Chad INGRAM

What was your very first job? 
Working at a Sno-Cone stand in Moore, Oklahoma during the summers of 7th and 8th grade. It was owned by one of my good friend’s parents, and we would watch MTV videos and order pizzas all day – it was great.

Please describe, in your own words, what your job is and what work it entails.
I’m the creative lead for Geometry’s Chicago office; we focus on delivering creative commerce, activation, and experiential for some of the world’s biggest brands.

How did you discover that the creative world was right for you? Was there a time in your life that you credit to this discovery? Was there a train of events that brought you to where you are today?
I always liked to sketch and draw things, although I was average at best. But I also somehow got into setting up computers for friends and family when they would receive those AOL CDs in the mail (hilarious). This led to more exploration around computer-aided design throughout high school, eventually enrolling in the Fine Arts / Design program at the University of Oklahoma.

In a constantly changing world, how do you find inspiration to keep your work fresh, innovative and relevant?
It’s amazing when you surround yourself with great talent, and the work they create pushes the team to be stronger. Some of the best moments of inspiration (especially now) happen when we get outside and step away from the laptop—where we can explore and extract from different experiences and neighborhoods. This is why it’s so important to not hire people exactly like yourself — an area of the creative hiring process that needs drastic improvement.

If you had to pick one piece of work or project that you are most proud of, more for the creative work and innovation it required, rather than its recognition or industry “success,” what would it be?
I was very proud of the work we did on behalf of Coca-Cola for the Olympics. Unfortunately, they were postponed, but the team quickly pulled together a shoot with 3 rotating sets that captured over 90 on-camera interviews, long-form athlete content, stills, plus an amazing GIF stage. I really hope we can use some of that work in 2021.

Which creative disciplines do you commission most, and are most interested in seeing more of and why? Which of these disciplines are you most interested in seeing at CONNECTIONS? (ie photo, film, production, social, experiential, vr, cgi, animation etc)
Social content creation and production, experiential production and any tech/innovation trends.