Getting To Known You: Lia Khayami, Creative Director

Interview led by Michelle Golden , Senior Director of Communications at Known

Lia Khayami is one of the newer Creative Directors at Known , but her innate nature as a multi-faceted designer and creative is already making waves at the agency. Having been in the advertising industry for 12 years now, Lia comes from a strong background in art direction and design. She calls herself the “classic ad chick,” raised in the world of traditional advertising. She attended Miami Ad School, taught by professors who were big Cannes Lions award-winning creative directors, then made her way to Berlin for work, and eventually New York. Throughout her career, Lia worked at agencies like Ogilvy and Johannes Leonardo. When we sat down to chat, she told me how she followed her previous Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy’s first woman CCO, from Ogilvy to Mother New York, where Lia stayed for a few years and throughout the pandemic before transitioning to freelance, and, ultimately, finding Known.

When asked to describe herself, Lia says she is the ultimate culture consumer…she watches too much television, plays too many video games––basically, a total nerd. When you see her creative work, you’d never guess that she spent many high school days coding websites, and yes, even hacking computers. And then in college, she found herself installing software for people as a side hustle. Lia’s interests range from graphic design, coding, anime, and drag race, and everything she consumes is added to her internal library of references. But we’ll get to that later.??

Now let’s Get To Known Lia…

How would you describe your creativity? What kind of campaigns have you worked on?

This may sound stuck up, but I don’t think creatives like me come about that frequently anymore. What I mean by that is having strong conceptual sensibilities, especially as an Art Director––knowing your craft, photography, graphic design, production, and knowing how to speak a director’s language.?

Usually a lot of creatives, they're either stuck in digital or they're stuck in one of those lanes mentioned. They know pieces of those things, but they're not well-rounded.

I like to say I’ve worked on everything from butt cream to booze. That's accurate. I've worked on hemorrhoid cream, which ended up being one of my favorite campaigns ever. So, whenever I hear people say, “Ugh, I don't want to work for this client,” I go back with, “You never know when you can find the best gem within a seeming turd.”

So it’s not just about working on the big brands?

A lot of young creatives are like, "I want to work on Nike.” But sometimes the best work actually comes from the most unexpected clients. It's about pushing the creative and coming up with really good ideas.?

What’s it like when your creative ideas aren’t the final selects?

As a creative you become so attached to your ideas. The younger the creative is, the harder they have when those ideas get nixed. The more and more you go through it, the easier it is to swallow. You become hardened by it in a way, but realize, it's just part of the business.

In a world that is very overstimulated with so many ideas, so many things trying to get everyone's attention, how do you try to make your own ideas stand out?

I'm actually an ESL kid. I was born in the States, but I grew up in Iran and lived there until I was 14. When you first come back and English is your second language, you're thinking in your first language and then you're translating to English as you're saying it. The more and more you live in that language, it becomes second nature. I think advertising is very much like that. When you want to come up with an idea when you're in school or when you're younger, you might look at other people's campaigns and go to Adweek and be like, "Oh, how do I be funny?" Look at other funny campaigns. "How am I going to be edgy?" Look at other edgy campaigns. Obviously you want to stay up to date with competition out there in the world. But be less concerned with following the what's-been-done-before formula.

That doesn’t mean I don’t love seeing what others are doing. My friends are in advertising. I love to know what they're doing. I love to be on top of culture. I'm a Millennial, but I love seeing what Gen Z is up to. Even if it's a musical artist that I hate that comes on SNL that makes me cringe, I will listen to it because it's my duty. It really is, I treat it like that. I want to know and get exposed to everything. That's hard to do. It's good to keep a diverse group of friends with different interests around you.?

What really helps your work stand out is having the confidence in your own insights. Because you'll get a brief from Strategy, it'll have an insight on the brand. You might have that insight, but you have to really dive into what you know about the brand. If you don't know anything about the brand, then I like to say I sell myself on whatever client I'm on. As a creative, I find out everything I need to know. Sell yourself on it. If you sell yourself on it, then the insights are there, and you can find things that will surprise you. Don’t think about permission.?

How would you explain your creative process?

When my partner and I get together to ideate, we will put down everything from the wildest, most ridiculous thing that we know the client won't buy, but it's true to our hearts and just tickles our fancy on paper. We'll also get the shittiest idea that's plenty on paper because you have to make yourself laugh, you have to make yourself joyful. Sometimes within that one, you can find a way to amp it up and make it stronger.

I always research. I always dive myself into the brand and into the culture. What are people saying about it on Reddit, on Twitter? I have to gain my own perspective on it. Where is its place in culture? What gifs made it on Giphy? Where is its place in the world? Then that usually leads to Wouldn't it be fun if we did this? Wouldn't it be cool if we did this? It's much more of a conversation than How do we solve this brief??

As a creative, I find out everything I need to know. Sell yourself on it. If you sell yourself on it, then the insights are there, and you can find things that will surprise you.

A lot of time, fear gets in the way. How do you get past that??

I think most of my life or in my career, I actually have been scared shitless. I just don't look it. People see me and they're like, “Oh, she's tattooed, she has a nose ring, and she has a loud voice. She must be super confident and have her shit figured out.” The truth is, I don't, and I have the same doubts. I get in my head or in my feelings, but over the years I have learned how to manage myself. I know I can be my own worst enemy. In a lot of ways, the reason I'm loud is because I don’t like silence.?

Sometimes I can come off as intimidating to people. But at least I know that version of me always means well and is always trying to push the work and is genuinely passionate and excited about it. Whereas, when I try not to be that person I find myself overthinking and over questioning myself. That comes with time––trust yourself and let yourself have a voice. I still find myself in meetings where I'm like, Should I be speaking? Do I have permission to speak?

How would you say you get over that feeling?

I've always loved humor, and I think that's also a big part of it. Just laugh at yourself whenever. I think I laugh at myself whenever I feel like I'm getting too much in my head or if I feel like the room is tense. If you make it more silly and more fun, then it usually makes it better. (Although it doesn’t always work.)

In a lot of ways, the reason I'm loud is because I don’t like silence.?

You said you've been in the industry for 12 years. What would you say are some of the top lessons you've learned over the course of those 12 years that you've packaged up and taken with you?

I know how to be crafty and nimble and do things where you literally don't have a lot of money to make something. You're your own cameraman and you do it yourself. I've always had this belief that if there's something you don't have the money for or don’t know how to do, there's a way you can figure out how to do it. I’ve learned that the more shoots you’re on, the more you do. The process is different when you're shooting with live animals or when you’re doing a food shoot. Or when the subject is cars. Over time, you start to collect a Rolodex. Your brain literally becomes a Rolodex of good directors, editors, photographers. I have a whole collection of reference boards, directors I love, editors I love, photographers I love. Over the years, I’ve built that library. As a result, you start to build more skills, you are exposed to more styles, and you are able to connect the dots. Save everything, keep a Rolodex, grow that, and it's just going to make you better and give you more tools in your toolbox.

What’s the role of a creative director?

A Creative Director is different at every agency, but if I'm leading a project and there's a team under me, then it's to lead the creative vision of a campaign. What's the big idea? Whether it's two people working under me or 10 people working under me, it’s making sure that they all work together, that they are feeling led, that they have the insights I can help with. It involves mentorship and leading the young creatives and giving critique and feedback on their work. Overall, it's guiding the vision––well, not just the vision but the big idea, the meat. What's the glue that connects all of the work together? What's that through line? That’s my strength. It’s figuring out that thorough line where it all comes from and where it all connects.

Save everything, keep a Rolodex, grow that, and it's just going to make you better and give you more tools in your toolbox.

What do you want to be Known for?

I want to be known for really good, really innovative work. At the end of the day, I just want to be known for fantastic creative. I feel like I'm at a point where I know every project I've been on, I know what I want to see. I have a clear vision and every creative wants a pat on the back to be like, "Yay, your baby is worth it," and I think that's it. To do really great work for Known.

It's time for people who do really great work––no matter who they are, how they dress, what they look like––that their thinking, that really good out-of-the-box thinking that doesn't feel stagnant, corporate or moldy, is being put out in the world. I want to be associated with edgy, cool work. That's it.