Dominic Prevost

Our featured speaker for May is the talented designer and art director Dominic Prevost who will share his inspiring story of creativity through the lens of the global theme VIBRANT.

Seasoned in both advertising and design, Dominic worked in top agencies around the world, from Paris and London to Sydney, Melbourne, Treviso, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Over the course of his two-decade career, he spearheaded the development of award-winning, fully-integrated campaigns for adidas, lululemon, Nike, Toyota, Smart, Mercedes, Johnnie Walker, Red Bull, Sony Playstation, and the list goes on. He also teaches at Miami Ad School and Vancouver's IDEA School of Design, while actively involved as a collaborator, jury member, and keynote speaker at industry events across North America and Europe. Dominic’s work has been repeatedly recognized in the industry’s major award shows, including the Cannes Lions, One Show, London International, and the Advertising & Design Club of Canada. His work has also been covered by The New York Times, The Guardian, Fast Company and Time Magazine.

Dominic currently leads the creative department at Resonance, an agency/consultancy based in NYC, Vancouver, Montreal and Austin, specialized in branding and shaping the future of cities and destinations from around the world.

Every month we ask our speaker a handful of probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:

How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career?

As designers, we tap into our creativity to solve problems. I think someone who is ‘in tune’ with their creativity is naturally curious and keen to explore new solutions to solve a given problem — whether that’s at work when tackling a new brief, or trying to get my son to eat his broccoli.

Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy?

Riding on my bike and tuning into the energy of the city.

What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person?

You’ll never be happy if you keep comparing yourself to others. The only path that should matters to you is the one you choose to walk on.

Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings?

Speaking of someone charting their own path: David Bowie.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Got a Visa and took a one-way flight to London (without knowing anyone or having enough money for a plane ticket back) to work in the city’s music industry and design records covers. I pulled it off!

What did you learn from your most memorable creative failure?

It’s a bit of a grim metaphor but: You can’t set yourself on fire to keep others warm.

What’s your one guilty creative indulgence?

Piling up really weird metaphors on top of each other to explain something that would have taken two words.

What are you reading these days?

I’ve purchased the 4 x 800 pages bricks of Succession’s screenplays.

What fact about you would surprise people?

I play video games as much as I did when I was an 8 year old.

How does your life and career compare to what you envisioned for your future as a sixth grader?

Spoiler alert! I’ll actually bring this up during my talk!

How would you describe what you do in a single sentence to a stranger?

I use creativity to solve business problems.

What's the most recent thing you learned (big or small)?

I finally picked up skiing, still learning but having a ton of fun. I’m hurting though.

If you could open a door and go anywhere, where would that be?

Akihabara, Tokyo.

What keeps you awake at night?

Really weird dreams. Gotta log ‘em up in the Notes app!

What myths about creativity would you like to set straight?

Creativity is a muscle, the more you work it, the better you get. No pain, no gain.

Who has been the biggest influence on your life? What lessons did that person teach you?.
My mom raised my brother and I by herself, she taught me resilience and the art of setting goals and sticking to them.

What are you proudest of in your life?

My two kids..

If you could interview anyone living or dead, but not a celebrity, who would it be and why?

A Japanese blacksmith in the Edo period. I think I’d just watch them work.

If you could do anything now, what would you do?

Eat ramen with a friend.

Where was the last place you travelled?

Seattle, a few weeks ago, for work.

What music are you listening to these days?

I’m always one Spotify song away from something by the Arctic Monkeys, but I’m really digging the Kills’ new album.

What was the best surprise you’ve experienced so far in life?

Fatherhood.

Where is your favourite place to escape?

Give me an hour with my bike, either on the road or in the garage.

What was the best advice you were ever given?

Just shut up for one second, Dom.

What books made a difference in your life and why?

I read Bret Easton Ellis’ The Rules of Attraction in one sitting. It’s never happened since, I was completely enthralled. Oh, and all those Wallpaper City Guides and Taschen Icon books that I would spend all my student money on.

What practises, rituals, or habits contribute to your creative work?

I burn through a Kraft-Brown Moleskine Soft Cover Notebook every three months, and have been for the last 10+ years. And yes, I’ve kept them all. And yes, I also wonder why.

When you get stuck creatively, what is the first thing you do to get unstuck?

During the pandemic, I’d hop into a hot shower. It was the best.

If you had fifteen extra minutes each day, what would you do with them?

An extra long bike ride or hot shower or something dumb like crunches.

What has been one of your biggest Aha! moments in life?

I realized I was lactose intolerant in my 30s, and it changed my life.

What object would you put in a time capsule that best represents who you are today?

A stack of notebooks, ideally all of them.

What is the one movie or book every creative must see/read?

I really like reading screenplays by writer directors THEN watch their film. It’s super fun to compare what’s on the page vs how it was brought to life. Ari Aster’s Midsommar is a fantastic example of this. Terry Gilliam’s Brazil left a strong impression as well.

What is the one question we haven’t asked that you want to answer?
Why yes, I was the kid with braces and a headgear on the first day of grade 8.