160/Achievers highlights the hobbies, skills, and talents that our employees dedicate themselves to outside the office. This month’s 160/Achiever is Ted Quann, a Senior Art Director based out of our Philly office. When Ted’s not in office, he’s painting and working on music.
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Office Location: Philadelphia, PA
Social Media (Instagram): @tedquann and @sold_theband
What’s your talent and how long have you been practicing?
I hate talking about myself like this. But to answer the question I suppose painting and music would be my talents. I’ve been practicing them since middle school.
What made you want to start?
Art was always an obsession and I was lucky to have studied under some insanely talented artists. Musically, the music video for “1979” has a scene where the Smashing Pumpkins played at a rager party and I was like “sh*t, I need to do this.
How would you define your style?
I love when the hero gets taken down a peg, or that feeling of seeing an old crush at a funeral–that everyday people tip. Creating, exploiting, and exploring that moment is exciting to me in the narratives I make in art.
What song or album could be the soundtrack to your life?
Probably “Kid A”
Someone else’s work that inspired you or that you admired lately?
I love old jams. Right now I’ve really been into painters like Goya who create a little story in a single scene and aren’t perfectionists about it.
What is your favorite quote?
“Stick to the script and play the hits.” I grew up in the 90/00’s when being called a “poser” was the worst thing in the world. This is something I tell myself to remind me that, as scarring as that was, there’s truth in being yourself, owning it, do what matters to you, and not changing on a whim for others–as long as it hits in one way or another.
Your main strength as a creative person?
I’m not big on qualifying myself; I just like to always bite off more than I think I can chew, creatively speaking.
What would you tell your younger self?
Learn about “copywriting” earlier.
A recent project you’re proud of outside of 160/90?
I put a lot of time into an album called “A New Wind” with my band SOLD. Really happy with how that came out.
A recent project you’re proud of at 160/90?
Making Film Noir videos for Luigi’s Real Italian Ice was a blast.