Episode 20: Kyle Ng—Being a DIY Outcast, Staying Curious & Creating Authentically

Kyle Ng is a creative director, designer and co-founder of the LA-based brand Brain Dead. He grew up in the Bay Area skateboarding, listening to and playing punk music. We talk about his high school experience, being straight edge, building robots, moving to LA, what he learnt from his father’s taste in art and being into rock climbing. Kyle shares his journey into the subcultures of Los Angeles and how it led to the launch of Brain Dead. We talk about being curious and the creative process and how Kyle is able to integrate his interests into his creative output, connecting community and building something much richer than a brand.

“I wouldn’t stop watering tomatoes to focus on the peppers, I want the whole garden to be bountiful.”

— Kyle Ng

SHOW NOTES

• 5:05 Growing up in the Bay Area with skateboarding and punk music

• 10:30 Finding alternative education from shops and subcultures

• 12:40 The rise of global mono-culture

• 15:35 Kyle’s dad

• 20:00 Moving to Los Angeles and meeting the characters

• 23:00 Starting Farm Tactics and working with Dr. Romanelli 

• 30:00 Working with Urban Outfitters and developing a new outdoor concept

• 35:30 The beginnings of Brain Dead

• 37:55 How do we do something right and authentic

• 40:25 Thinking about a brand as a person

• 44:00 Importance of mentors and looking to masters of their craft

• 48:15 Rollerblading and the draw of nobody else being into it

• 51:00 The experience of paint-balling 

• 57:00 Using a ‘boring’ medium to be creative, in rock climbing or clothing

• 60:15 A holistic creative process with The North Face

• 64:00 The psychedelic experience and psilocybin

• 67:00 Growing up Chinese-American and not really fitting in

• 70:30 The role of technology in relationships and creativity

• 82:30 How Brain Dead can contribute to culture, growth and community

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