Interview: Ian Kumamoto
To make it in digital media, you have to be willing to think outside of the box and take risks. For instance, Ian Kumamoto, a Brooklyn-based writer who works with District One, refuses to be tied to a specific beat. Instead, he has excelled at a myriad of topics such as travel, politics, and public health.
“I write about the intersections of identity, pop culture and social justice,” he said. “I love to think about how those three things are constantly in conversation and love to explore how messy things can get.”
With bylines in prestigious outlets like the New York Times, CNN, and The Washington Post, Kumamoto has a track record of tackling contentious issues head on. In November 2020, at the tail-end of Donald Trump’s presidency, Kumamoto wrote a report for VICE on how the administration was handing over a Native American sacred site in Arizona to a mining company. After the report was published, they stopped construction of the mining project.
“I like to think that my piece played a small part in helping up the pressure,” he said.
Though Kumamoto insists that one can’t necessarily prove the correlation between his piece and the mining company’s actions, the incident shows that hard-hitting journalism still very much matters and can drive a conversation.
In addition to covering pressing issues, Kumamoto has used his platform to spotlight his perspective as a queer Mexican Chinese immigrant who lives in New York City. Last year, he opened up about how a national wave of anti-Asian hatred was impacting him for Slate.
“My identities have made me more sensitive to others' struggles and given me the ability to comprehend a multitude of perspectives, which helps when it comes to writing about marginalized communities,” he said.
As part of our D1 Creators’ Circle series, we spoke to Kumamoto about what it takes to establish one’s voice in journalism and his inclusive definition of success.
District One: Describe your creative area of focus. What are some of your usual project types that you are available for?
I write about the intersections of identity, pop culture and social justice. I love to think about how those three things are constantly in conversation (and tension) with one another and love to explore how messy things can get.
D1: Do you have a guiding mission or a specific creative ethos that you'd want to share?
In my work, I always hope to get people to think about identities in a new way, or at least challenge preconceived notions of who they thought a group of people were. I always hope to either surprise or generate a higher level of empathy.
D1: What is your ideal client or project?
I'd love for the New Yorker to send me to South Korea for a year and let me cover the trans-Korean movement (white people who want to look Korean) or something really bizarre like that.
D1: Who are your mentors, trusted voices, inspirations in your field? How do you leverage their wisdom in your work?
One of the mentors I feel super grateful for is Meredith Talusan, who I have been a big fan of for a while. She actually wrote to me last year after she read something I wrote and she really encouraged me to start writing a book and sent me a copy of her book proposal that I could use as a template. Another big one is Dan Q. Dao. He has really looked out for me and helped advance my career in ways that would have taken me way longer without him.
Something I learned from both of them is that there is enough space for all of us to thrive and that we don't have to be in competition with other marginalized people. The writing world can be so cut-throat that it's easy to become obsessed with your own work and see everyone else as the enemy. But both of them have taught me that when one of us wins, we all win. They inspire me to help the next generation of queer POC writers and to have an abundance mindset.
D1: We work with 10 or fewer brands at a time, but you have worked with countless. What is your advice for brands who want to stand out with their creative content?
Gen-Z can sniff out inauthenticity from a mile away. As a generation that has been marketed towards non-stop since the moment we gained consciousness, it takes a lot to get our attention. What always stands out for me is when a brand has a truly authentic and genuine voice. A voice that is relatable, vulnerable and not trying to be too cool. Part of authenticity is also being spontaneous and not taking everything too seriously. We live in such an intense and serious world already and we need antidotes to that.
D1: What is your advice for young, up-and-coming creatives who want to break into freelance or independent agency work?
Email people you admire, read a variety of work and don't limit yourself to a specific beat so early on. Write about everything you can think of. Don't marry yourself to a publication or an idea of the type of writer you want to be. You might think you want to be a journalist now but it might turn out you actually thrive better as a screenwriter or a copywriter or a branded content writer — there's nothing wrong with that!
Learn more about Ian on his website, and follow him on Instagram at @ian.kuma.