Today we’d like to introduce you to Zak Agha
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
At 20 years old, I packed my things and moved to China to study Chinese for a year. I soon found myself completely immersed in the creative scene in Asia. I opened the first “Select Shop” (The Attic) in Shanghai, where I brought local artists and designers together to express themselves and showcase their artwork. I then founded The Mansion, an artistic twist on a “Night Club”. Alongside the launch of The Mansion, my partners and I created the first electronic music festival in Shanghai (MIDI Electronic Music Festival). I soon found myself creatively directing and producing ad campaigns for Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Heineken, and Bentley among others.
Eight years later, I felt I was ready to move to LA.
I couldn’t find a job and despite wanting to produce, I started Yes Culture (A car-centric creative agency and Picture Car Company) Yes Culture has now partnered with numerous shows including American Horror Story, The Old Man, Pam & Tommy, Angeline, The Bachelor and America’s Got Talent as well as brands like Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, eBay, Anthropologie, Nike, and Amazon, bringing creative visions to life. @theyesculture
Currently, I am producing my second show (Crimson + Clover) alongside my lovely wife, Tracy Philips after our last production, “On The Fringe” ran for over three years at the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt hotel in Los Angeles. @tableauproductions It’s been a long road but I’ve found myself happily nestled between my two loves, creating and my wife.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Moving to LA was tough, I had such a big community of friends and fellow creatives in Shanghai. When I moved out here I was nobody, I had nobody. It hasn’t been easy to swallow my pride, pick my head up and start over. Luckily, I’ve found myself surrounded in amazing people all over again and I’m extremely fortunate to have done so.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a creative with an extremely logical side. I try and act cool but I’m secretly a nerd inside that wants to deconstruct everything and understand how it works. This makes me a strong problem solver and I tend to brought in to projects to figure out the sometimes impossible. I think of myself as a storyteller, no matter what the medium may be.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My two English bulldogs, Tater & Tallulah, they’re just the cutest. My wife and her childlike passion to just create and do nothing else. I enjoy writing and storytelling because it allows me to get my thoughts down on to paper, or most of them at least. I enjoy working with others, trying to be of service whenever I can allows me to get out of my own head.
Pricing:
- Crimsøn + Cløver at The Hollywood Roosevelt is an immersive cabaret where tickets range from $49-$129
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tableauproductions.com
- Instagram: @tableauproductions @theyesculture
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/-aprYKyxMQ
- Other: https://www.theyesculture.com
Image Credits
Head shot @VictorSalazarFilms
