Creative Minds: Trash management crusader, 'David HK' cleans up

Name: David Tan

Origin: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Places lived/ worked: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Pronouns: He/him

CV:

Associate creative director, Leo Burnett, Malaysia, 2022 – present
Creative group head, Leo Burnett, Malaysia, 2018 – 2021
Senior art director, Leo Burnett, Malaysia, 2016 – 2018
Art director, Leo Burnett, Malaysia, 2012- 2016
Junior art director, Grey Group, Malaysia, 2009 – 2011

1. How did you end up being a creative?

When I was around eight years old, I got a cold and fell sick. While resting at home, I had nothing to do. So, I took out my colour pencil and started drawing one of the characters from Dragon Ball. And this sparked a love for art. Naturally, I enrolled into art school and took up graphic design. Eventually, I got into an advertising agency as an intern. During this time, I would come up with random ideas to share with my team lead. One of my direct mail ideas even won a local award, this led to the team offering me a full-time job, which I seized. There’s a line from Leo Burnett’s Humankind scale that calls out work that can “change the way people think and feel”. And that motivates and inspires me to know that being a creative means being able to make a difference.

2. What's your favourite piece of work in your portfolio?

One of my favourite recent campaigns was for Chipsmore. It was a chocolate chip cookie campaign that beat Monopoly to the Metaverse. The campaign lightened the growing tension amongst Gen Z who are unable to afford their first property. So, we partnered with Monopoly, the property trading game that everyone grew up with, and launched Metapoly.

Working alongside our designers Sue Phing and Steph, Monopoly’s 28 property squares were reimagined as virtual properties that GenZ could finally own. It was a hell of a ride but fun.

3. What's your favourite piece of work created by someone else?

A Petronas campaign done by Yasmin Ahmad that shaped the landscape of festive storytelling in Malaysia. Called 'One Little Indian Boy', this piece of film has a deep meaning and message in many different ways. Moreover, it touches the heart and challenges the thinking of fellow Malaysians.

4. What and who are your key creative influences?

My surroundings, and the people around me. Observing what are they doing, and figuring out why they behave in certain ways.

5. Tell us about the worst job you ever had.

Not really a job but a recruitment campaign that I worked on for an insurance company with the headline ‘Career Going Nowhere?’. I had to look at this for a couple of months. Took a hell of a lot of mental strength to finish this off.

6. What’s your favourite music / film / TV show / book / other of the past year, and why?

I rewatched Forrest Gump this past year and it’s still one of my favourite films of all time. It just gives me a feeling that I can’t describe. Like empathy, happiness, motivation, naivety, sadness, all mixed up together.

7. Tell us about a charity or cause you think needs more attention.

Trash management. If everyone managed their trash properly, the world would be less polluted and more pleasing to the eye.

8. Do you have a nickname? How did you get it?

At my previous agency, they spelt my initials in my email address as David HK and people started calling me David Hong Kong.

9. Do you have a catchphrase?

When someone throws you under the bus, lift up the bus.

10. Cat person or dog person?

via GIPHY

Sorry cats and dogs, I’m a fish person.

11. Analog or digital?

In this digital world, I do sometimes prefer analogue. I like to touch, feel and smell physical objects, especially books as the texture of paper and its smell gives a different reading experience. Same goes for pictures taken with analogue cameras, which give a different feeling.