Creative Lives: Akwasi Poku, creative at Wieden+Kennedy

Joining us on the podcast this week is Akwasi Poku, a creative at London-based agency Wieden+Kennedy, who we met on February 9th. Akwasi takes us on a journey through his varied start in the industry – from editorial and broadcasting experience to jobs in post-production – and explains why resilience is such an essential trait in advertising. As part of a creative duo, both Akwasi and his partner Abdou Cisse have worked at Wieden + Kennedy since last year, having made the jump from R/GA, where they filled more traditional copywriting and art directing roles. A team for the past four years, Akwasi describes how they came together, and why working with a friend is so conducive to good, honest ideas. Their work has seen them create ideas for brands such as Nike, Google and the Sainsbury’s (including on the recent Christmas campaign), and has even helped projects win awards from the likes of D&AD and Creative Review. He tells us how he’s created his own opportunities along the way, the value of drawing from your own interests and experiences, and why persistence is your greatest assets as a creative. “The second you give up is when your journey stops,” he shares, “even in the bad moments you’re learning so much.” ... This episode of Creative Lives was was presented by Indi Davies and the editor was Ivor Manly. Lecture in Progress is made possible with the support of a number of brand patrons – they include ustwo, GF Smith, Squarespace and The Paul Smith Foundation. Check out lectureinprogress.com for more details.