Jezz Chung by Jay Blacks.jpg

JEZZ CHUNG (who uses they/them pronouns) is a multidisciplinary artist exploring the intersection of personal and collective change. Their neurodivergent, queer, Korean American experiences shape their approach to community building and art making.



After studying communication theory and behavioral psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, they began working in the advertising industry and eventually became a copywriter for brands like Apple and YouTube. In 2019, they made headlines for designing a role that merged their interests in cultural change, creative process, and mindfulness. Their intersectional approach has been cited by multiple generations across the marketing and media spaces as transformative and thought provoking.



Originally from Atlanta, Georgia and Houston, Texas, they now live in New York City, where they train as an actor, performer, and vocalist and write across various outlets

. They are an alum of experimental theater company New York Neo-Futurists and a member of SAG-AFTRA.



Jezz is celebrated not only for their commitment to collective change, but for their practice of transparency and vulnerability. They’ve spoken with Time Out about the healing power of art and with New York Magazine’s The Cut about what informs their ongoing practice of dreaming.

Photography by @thejayblacks and @jessxsnow

Jezz has been featured by The Folklore, Deem Journal, El País, Público, Them, Levi’s, and UGG, and has written for Washington Post’s The Lily, Free The Work, Working Not Working Magazine, Adweek, and i-D. Jezz believes in wonder and beauty as vehicles of hope and has been featured in campaigns for Marni, Teen Vogue, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, NYX, Squarespace, and LinkedIn.

Their voice has been described as refreshingly relatable, visionary, grounding, practical, and inspiring.



Jezz is represented by Moe Lamstein at Community New York and Annie Hwang at Ayesha Pande Literary.



They have been named a Melanin Unscripted 2021 Social Shaper, a Logo TV Pride honoree, and a Made of Millions mental health advocate.

The mission behind their work comes back to two main intentions: help people feel less alone and more alive.

You can follow their journey @jezzchung, subscribe to their newsletter jezzchung.substack.com, listen to their podcast Dreaming Different, and find their debut collection This Way to Change anywhere books are sold.

SPEAKING & FACILITATION

  • ADCOLOR panelist: Five Woke Women (Sept 2017)

  • American Association of Advertising Agencies Multicultural Advertising Intern Program orientation panelist (Aug 2018)

  • ADCOLOR Futures welcome dinner panelist (Sept 2017) Asians for ADCOLOR dinner & discussion host (Sept 2018)

  • Advertising Week main stage panelist: A Conversation with the Future (Sept 2018)

  • The Female Quotient Girls’ Lounge at Advertising Week panelist: Advocacy through Storytelling (Sept 2018)

  • The Wing panel moderator: Women of Color in Music (Feb 2019)

  • American Advertising Federation Most Promising Multicultural Students Luncheon Rising Star Award speaker (Feb 2019)

  • Kent State University speaker (March 2019) • MIMconnect panelist & group discussion facilitator: Cross-cultural Communication (May 2019)

  • 4A’s MAIP Alumni panelist & group discussion facilitator: Wellness at Work (May 2019)

  • 4A’s MAIP orientation panelist (June 2019)

  • 4A’s MAIP fellows organizer and facilitator: The Business of Being You (July 2019)

  • She Runs It Multicultural Bootcamp panelist (July 2019)

  • ADCOLOR Futures Orientation keynote speaker: A Guide to Designing Your Future (Sept 2019)

  • The University of Texas at Austin’s Texas Advertising Group keynote speaker (Oct 2019)

  • SCAD Black Student Association Embrace Conference panelist (Oct 2019)

  • 3% Conference roundtable discussion facilitator: Let’s Talk Burnout & Emotional Well-being (Nov 2019)

  • Foreground Summit interactive keynote talk + workshop on unblocking creativity and living with intentional purpose (Nov 2019)

  • AAF Most Promising Multicultural Students program panel moderator: Notes To My Younger Self (Feb 2020)

  • 4A’s MAIP Alumni Summit panelist: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leaders and the Roles We Play (Feb 2020)

  • Customized workshops for Ethel’s Club, MAIP Alumni, MAIP fellows, Wethos, Say Space, MIMconnect, STRTGST (March - August 2020)

  • Working Not Working webinar series: Equity in Practice | How equity elevates our creativity, Redefining workplace culture (June 2020 - ongoing)

  • The Marketing Arm workshop: What can I do to build an equitable future? (July 2020) 

  • The Marketing Arm: Building Toolkits for Emotional Resilience (Oct 2020)

  • Facebook Agency Women’s Leadership Day “4 Ways to Use Power with Purpose” (Oct 2020)

  • ADCOLOR 2020 “Asian Americans Look Back on 2020” moderator + “Allyship for Black Lives” panelist (Sept 2020)

  • Out for Undergrad LGBTQIA+ Symposium keynote speaker (Oct 2020)

  • Writer’s Club “Dreaming Bigger Futures” writing workshop host (Oct 2020)

  • Ethel’s Club “Consciously Crafting a Liberated Lifestyle” workshop facilitation (Nov 2020)

  • Ethel’s Club x Wethos “Sharing the Wealth: Equity in Collaboration (Nov 2020)

  • Ethel’s Club workshop facilitation for BIPOC: “Dreaming into the future” (Jan 2021)

  • Hyper Island Design Department guest lecture: “The Business of Being You” (Feb 2021)

  • Skillshare’s WoClub Women History Month signature event keynote presentation: “From Theory to Practice: Building a Lifestyle Around Equity & Justice” (March 2021)

  • Omnicom nationwide session for AAPI Hope, Healing, and Well-Being (March 2021)

  • Deutsch LA workshop facilitation: Addressing Anti-Asian Racism (March 2021)

  • United Airlines panel: A discussion on addressing hate towards AAPI communities (March 2021)

  • Columbia University Advocates for Asian American Health: Well-being toolkit workshop (April 2021)

  • Facebook Community Connect: A Discussion with AAPI Community Leaders (April 2021)

  • Amazon Music: Japanese Breakfast and Jezz Chung (May 2021)

  • Anomaly AAPIHM Speaker (May 2021)

  • 4 Ways to Put Allyship into Action with Amazon (September 2021)

  • Cultural breakdown with Taco bell (November 2021)

  • Host for Google’s Creativity Starts from Within: Accessibility for a more innovative world (Dec 2021)

  • Interrupting Bias and Interpersonal Communication with Seed (January 2022)

  • Creativity For Change with ZenDesk (March 2022)

  • Day of Healing against API Hate (March 2022)

  • Building Toolkits for Well-being with Google X (March 2022)

  • APIHM at RGA (May 2022)

  • Career Pivots and Advocating For Your Future with ADCOLOR (June 2022)

  • Queer and Trans Disabled Mental Health (September 2022)

  • Etc etc etc

 

HONORS & AWARDS

  • 4A’s “100 people who make advertising great”

  • 4A’s MAIPer to Watch 2018

  • HP & Cannes Lions #MoreLikeMe program participant

  • The Drum’s “50 under 30” creatives

  • AAF MPMS Rising Star Award 2019

  • Adweek and ADCOLOR 2020 Champion Award 

  • Melanin Unscripted Social Shaper 2021

  • Logo 30 Pride 2021 Honoree

  • Made of Millions mental health advocate

I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT

  • Investing in queer, neurodivergent, disabled artists of color

  • Merging Eastern and Western healing modalities to address mental health & well-being

  • The creative process

  • Change as a creative practice

  • Designing a life around liberation

  • Abolition and disability justice

FUN FACTS

  • Karaoke is my favorite form of therapy

  • Wants to voice an animated character one day

  • Has lived in 6 states

  • Plays the ukulele

SOMETHING TO READ

In Burnout, siblings and researchers Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski break down the factors that lead to burnout and why it has become such a phenomenon. Specifically for people who are socially perceived as women, the emotional labor of people pleasing contributes to a sense of fatigue. As we navigate the impact of an ongoing pandemic and the conditions that led us here, this book provides some methods to improve our sense of doom and move us into compassion and care, starting with how we treat ourselves.

SOMETHING TO WATCH

Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a K-drama (Korean drama) streaming on Netflix. The show follows an autistic lawyer named Woo Young Woo, who begins a job at a prestigious law firm and navigates both overt and subtle acts of ableism. Though I wish the character was played by someone who is actually autistic, the show provides a perspective rarely seen in film and TV.

SOMETHING TO LISTEN TO

By writer, healer, teacher, and somatics practitioner Prentis Hemphill, this podcast explores what it means to be embodied in service of collective liberation. Guests include abolitionist teacher Richie Reseda and Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza. This podcast is a gentle invitation back into our bodies, so that we may connect more deeply with ourselves and each other.