Join City Club and Portland Monthly for Bright Lights on January 9 with John Jay, global creative director for Wieden + Kennedy, as he maps Portland's connections with the world.
There is arguably no more far-reaching cultural transformer for Portland than John Jay. Overseeing the creative work of global advertising giant Wieden + Kennedy, he flits between the agency’s offices in Tokyo, Shanghai, New Delhi, London, Amsterdam, and São Paulo, but consciously strives to model the culture of each on the “mother ship” in Portland. And through his and wife Janet Jay’s project Studio J in Old Town/Chinatown, he produces everything from new products and books to conversational salons with visiting creatives. For his Bright Lights appearance, he will discuss the rich, two-way cultural exchange growing between Portland and the rest of the world. “Portland’s influence isn’t orchestrated—it’s totally organic,” he says, “and that’s what gives it power.”
Recently inducted into the prestigious New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame, John Jay came to Wieden + Kennedy in 1993 after a 12-year career at Bloomingdale’s. He founded W+K’s offices in Tokyo and Shanghai, and has worked on campaigns for companies as varied as Uniqlo and Target. Beyond his work for the agency, Jay has produced books, has blogged for the New York Times, sits on the board of the Smithsonian Institution, cocreated Ping restaurant, and is currently at work with a group of partners opening an Old Town hostel and microenterprise hub in the former Grove Hotel.
Bright Lights: Discussions on the City is a monthly series presented by Portland Monthly magazine with City Club of Portland designed to bring the region’s thought leaders to the stage in an informal, conversational setting. Past guests have included Congressman Earl Blumenauer, advertising guru Dan Wieden, and Portland State University president Wim Wiewel, along with candidates for mayor and the Metro council. Many past presentations can be found at vimeo.com/portlandmonthlymag/videos.