The Essential List: Mitch Wong

Mitch Wong is a global strategist with a multifaceted background in brand, digital, CRM, social, and commerce strategy, with over seven years of experience. His career has taken him from Bangkok to Hong Kong, Chicago, and New York, working with leading agencies such as Leo Burnett, VMLY&R Commerce, and now currently at Performance Art. Known for his ability to craft compelling brand stories and engage diverse audiences, Mitch's unique cultural journey enriches his approach, allowing him to navigate and connect consumer intricacies with authenticity.

Lifestyle

• Place of birth: Bangkok, Thailand

• Hometown: Hung Hom, Hong Kong

• Staycation: Chiang Mai, Thailand

• Vacation: Kyoto, Japan

• Pet: Butter & Waffles (two Pembroke Welsh Corgis)

- Both are Pembroke Welsh Corgis

- Butter was a former champion show dog

- Butter is 10 and is Waffle’s grandfather

- Waffles is three

• Place of work: Performance Art, New York

• Side project: Streaming on Twitch & helping my family business with design work

- My work / stream setup

• Mode of transport: Trains for life! I live by a train depot now in NYC!

- NYC – MTA

- Chicago – CTA

- Hong Kong – MTR

- Thailand – BTS & MRT

• Bonus travel essential: Poy-Sian Inhaler for a quick pick-me up and to mask any unpleasant odours while commuting

Culture

• Artist: Jan Tsichold

• Musician: Atom Chanakan

• Commercials / music video director: Tor Sornsrivichai

• Film director: Although I’m from Hong Kong and there's a reverence to Wong Kar-Wai, my choice has to be Stephen Chow for his genius direction of situational and physical comedy. 

• Photographer: Shout-out to my honeymoon photographer, Taichi Funaoka @funaokataichi

• Film: The Pursuit of Happyness

• Series: Ted Lasso for a nice wholesome pick me up. The darts scene is still one of my all-time favourite TV moments.

• Commercial: Allianz Thailand – Unfortunately, there are no English subtitles but the premise is what has stood out to me. The ad is all about how the agency is pitching the storyboard to the client and having a dialogue about how each part of the story hits on elements of the brief and taking in live feedback and reemphasizing the RTB’s. (Spoiler Alert, the client asks at the end why this will resonate with people, and we find out that this story is based on the creative director’s own story and the actor in the ad is himself) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdNMF1bbkdc

• Video game: Any Pokemon Game, but my favourite is Pokemon Unite where I dabbled in competitive play in North America

• Board game: Codenames

• Book: Emperor’s Domination (Chinese Light Novel) 

• Graphic novel: Solo Leveling – The anime is finally out!

• Podcast: Sowerby & Luff

• Newspaper (off or online): The New York Times, mainly for the crosswords. Connections has been fun too!

Food and Drink

• Breakfast: Onigiri & a Yunker energy shot

• Restaurant: Yakiniku Douraku (Japan)

• Cheap bite: Frank’s Souvlaki – Chicken & Rice Platter 

• Working lunch: Five Guys, Double Cheeseburger, All the way, Hot sauce, no tomatoes

• Favourite dish: Khao Kana Moo Grob (Stir-fried crispy pork with Chinese kale)

• Signature dish: Tom Jeud (Thai pork & tofu soup)

• Snack: Taro (Thai Fish Snack)

• Guilty pleasure: Wintermelon Tea with Grass Jelly

• Bar: Catch 35 (Chicago)

• Not booze: Vitasoy Lemon Tea

• Bonus food: French Fries

• Bonus beverage: Vitasoy Soy Milk

Kit

• Phone: iPhone 13 (Blue)

• Computer: Mac Mini with a 27-inch monitor

• TV: Samsung NEO-LED Smart TV

• Headphones: Bose QC34 (that I bought with my first ever pay-check)

• Camera: Canon 550D DSLR, my trusty camera since high school

• Soundsystem: Bose Sound Link Bar

• Pen / pencil: LAMY Pen engraved by my wife

• Where you document an idea: Notes on my iphone

• Casual clothing: Everything Uniqlo

• Smart clothing: Everything J-Crew

• Footwear: Crocs x 7 Eleven Sandals with lots of Jibits

• Watch: Dan Henry, 1965 Panda

• Collection: Dad Caps

• App: Discord

• Website: AdAddictTH (https://adaddictth.com/works?sub=all)

• Favourite social media feed: @genthecorgi

• Work program: Keynote

• Digital work tool: Miro

• Analogue work tool: Keychron Mechanical Keyboard

• Morning grooming / makeup essential: Water (my wife bought me a skincare routine that I have yet to abide by or integrate into my life, please don’t tell her)

• Bonus kit essential: iPad Pro