2024 Lifetime Achievement Award

2 Minutes With … Reema Trehan, Freelance Art Director

On striking the right work/life balance

Reema is a San Francisco-based art director and designer. With more than 10 years of industry experience, she has worked across personal care, beauty, food and beverage, B2B, digital and government accounts. Her resume includes agencies such as Wunderman Thompson, FCB, McCann Health and MullenLowe.

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


Reema, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in Delhi, India, then moved to Singapore to study and work work work. Now I live in California.

How you first realized you were creative.

When I drew my first eggplant in a very abstract style at age 5.

A person you idolized creatively early on.

Piyush Pandey 

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

When I won a scholarship sponsored by MTV to create video content.

A visual artist or band/musician you admire.

Visual artist HateCopy

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

The Indian film 12th Fail  is a MUST watch.

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

I loved working on this project with some of the great minds in the industry: Closeup’s AI bots in a livestream event on Valentine’s Day.

A recent project you’re proud of. 

It was a roller coaster journey to plan, shoot and edit this campaign with Cristiano Ronaldo during Covid. But I did it.

Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago. 

“Da Da Ding” by Nike. Writer Ankita Tobit and I worked in the same office but never together. I love how she was just not ready to settle for less and create generic work.

Someone else’s work you admired lately. 

Pum Lefebure

Your main strength as a creative person.

Making sure I take time to enjoy life while maintaining a high level of professionalism.

Your biggest weakness.

Not organizing my desktop.

A mentor that helped you navigate the industry.

David Thackeray. I met him in Singapore and he’s one of the best creatives to work with. He has this unique talent in finding a way to build on every insight and idea. 

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

By teaching them work life balance from Day One. 

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

Paper quilling artist

2 Minutes With is our regular interview series where we chat with creatives about their backgrounds, creative inspirations, work they admire and more. For more about 2 Minutes With, or to be considered for the series, please get in touch.

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