Skateboarding Meets Fine Art: ATK PLN's Jose Sebastian Gomez

Jose Sebastian Gomez
Executive Creative Director ATKPLN
 

Jose Sebastian Gomez harnesses the same creative vitality and passion he holds for skate culture to rally teams of designers, artists and producers to evoke dynamic visual solutions for clients looking to take their brand to the next level.

His prolific history in skateboarding, street culture and fine art have all informed his unique storytelling perspective. From live-action, animation or a mixture of the two, his stories all share a wit and magical quality that blur the lines of reality and fantasy. Gomez’s experience creating and launching his own sport lifestyle brand informs his design-driven approach to brand building. He founded Shilo in 2001 and transformed the boutique shop into an award-winning digital production company integrating live-action, animation and post-production. In its 16-year tenure, Gomez worked on projects for such top clients as Gatorade, Samsung, HBO, Mountain Dew, Ford, Under Armour, AT&T, Guinness and Adidas, among numerous others. In 2018, he teamed with Managing Director David Bates and Executive Producer Jim Riche to bring a new business model to the branded content creation space, launching strategic creative group ATK PLN to address changing marketplace needs. 

 

In a few words, can you tell us who you are and what your job title is?

My name is Jose Sebastian Gomez, I’m the Executive Creative Director here at www.ATKPLN.com  I have the pleasure of leading a massively talented group of artists, designers and creative thinkers here at our studio.

 

Did you have a mentor at one point in your life and how did that person help guide you?

I would say that my friend Chris Miller was a big mentor in my life. He is an absolute legend on a skateboard being one of the top professional skateboarders of his day and a accomplished entrepreneur in business owning several lifestyle brands. We used to work together in the action sports industry and he really showed me a level of professionalism that has stayed with me all these years.

 

If you were going to choose one project to post on AdForum to represent your creative vision, what would it be?

It’s hard to pick just one but what I think speaks best to my storytelling style is one where the intersection between live action, animation and design comes together seamlessly. Some of my favorite projects I’ve directed are Smart Car, The Walking Dead & DC Shoes “AirCraft”

 

Is there a band or artist that you listen to during the work week to help you relax and spark creativity?

If so, who is it? Even better, he is a link to my “work music” when I need to get things done. The playlist is called “Constant Flow” https://open.spotify.com/user/josesebastiangomez/playlist/2xe8fWDmC8lwH363YUMCl2?si=sQqQnSSUTmermOKbwzmudg

 

What would be the one word you would use to describe your office’s culture?

Ambitious

 

What can you do creatively when working on branded content that you might not be able to do in the “traditional” ad process?

Be able to tell stories in a more unique way that has the ability to be a form of entertainment. Being able to give the audience something in return for their time. I think the branded film for DC shoes I directed does this really effectively.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VHaQeY88po

 

What is your least favorite thing about the pitch process?

The waiting game after the presentation…. everything before that is my favorite part of this business. Win or lose, you always want to feel like you pushed the creative to its best and had fun doing it.

 

If you had the chance to President and/or King for a day and can enact any rule into law, what would it be?

Free college education.

 

What do you think will be the big change either in technology or culture that will affect advertising in the next 5 years?

The internet. Forever.