The Essential List: Fola Fayanjuola
Fola Fayanjuola is a senior copywriter at Quigley, a fully-integrated brand performance agency setting the standard through their 'Brand-Led with Demand-Driven' philosophy. Fola is known for being a team player and for his creatively unique approach to his work.
Lifestyle
o Place of birth: Lagos, Nigeria.
o Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria.
o Staycation: Chicago.
o Vacation: Paris.
o Place of work: Quigley, Los Angeles.
o Mode of transport: Trains. A great place to people-watch.
o Bonus Travel Essential: Travel Adapter.
Culture
o Artist: Hank Willis Thomas. Everybody in advertising should see his ‘Unbranded’ series.
o Musician: Fela Kuti. It is a dust-up between “Zombie” and “Teacher don’t teach me nonsense” for my favourite Fela song.
o Music Video Director: Hype Williams. There are two eras with hip-hop music videos: Before Hype and After Hype.
o Film Director: Spike Lee. Please see Crooklyn if you haven’t.
o Photographer: Jamel Shabazz for capturing a time before my time.
o Film: The Matrix.
o Series: Succession.
o Commercial: Michael Jordan ‘Failure’ for Nike.
o Music Video: “What They Do” - The Roots. The video is a satire on hip-hop's obsession with flash and consumerism. It caused quite an uproar in its time.
o Video Game: Super Mario Bros. I am old school like that. Plus, this game takes me back to a simpler time.
o Board Game: Ludo. My mom is the undisputed champ.
o Book: Love in the Time of Cholera.
o Graphic Novel: Watchmen.
o Newspaper (off or online): New York Times.
o Magazine: The Atlantic.
o Bonus Culture Essential: Chinue Achebe, James Baldwin, Susan Sontag, Zadie Smith, Phillip Roth. Greg Tate. Writers are important for anything, giving us a second pair of eyes to see the world.
Food and Drink
o Breakfast: Baconeggncheese. Yes, it’s one word.
o Restaurant: Veranda, Soho, New York.
o Cheap Bite: Cheese Pizza slice.
o Working Lunch: Mediterranean.
o Dish: Jerk chicken with rice & peas.
o Snack: Gala & Yogo combo in Lagos traffic. IYKYK!
o Guilty Pleasure: Ice Cream from Jeni’s in Chicago. I don’t always have a sweet tooth, but when I do.
o Bar: Punch House, Chicago. The basement bar is known for its selection of punches. I always get the space juice.
o Booze: Old Fashioned.
o Not Booze: Topo Chico sparkling water.
o Bonus Food: Mac & Cheese.
o Bonus Beverage: Coca-cola.
Kit
o Phone: iPhone.
o Computer: MacBook.
o Headphones: Apple Airpods Max.
o Camera: iPhone.
o Pen/pencil: Pen.
o Where you document an idea: Increasingly, the Notes app on my phone.
o Casual Clothing: Comfy Sweatshirts.
o Smart Clothing: Double Breasted suits.
o Footwear: Nike Air Trainer 1. Easily my favorite shoe right now. Not as hyped as some other releases but a standout shoe amongst real sneakerheads.
o Watch: Gold Casio Digital Watch.
o Collection: KAWS figures.
o App: Twitter. Yes, even with all the craziness going on right now.
o Website: Fast Company.
o Work Program: Microsoft Word.
o Digital Work Tool: Google Docs.
o Analogue Work Tool: Field Notes.
o Morning Grooming: Retinol.
o Bonus Kit Essential: Diptique Orpeon Perfume.
