Apr 14, 2014 8 Questions With: John Pangilinan
John Pangilinan is something of a creative powerhouse – a one-man agency, even. Everything he’s achieved professionally has been through following his serious passion for cars. He first made a name for himself in the automotive industry by customizing a BMW, which lead to a gig at a tuner shop, quickly immersing him in different aspects of sponsorship deals, sales and marketing. This eventually lead his working for a creative agency for several years, allowing him to branch out and land his own clients. And somehow, in the midst of everything else, he still finds the time to contribute to Fatlace and continues to customize cars for the likes of Hyundai and Lincoln. Impressive highlights from 2013 include winning the SEMA “35 under 35” award for his work in the automotive industry, and getting engaged in Hawaii during Pow! Wow! You can check out more of John’s work at his photography site, and via his Twitter and Instagram accounts.
What are you currently working on?
Currently, I am working on preparations for the first event of the 2014 Formula DRIFT season which kicks-off here in Long Beach on April 4-5, the weekend prior to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. They are a client in which I manage the public relations and media communications along with helping with marketing and promotions. I am also in the process of wrapping up a couple online video projects and planning a few photography shoots this month. As well as finishing up proposals for project vehicles for the year and finalizing the build for a project Honda Ruckus which will be unveiled soon.
How would you describe your job?
Challenging, fun and rewarding. I’ve worn many different hats over the years and selecting which one best describes me is often tough since I’m passionate about it all. Jack-of-all trades or professional multi-tasker are phrases that have been used to describe me. Whether its helping a brand with an advertising campaign or capturing photographs or building a project vehicle, at the end of the day, I help create connections and evoke emotions.
What does your average work day look like?
Aside from starting the day with a cup of coffee and orange juice, the beauty of my “work” day is that there is no average day. Each day is unique whether it be traveling, taking meetings or conference calls, going out on location for shoots, visiting clients or simply working from home and checking emails…and it all beats sitting at a 9 to 5 inside a cubicle or in traffic.
What’s the best thing about living and working in Long Beach?
Long Beach is an amazing city with so much culture and surrounded by creativity and I’ve been fortunate to live in Downtown for about 7 years now. In that time I’ve really seen the steps the city has taken to revitalize and improve the area. I am able to walk to great spots and new developments whether its for lunch or to grab a drink, places like the Federal Bar and their 90’s hip-hop night, “Snapback,” James Republic, George’s Greek Cafe and more. Long Beach is centrally located to both LA and Orange County so its easy for me to drive up to LA for a meeting or shoot down to OC for some surf.
Working in Long Beach is awesome. The Formula DRIFT office is actually right across the street from my condo so it keeps things convenient and saves on gas. The two weekends in April for Formula DRIFT and the Long Beach Grand Prix is my favorite time of year with great weather and being outside to experience the sights and sounds of cars racing through the city streets, you just can’t beat it. With AGENDA just down the street at the convention center twice a year I often play host for many of my friends that come into town.
Where do you find inspiration?
I’m inspired by new experiences and challenges. New experiences provide me with a fresh outlook on life and occurs between my interactions with people (friends, family, co-workers, etc), traveling, or even simple observations through the day such as seeing an image on Instagram. Challenges provide motivation for me to learn more and do better. “Motivation is the push. Inspiration is the pull.”
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grow up?
Growing up as a first generation Filipino in the United States, I knew I wanted to be anything but a doctor or lawyer, as that is what my grandparents really pushed me to go towards. So naturally I rebelled and went in a different direction as I wanted to create my own path. The first career that I remember thinking was cool as a kid was professional skateboarder or astronaut, actually I probably wanted to be a pro wrestler.
What are you reading at the moment?
I usually jump back and forth between various books and magazines at any given time. Reading creative, entrepreneur and biographies help motivate me. Amazon Prime is the best. Currently, I’m reading Show Your Work by Austin Kleon and the latest Monster Children magazine.
What’s your favorite post-work destination?
Lately, I’ve found myself putting more hours working into the late night, so to unwind and disconnect for a bit before heading to bed or back to work, my happy place has become the couch, sitting next to my fiance and watching shows we’ve recorded. I probably watch too much TV, but it really helps me relax plus there is so much great programs out there now from Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Mad Men and more. Ideally, I would like to end the day with a sunset surf session followed by a nice dinner and a cocktail at one of the local spots, but that rarely happens.
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