Creative Minds: How FCB's Devon Wood flew a plane with no experience

In Creative Minds, we ask APAC creatives a long list of questions, from serious to silly, and ask them to pick 11 to answer. (Why 11? Just because.) Want to be featured?

Name: Devon Wood

Origin: Auckland, New Zealand

Places lived/worked: New Zealand, England, USA

Pronouns: She/her

CV:

Senior copywriter, FCB Aotearoa, 2020 – Present
Freelance senior copywriter, DDB Aotearoa, Contagion, 2018-2019
Copywriter, JWT New York, 2017
Junior copywriter, JWT London, 2013-2016

1. How did you end up being a creative?

My dad is a creative, so I always knew there was a fun job out there where I could get paid to think up ideas.

2. What's your favourite piece of work in your portfolio?

I got the opportunity to write this ad for Good Books in the style of Lewis Carroll and it is still the most fun piece of writing I have done so far. I think because there was no interference from the client, I just got to enjoy pure writing and have something turn out exactly as I wanted it to.

3. What's your favourite piece of work created by someone else?

I love ads that make me laugh, so I'd have to give a shout out to Carlton, Draught Beer Chase.

4. What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

When I was at university, I had a friend who was a trainee pilot. He took me up in a little four-seater plane and let me take the controls for a bit. So, I have flown a plane with absolutely zero experience and could have nosedived into the ocean.

5. What's on your bucket list?

My bucket list is all travel stuff, like having an aperol spritz in Cinque Terre and proper sushi in Japan. Hot air ballooning in Cappadocia would be up there too.

6. Who’s on your dream dinner guest list (alive or dead)?

Stephen Fry, Jerry Seinfeld, Daniel Ricciardo, Seth Rogen, Amy Poehler and David Attenborough

7. Do you have any secret or odd talents?

I don't know if it's a talent, but I have synaesthesia which means I associate numbers with colours. For example, three is green and five is blue. It helps me remember job numbers but aside from that it's pretty useless.

8. What’s your favorite music/film/TV show/book/other of the past year, and why?

I just got into Drive to Survive and I am obsessed with it. I did not think a show about Formula 1 could be interesting, but there is so much petty drama between the teams. I want to give a shout out to the Off Menu podcast as well, it keeps me sane in traffic.

9. What food can you not live without? What food would you be happy to never taste again?

It is cliche but I cannot live without coffee. I would be stoked never to see another onion again. Yuck. Get in the bin.

10. Cat person or dog person?

I once ran into traffic to pat a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy that I saw across the street, so 100% dog person. I can't have one because I'm renting, but I got a cat who mostly ignores me.

11. Extrovert or introvert?

Is an ambivert a thing? I think that is what I am. I love socialising when I know people well, but I am quiet initially. And I love alone time to read or watch tv without having to talk to anyone.