Communication Design - IED Alumni interview: Eddie Sears

In a nutshell

• IED Milano
• Communication and Art Direction - 2011
• Creative Director at Ultra Records

Who

I’m Eddie Sears, I am the Creative Director of Ultra Records and the creator of the music and visual project Rocket Pengwin. Half English and half Italian, I lived in New York for the past 6+ years. I was always attracted to arts and music so figured I’d do both. Ultra Records is the premier Electronic Music Label in the US. Helping shape the Electronic Music scene in for the past 25 years with artists such as deadmau5, Kaskade, David Guetta, Calvin Harris just to name a few, Ultra is now home of Grammy Award winning artists such as Benny Benassi and Black Coffee, as well as leading icons such as Sofi Tukker, Deorro, Anabel Englund, The Crystal Method among many others. Rocket Pengwin is a music and visual project that narrates the story of a penguin that moves from Antarctica to NYC. I was in Milan in the 2010’s and I studied at IED - Comunicazione Art Direction Class of 2011.

What

As the Creative Director of Ultra I lead a team of brilliant individuals, and together we help artists build their visual identities, making their visions become reality and ultimately helping their career in every possible way we can think of. This generally means creating assets first hand, as well as working with top tier talent on a case by case basis. Talent includes but isn’t limited to directors, photographers, illustrators, brand designers, influencers, stylists, make-up artists, etc. As Rocket Pengwin, I ideate, execute and perform everything in regards to telling the story of the Pengwin: from the music (together with superstar producer Daniele Brian Autore) to every visual element you see. My version of “WHAT” is hard to define in a single box: instead of figuring out what goes in which box, I spent my whole career getting rid of them.

Where

I was born in Parma, in the middle of the Food Valley, a week after the Fall of the Wall. English dad and Italian mom, I was in and out of London very often. So I grew up with a great taste for food, history and The Beatles. I moved to Milan when I was about 18, studied at IED, then moved to NYC at 25. The places to mention are endless: from Rocket Milano (the old location) to The Dublin Castle in Camden, all the way to Webster Hall on 11th Street and Output on Wythe Avenue - and the whole ocean in between! “WHERE” stands for: everywhere I’ve been helped me become who I am to some extent. Even this very moment.

Why

I was always in bands growing up, mainly in the punk rock space. While at IED, I started a clothing brand called VEIVE and it quickly grew in the Milan metropolitan scene. I was a partner in Mindhood, a creative agency that focused its attention on creating stunning presentations. I then became the Creative Director of a leading record label, and quickly managed to help artists get their first step in the door, all the way to their first sold out shows and eventually their first Grammy Nominations. I created Rocket Pengwin to tell my story - a story of a penguin that moved from Antarctica to New York City. The answer to “WHY” is “why not?”.

How

I would always put myself out there and ask anyone I would encounter if I could work with them. IED was great in this regard because it allowed me to meet a bunch of talented professionals that helped me get my foot in the door right off the bat. When I then got to the point where I started getting job requests rather than asking to work, I very rarely said no - if ever. I always thought that any job could lead to opportunity - and it’s been like so for most of the time. There is no straight line, no roadmap and definitely no blueprint. Everyone you meet will have a different story on how they got there. The answer to “HOW” is “by never saying no”.

Rocket Pengwin

I created Rocket Pengwin as a personal creative output, in order for me to make music, tell stories and most importantly have fun. Rocket Pengwin is a giant penguin that moved from Antarctica to New York City. The music, music videos and socials tell the various adventures that the Pengwin gets into. It had very strong local recognition going viral multiple times, mainly on social media accounts such as Subway Creatures, Overheard New York and all the way to primetime CBS New York. I also perform frequently, putting the story into context of a concert: many sold out shows in NYC, as well as performances at Gov Ball and Nameless Festival. I also had various recognitions such as Silver Selection at the Berlin Music Video Awards. The penguin is a vehicle to tell the story of someone that moves to a different city or country and feels like the odd one out. After all, nothing is as extreme as moving from the most uncontaminated place on the planet (Antarctica) to the one place where even the parks are man made (NYC). The upcoming chapter of the story brings back the teenage angst of the emo and punk rock days of the Pengwin growing up, and I’m very excited about it!

Find out more

rocketpengwin.com
Instagram: @rocketpengwin
Tiktok: @rocketpengwin
ultrarecords.com