5 Minutes with… Shannon Washington

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Driven by her personal, Fuse Green-inspired motto: ‘You can’t fake fresh’, R/GA’s US chief creative officer Shannon Washington enjoys playing around at the intersections of media, tech and storytelling. A child of the '80s, she attributes her interests in the creative world and global cultures to her mother's international military career and record collection, as well as the museums of her native Washington DC.

Now the founder of Parlour, a luxury travel experience and content platform, and Toni, a space for Black Women in advertising and marketing, Shannon's passions expand from travel to the mentorship of the next generation of creatives. Prior to joining R/GA, where she chases those ‘lightbulb moments’ and meaningful experiences, she forged a 15-year-strong career, creating Cannes Lion-, D&AD Pencil- and Emmy-winning work for agencies such as Grey, Droga5 and Deutsch.

Six months into her US CCO role, LBB’s Ben Conway caught up with Shannon to discuss the beginnings of her creative development, what innovations are changing how she works today, and why she believes travel is a must for creatives.

LBB> You say you like “creating meaningful experiences” - when did this passion start? How did you first find your creative side, and when did it become a viable professional opportunity for you?

Shannon> Album covers, an army mom, and the freedom that we ‘80s babies had. I had a lot of free time and spent much of it studying my mother’s album collection and travel collectables. The covers, the different techniques from photography to illustration. My mom had been stationed in or travelled to about five or so different countries by the time she had me, and she had artefacts from her travels all around the house: decorative hanboks from South Korea and artwork from German jazz bands.

I grew up in and around DC, which is also home to an incredible array of museums - from the Baltimore Aquarium to the entire Smithsonian Institution. All have programmes for kids and, as a single mom, she enrolled me in all of them. So, I was kind of primed to do something creative from early on.

LBB> At R/GA, you’re at the intersection of media, tech, and storytelling. What are some of the biggest innovations and developments that have changed how you operate in this space recently?

Shannon> For me the biggest innovations have been baked not in the what, but the how. So, in addition to generative AI for visualising interesting worlds and data-driven concepts… I’d say very smart, location-triggered, and programmatic media. Partners like [personalised video rendering company] Imposium have been amazing to see build-out.

LBB> You created Toni - a space for Black Women in advertising and marketing - what led to the inception of Toni, and what does this social safe space do and provide for people? What has your experience been as a Black woman in this space yourself? How has that changed over time?

Shannon> I created Toni to be a safe space because, at the time, there was no safe social space just for Black women in advertising and media. There are things we can’t go to LinkedIn or Twitter for, there is a level of context and nuance that is needed at times to understand what we go through as a super minority in the industry. I had always wanted a ‘break room’ when I started in this industry, and we did that in literal break rooms, in bars after work, etc. So, at the dawn of the pandemic, I did it digitally with [managing director at Mojo Supermarket and previously R/GA] Nichelle Sanders and [Dentsu Creative’s SVP of DE&I] Kai Lawson.

Toni is a joy to interact with. I learn a lot from our members and what they need. I have hired women in Toni, Toni is there to help women with their next move. It’s just a great space to connect with some of the best Black women in the business.

LBB> You also founded the luxury travel experience and content platform Parlour - and clearly love to travel. Firstly, how did Parlour come about? And secondly, what can travel do for creatives? Has your work been inspired by any new experiences while travelling?

Shannon> Parlour started as a release for creative writing and reportage - and all the thoughts I would have on the road during shoots. I like exploring things on my own and wanted all women like me to have a route to experience a finer side of travel.

Travel, I believe, should be mandatory for creatives. We create concepts, experiences, tools and products for our communities. And communities are changing daily. Our local communities have become global and I can tell when a creative is more well-travelled and culturally aware when looking at their work. And the only way for you to get there is to travel.

LBB> You’ve worked as a creative director for many prestigious agencies - Grey, Droga5, Deutsch, R/GA of course, and others - how has your approach to creativity changed over time? What would you say is your ‘signature’ creative style that can be seen across your work with all of these companies?

Shannon> Aww, man! It changes yearly! At the places mentioned, I was very much a student and now I find myself as a teacher… I have learned to allow myself to flex more over time. As well as the fact that ‘both things can be true’. My approach has become much sharper as a result, more gut-rooted and supported by data, craft and culture.

I don’t know if I can describe my style saliently. But I will say you will always see culture and authenticity in anything I do.