Based in LA, with roots in Hong Kong and Hawaii, Nicholas is one of the most acclaimed Asian American advertising directors working today. Renowned for a unique ability to find beauty in imperfection, he has crafted international ad campaigns for giants like Google, Samsung, Vivo, P&G, Nestlé, Timberland, Viacom and Dewars. His signature visual language — a fusion of polished grit and emotive spontaneity — has attracted global agencies as BBDO, Ogilvy, Dentsu, Publicis, VMLY&R and Iris Worldwide, creating campaigns awarded by the Cannes Lions, CLIOs, Promax, Tellys, 1.4, Citra Pariwara, MMA Smarties APAC, Shots and more.
In the music world, Nicholas has directed videos for Nick Jonas, Blink-182, Sara Bareilles, Bastille, Divine, Salvatore Ganacci, Jess Glynne and Monsta X. Notably, he is the first and only American to garner an MTV VMA nomination for Best K-Pop.
A noted thought leader in minority representation, Nicholas has authored opinion pieces on topics like diversity, culture and artificial intelligence. His influence was formally recognized in 2023 when he was named a Next Generation Leader by the Committee of 100 — a prestigious, non-partisan organization comprised of the most prominent Asian Americans across the arts, sciences, business and academia. His work and viewpoints have been featured in leading publications such as Vogue, The LA Times, Rolling Stone, Variety, Billboard, Complex, Forbes, Little Black Book and The Telegraph, amplifying his voice in both the advertising and cultural landscapes.
When not orchestrating chaos on set, Nicholas can be found carving the canyons in his race car, traveling the world hunting crazy street food, or talking fashion and anime with fellow ‘heads.
AWARDS
Telly Awards 2023 - MTV "Drinking Alone With the Moon" - WINNER Gold - Directing
Promax North America 2023 - MTV "Drinking Alone With the Moon" - WINNER Silver - Directing
CLIO Awards 2022 - MTV "Drinking Alone With the Moon" - WINNER Bronze - TV Social Campaign
CLIO Awards 2022 - MTV "Drinking Alone With the Moon" - Finalist - TV Doc
Shorty Awards 2022 - MTV "Drinking Alone With the Moon" - Finalist - Social Good Campaign
Promax Global 2022 - Disney/Marvel "Spidey and His Amazing Friends" - WINNER Silver - Global Excellence Best Short Subject
Cannes Lions Young Directors Award 2021 - Snakehips & Jess Glynne "Lie For You" - Finalist - Best Animation
1.4 Awards 2021 - Snakehips & Jess Glynne "Lie For You" - WINNER Silver - Best Animation
MTV VMA 2020 - Monsta X "Someone's Someone" - Finalist - Best K-Pop Video
MMA Smarties Indonesia 2020 - Nestlé "Anti Manifesto" - WINNER Gold - Direct Response / Conversion Category
MMA Smarties APAC 2020 - Nestlé "Anti Manifesto" - WINNER Silver - Cross Media Category
MMA Smarties Indonesia 2020 - Nestlé "Anti Manifesto" - WINNER Bronze - Cross Media Category
Citra Pariwara Awards 2019 - Nestlé "Anti Manifesto" - WINNER Silver - Best Digital Campaign
Panavision New Filmmaker Award - "Real Fiction" - WINNER - Best Dramatic Narrative Short`
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