notable brands, organizations, and public figures. Adu earned his BS in graphic design with a minor in marketing from Alabama A&M University. He later earned a MFA in advertising with a concentration in art direction from Savannah College of Art & Design. Adu has made huge successful strides in the advertising, PR, and the fine art community and made a foothold in the art world by curating and exhibiting original art in ten solo art exhibitions. His projects include “African Amedia”, a performance piece that addresses the negative portrayal of African Americans in the media, and “Unsung Changemakers” a mix-media installation that celebrates the untold stories of African American heroes in addition to #AbnormalArtbeats, #BlackDFWMatters and #TheRevolution just to name a few.

Adu’s work has impacted such brands as the Coca-Cola Company, NBA (National Basketball Association), PepsiCo, Dallas Cowboys, JCPenney, Spotify, AT&T, General Motors, CNN, SXSW (South by Southwest), and several other Fortune 500 companies and organizations. Furthermore, Adu has been recognized for his stellar work and talent by local and national outlets such as Saint Heron (Founded by Solange Knowles), BET (Black Entertainment Television), CNN, Black Enterprise (2016 Modern Man Highlight), Soul Train, Revolt TV, Blavity, CW 33, Ebony/Jet Magazine, Dallas Observer (30 Under 30 Honoree), Rolling Out, The ADCOLOR Conference and Awards (2015 Rising Star Honoree and 2017 Unsung Hero), San Francisco Egotist (32 Under 32 Top Advertising Professionals), American Advertising Federation, Huffington Post, AdAge, and ADWEEK in which in he was recognized in 2017 as one of the 4A’s “100 People Who Make Advertising Great”

Adu is an active member of the American Advertising Federation, AIGA, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. Currently he serves as an Advisory board member for The Marcus Graham Project, member of The Barack Obama My Brother's Keeper Program and is the Director of Social Media for the ADCOLOR Conference and Awards. Furthermore, as an avid supporter of education, Adu continuously lends his time and knowledge to mentorship. He has taught many classes, including: graphic design, corporate identity, layout and design as well as advertising campaign management, while serving as the curriculum advisor for the Graphic Design Department at the Art Institute of Dallas. Outside the classroom, Adu created “Juice Box Sessions” for The Marcus Graham Project which consisted of multiple sessions on ways to improves your creative skills and position yourself as a creative leader in the advertising industry and he currently teaches at Miami Ad School.

In 2016 Adu released his first book “Don’t Insert Title Here: The Guide Towards Creative Freedom and Success” and in is currently gearing up to release his second book “The Threat of Creative Annihilation”. Adu is a creative chameleon with an ability to navigate between art and brand communications with confidence, conviction and brilliance. A content creator, visual artist, videographer, director, teacher, social media maven and mentor, Adu is a 21st century renaissance man. He credits his career versatility to hard work and a calling to change the world with innovative ideas “Through my artistry, I aspire to challenge myself to think outside the box and I hope to inspire everyone around the world to push the boundaries of their creativity,” Adu said.

Topics:

• What does it mean to be a creative threat and is it okay?
• Why is it important to learn the fundamentals of design yet break them?
• Why is this book an experience and not exactly a book?

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