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In the spotlight
Pulp began her journey as a graphic designer before spending over 13 years in advertising across Asia and making Hong Kong home. Some of her most defining moments happened beyond the work itself: encounters with industry legends, mentors who shaped her thinking, and the sisterhood she found through Cannes Lions See It Be It 2024. Now exploring a move into tech, Pulp talks to ROAR Collective about the work closest to her heart, the people who shaped her journey, and the importance of staying curious and true to yourself.
What’s your story?
I started out as a graphic designer. During my final year of study in New York, I joined talks hosted by the city’s creative community, where I heard people like Sir John Hegarty and Alex Bogusky of Crispin Porter + Bogusky speak. Those were some of my earliest influences, and they opened my eyes to the world of creative agencies.
Another defining moment came when Judee (Jureeporn Thaidamrung), a legend of Thai advertising, took me to the New York Festivals. For the first time, I saw the wider creative world up close and met some of the judges. It made me realize that creativity begins with building strong craft, but it cannot stop there. Our job is to solve our clients’ business problems while also bringing our own point of view, using ideas to say something meaningful and, where possible, create change beyond the business itself. That belief has shaped my journey into creative direction ever since.
Over 13 years working in agencies across Asia, what is the best advice you've ever been given, and who gave it to you? How has it stayed with you?
The best advice came from my creative director at my first agency job, at Ogilvy & Mather Thailand. At the time, I did not fully understand it. He told me that the best work has to connect with the people it is made for.
It should not simply sell a product; it should add something meaningful to their lives.
For example, when building a brand, the idea can encourage people to do something positive, keep going or believe in themselves. That advice has stayed with me because it reminds me that creativity can do more than drive a business result. It can leave people with a feeling, a thought or a little more belief than they had before.
Which piece of work you've created stands out as the most meaningful to you, and what makes it so significant?
The piece of work that stands out as the most meaningful to me is Pantene’s “See Beauty, Not Gender.” At the time, advertising in Thailand often tried to stand out through bold ideas, unusual humour and lots of action. We chose to do the opposite. Together with the strategist, influencer and director, we created a film that felt completely normal and familiar. The only difference was that we placed LGBTQ+ people at the centre of the stories, rather than the male or female protagonists audiences would usually expect.
They were a delivery rider, a hairdresser, a model—people simply living and working like everyone else. By making the situations so ordinary, we invited the audience to see beyond gender and focus on the person. That is what makes the work significant to me: it challenged a mindset without turning difference into a spectacle. It showed that LGBTQ+ representation can be present in everyday life without needing to be explained or treated as unusual.
Is there a piece of work by someone else that made you think "I wish I had made that"? What is it about the idea that's stayed with you?
There are many pieces of work I have been jealous of, but the one that has stayed with me most recently is Coinbase’s “Your Way Out.” It looks like a surreal, low-poly video game, almost like an early Grand Theft Auto world, with actors moving like NPCs inside a system controlled by someone else. At first, I assumed it had been created with CGI. But everything was made physically, using real performers, practical sets, hand-crafted costumes and precise choreography.
That is what I love about it. At a time when so much work is becoming AI-driven, the film uses an extraordinary amount of human craft to create a world that feels artificial. The execution is absurd, ambitious and beautifully controlled, but it also serves the strategy: a person breaking free from a system that has been controlling them. It is the kind of idea that makes me think, “I wish I had made that,” because the concept, craft and message are inseparable.
Being selected for Cannes Lions See It Be It 2024 is a huge milestone. What did that experience mean to you, and what did you take away from it?
Being selected for Cannes Lions See It Be It 2024 was a real breakthrough moment for me. When I was accepted, I could hardly believe it. I also had the opportunity to speak on stage with my fellow cohort member Jessica. It was my first time speaking to such a large audience, especially one filled with creative people from across the industry, so it pushed me far beyond my comfort zone.
The sessions with some of advertising’s greatest legends were intense and inspiring, but my biggest takeaway was the sisterhood. The women in my cohort came with no ego. They listened, understood and helped me express things I had not always been able to articulate. We still message almost every day, travel to see one another, share opportunities and support each other. That kind of friendship is rare in such a competitive industry, and it is something I do not think I could have found anywhere else. See It Be It gave me more than knowledge or exposure; it gave me a community that continues to shape who I am.
What do you think is the best strapline or campaign of all time, and why does it endure?
For me, one of the most powerful straplines of all time is Adidas’s “Impossible Is Nothing.”
It is simple, but it carries a strong sense of possibility and determination. It does not just talk about sport or sell a product; it speaks to a feeling everyone understands, the desire to overcome doubt and achieve something that once felt out of reach. Even today, it still feels relevant because the message is universal. Styles and campaigns change, but the idea that limitations can be challenged never becomes outdated.
What would your dream collaboration look like, and who would it be with, living or not? What excites you about that pairing?
My dream collaboration would be with Ringan Ledwidge. I have admired his work for years, especially Orange’s “Rewind City.” What I love about him is the strength of his visual thinking. His films can feel impossible, yet they are created through precise performance, choreography and practical craft rather than relying only on post-production.
Coming from an art direction background, I would be excited to build a world with him where every visual detail has a purpose and the craft itself becomes part of the idea. I think the pairing would push me to think bigger visually while still keeping the concept simple and human. Together, I would want to create something surprising and cinematic—work that makes people wonder how it was made, but more importantly, leaves them with a feeling they remember.
What advice would you give your younger self at the start of your creative journey?
I would tell my younger self: don’t give up. A creative career asks you to sacrifice a lot—your time, your energy and sometimes moments with friends and family. But the hardest part is often the battle with yourself. You compare where you are today with where you think you should be, and that can become a difficult mind game.
I would also remind myself that this journey is a marathon, not a sprint. The goal is not to keep up with another team or another creative, but to keep moving forward and become better than the person I was yesterday. If this is truly the work you want to do, stay with it but learn to protect your health, your relationships and your sense of self along the way.
You're now looking to move client-side, particularly into tech. What's drawing you toward that shift, and what do you hope to bring with you from your agency years?
What draws me to the client side, particularly in tech, is the chance to move beyond observing the future from the advertising world and become part of building it. Whether it is a company like OpenAI, Anthropic or another technology business, I want to understand the products, systems and decisions shaping how people will live and work not only from the outside, but through a more immersive, hands-on experience.
I am naturally curious and I love learning, so this shift feels like an opportunity to challenge myself and grow in a completely new environment. From my agency years, I would bring the ability to turn complexity into simple, human ideas, connect technology with culture and emotion, and keep asking not only what a product can do, but why it should matter to people.
Finally, what's next for you? Are there themes, projects, or ideas you're especially excited to explore in this next chapter?
What comes next is a difficult question because I try to take life day by day. But wherever I go, I want my work to contribute to the community around me. Even though I am no longer living in Thailand and now call Hong Kong home, I want to feel that I am part of the place I live not simply someone working there.
That is why I am excited about opportunities such as teaching at the Hong Kong Design Institute and immersing myself more deeply in the local creative community. I may not speak every language, but I believe human connection can exist beyond language barriers. In this next chapter, I want to explore projects that bring people closer, share what I have learned and create some form of positive change wherever I am.