The Nomad S5: Winona Wee
Winona Wee, Senior Creative at Wieden+Kennedy London, wants to debunk the Asian stereotype.
Growing up bisexual in Singapore where there is no equal marriage (the country has decriminalised sex between two men only recently), Winona Wee did not have too much access to sex education. So she decided to create one.
“I decided to create sex.ed.gay with my friends Melissa Ho & Sharmain Lim as in school, sex education was exclusively heteronormative,” says Wee.
Her platform, SexEd.Gay, is Singapore’s first inclusive sex education platform that houses tips for LGBTQIA+ youths. She believes that sex education isn’t just about sex but – especially – for many queer individuals, it is also about discovering their identity and understanding their history.
She confesses (in an interview with Shout Out LA) that what sets her apart isn’t her craft or her creativity, but her willingness to just go crazy, be out there & experiment. “Anyone can come up with ideas, but it takes grit to see them through.”
The senior creative at Wieden+Kennedy London has always used her creativity and knowledge for good: leading the agency’s LGBTQIA+ affinity group, using technology to celebrate the repeal of 377A in Singapore, and founding the South East Asian Creative Club.
I have been impressed by Winona's ability to create space for people from underrepresented groups. Looking at her profile and activism, I do not doubt everybody will be. She agrees that there was a very poor understanding and representation of South East Asians when she came to London. “There is also a stereotype that Asians work in engineering or finance, and I really wanted to debunk this while creating a community of support. So I created SEA Creative Club with my friends Alisya Rozhan and Kimberly Ho.”
She believes that to create change, you must first feel empowered to do so. Everyone has a unique blend of perspectives that can disrupt the status quo if you tap into your power and your creativity. She has been championing just that.
What have you been up to?
Lots!
I just organised London’s 1st See It Be It networking event for Womxn and Non-Binary creative talent, in partnership with W+K and Cannes Lion.
I judged the November Young Shits advertising competition and connected the winners with my favourite local coffee shop, Pangea Cafe.
Now, I’m planning the Southeast Asian Creative Club’s Festive Meet & Eat session with VJ Anand [before January this year].
Outside of work, I’ve been getting more involved in the London skate scene. Skateboarding is often seen as a male-dominated sport, but collectives like Beginner Bumps, Melanin Skate Gals & Pals, and Transkaters are creating inclusive spaces for everyone.
If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
Chaotic. Awkward. Curious.
From spending most classes daydreaming and writing short poems in your notebooks and on your arms, to stumbling into copywriting for your first creative agency, to achieving an impressive number of accolades within the industry, how do you reflect on your journey so far?
What the hell how did you get that info 😂 You remind me of Nardwuar (in a good way) LOL.
My journey has been wild. I was a pretty bad student, I didn’t like being told what to do and I found it hard to pay attention to things I wasn’t interested in.
Two things helped me: 1) Having a focus on wanting to be financially independent while pursuing a career in a creative field, and 2) saying yes to opportunities.
How has moving from Singapore to the UK influenced your creative approach, and what cultural nuances have you brought into your work at W+K London?
Both cities have impacted my creativity in different ways. The UK is a more traditional market, while Singapore is quite experimental and digital-focused, so I’ve had the opportunity to bring my knowledge of creative tech & digital experiences to my work at W+K. Growing up in Singapore, I was exposed to a lot of different languages and cultures – something I try to keep in mind when casting talent or choosing vendors for projects.
Singapore is a small island country, and most people I talk to in the UK don’t know where it is, or what languages we speak. I try my best to educate them graciously while reminding them that our national language is English because of this thing called colonisation ;)
Representing both Singapore and the UK in ‘See It Be It” programme that is focussed on elevating female creative leaders is a significant milestone. What does this opportunity mean to you personally and professionally?
The programme gifted me 18 women I can now call my best friends. It made me not feel so alone and made me realise that many female creatives around the world were experiencing the same anxieties and struggles that I do.
Professionally, it empowered me with the knowledge to advocate both for myself and the communities I am a part of! I’ve loved sharing my knowledge on business, creativity, and negotiation with my colleagues and even strangers who connect with me online.
As someone bridging cultures, how do you ensure Southeast Asian and LGBTQIA+ narratives are authentically represented in global advertising campaigns?
By showing up and being authentically me! Also, by constantly speaking to people, and learning from their lived experiences too.
You mentioned in one interview that what sets you apart isn’t your craft or your creativity, but your willingness to just go crazy, be out there & experiment! I really love that sentiment – can you elaborate on that?
Yes! I was recently speaking to ChatGPT (lol) and I asked it to analyse my previous conversations that I had with it to tell me some things I didn’t know about myself. One interesting thing it said was that I seem to be more focused on “progress, not perfection” and I deeply resonated with that.
I like finding new ways to do things and tinkering. Probably because I grew up on myspace and tumblr, lol.
What is your advice on selling a creative idea?
Believe in it. If you don’t love the idea, your clients and consumers will be able to tell. Find different ways to entertain yourself with this budget that the client has given you while keeping the core message in it.
For example this year we had a brief to raise awareness for the Ford Mustang Mach-E – the 1st car in the UK with a hands-free driving mode. We needed to find an interesting way to tell a chronically online audience that. So we created the Ford Passenger Princess collection – a series of accessories that would help you look iconic while the car drove itself. We custom-made these awesome rings that said “Passenger Princess” and partnered with Nella Rose to launch the limited collection online. The girlies loved it.
(And yes, I am a passenger princess.)
What is your approach when it comes to creative block?
Sometimes I skate, sometimes I listen to music, sometimes I watch a bad film, sometimes I play video games. The best way to get out of a creative block is to disrupt your usual routine and entertain yourself. LOL.
What advice would you give to young Southeast Asian creatives who aspire to make a global impact in the advertising world?
The world would be lucky to listen to your perspectives, so start sharing them now! When you’re negotiating for a global position, don’t make yourself smaller by thinking that you only understand your region’s market. That’s a gift. They need YOU, because you have expertise on a market that they know nothing about, and can teach them new things.
What are you looking for in 2025?
I’m looking forward to spending Lunar New Year with my husband and my loved ones back in Singapore :) My husband, Nicholas Ong, is a visual artist I’m also really looking forward to his solo exhibition in Sydney in June 2025. As for myself: I’m looking forward to seeing the different ways I will grow. Who knows what the future holds!
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“The Nomad” is a fortnightly published series where I talk to expats who work in the creative industry, then delve into the insights which inform and help other people to live or to do business in an intercultural world