Experiences that made me Jess Black

In this series, we ask Imagination talent all about the experiences that have made them who they are. Meet Jess Black, our Senior Creative Strategist based in New York.

To sum me up...

Aspiring jetski owner, siete hot sauce, consciousness expansion, democracy, extra dirty martinis with truffle fries (order this immediately), dictating martini orders when writing “about me” bios, pretending to know about wine, not understanding Marvel movies, The Godfather Parts 1 and 2, airpods, Nora Ephron, and Nike air max (I have business casual and formal pairs)

Eagerly awaiting: Succession Season 3, Rihanna's album, and Godot.

The experience that has influenced me most...

Burning Man. Which is like travelling to another planet, and that planet is littered with pirate ships, pianos bars, brilliant art installations, and fascinating humans who inspire you to think differently about the world and make more cool stuff.

The work I'm most proud of is...

A horror film I co-wrote with my best friend recently won 13 film festival awards, including “Best Death”.

The piece of work that makes me cringe...

I was cast as a sheep in a Junior High Production of The Odyssey. I had no lines but was asked if I could “baahh” in a more lady-like manner.

The experience I wish I'd created is...

Google’s Stonewall Forever, AR Monument. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the stonewall uprising, Google launched a new augmented reality interactive monument that brings users to Christopher street park, in front of the stonewall inn, in new york. the project by the LGBTQ community centre, the national park service, and google, is called stonewall forever and can be accessed anywhere on a desktop, phone, or augmented reality app, and aims at preserving and expanding the reach of LGBTQ rights history.

I would give my 18-year-old self the following advice...

1. Don’t buy expensive jewellery, you’ll lose it

2. Never plan to get anything done on a plane

3. Don’t date comedians

4. Work at Imagination!

What’s next?

I'm also extremely excited about some upcoming work we are doing for an alcohol brand at Heathrow airport.