2 Minutes With … Chelsea Jade Campbell, GCD at Studio Resonate

Chelsea serves as group creative director at Studio Resonate, the in-house audio creative agency for SiriusXM Media. She leads a team of CDs and collaborators, designing immersive advertising and sonic strategies for clients. Earlier, Chelsea spent 10 years at agencies working in experiential, strategy and design.

We spent two minutes with Chelsea to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations and recent work she’s admired.

Chelsea, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in southwest London and went to Central Saint Martins for university, before moving to New York in 2010.

How you first realized you were creative.

I was not the best at art as a subject, but I had the greatest passion for it. I pursued it out of dogged perseverance, wanting to prove to myself that I was “creative.” 

A person you idolized creatively early on.

As a teenager and young creative, I idolized Jefferson Hack for his ability to build the Dazed brand from a bloody good magazine into a powerhouse of cool. Dazed & Confused was my bible growing up. I relished the day it arrived at the local newsagent, and loved poring over it for a whole afternoon. I read each issue cover to cover, and was lucky enough to land an internship there at 16. They didn’t know what to do with me. So, they sent me into the basement to sort through contact sheets and slides. I was happy as anything to just be in the building.

A moment from high school or college that changed your life.

Challenging the brief for my thesis and turning a “magazine” into a five-day live event on Carnaby Street. It provided a big creative challenge and a lot of project management experience. 

A visual artist or band/musician you admire.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude saw the world as their canvas, challenging conventions and expectations in the art world. Consider how many times they were told “no,” and worked until they could find a way to do these wonderful works at a scale that no one had ever done before. Their life was their art, to the point where they never took the same flight, so that in the event of a disaster, their art could continue. 

A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.

Taskmaster. I love the creativity that goes into both the challenges and the non-traditional problem-solving of the contestants. 

One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on.

Studio Resonate just launched “Audio is Magic,” an immersive experience that demonstrates the capabilities of the most powerful medium in marketing. It’s an aural delight that displays the breadth of our award-winning studio. It showcases the power of sonic identity, psychoacoustics and what’s possible with AI. We brought the experience to CES this past January and it was a real hit with the brands that came to listen.

Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago. 

Lucy McRae always leaves me curious, intrigued and thoughtful. Ever since discovering her collaboration with Bart Hess, I have been mesmerized by the worlds she invites us into. As a “body architect,” she fabricates big worlds on small screens, taking us a short leap into the future through a beautiful lens.

Someone else’s work you admired lately. 

I’ve been a long-time fan of Holly Herndon’s music, but I especially love how she is embracing technology in her latest works and producing experimental results for the questions that we’re all asking. 

Your main strength as a creative person.

The combination of big-picture thinking with the ability to get things done. I’m also a good editor. I see what is working and can pare back what isn’t, leading to a stronger core idea.

Your biggest weakness.

Empathy is my superpower and my weakness.

A mentor that helped you navigate the industry.

My first agency, Cunning. This was such a huge learning experience and institution to all who passed through it. Cunning Stunts started in the U.K. as a pioneering stunt marketing agency and were trailblazers in the experiential field. The work I did there was some of the most fun I’ve had. We really wanted to create experiences that no one else could make, and it was before experiential became the institutional medium that now dominates the landscape of art and advertising. 

How you’re paying it forward with the next generation of creatives.

Mentorship. I always make time for it. 

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.

My passion comes from leading creative teams to greatness. I would be happy anywhere I can make great work while nourishing creativity in others.