Hi, I’m James. I’m an advertising creative director, writer and musician living and working in Naarm.
I believe creativity is a brand’s secret weapon in the marketplace. When ideas combine with social sharing and PR, creative magic has momentum.
I’ve won awards and won pitches, but I’m most proud of the collective success of the teams I lead and work with.
As Creative Director at VML, we were the #1 Australian creative agency in Campaign Brief’s The Work in 2023, 2024 and 2025. In 2020, Cannes ranked us #3 Australian Agency of the Decade and #6 APAC agency of the decade.
Ads are great. I love ‘em. But I’m interested in other stuff, too.
My solo music project is called FALSE FATE, which combines drone, doom and metal influences. I call it “cinematic synth doom”. My mates reckon it sounds like the soundtrack to Terminator.
I use AI to create social media reels that feature FALSE FATE, and I’ve established a YouTube channel of drone music using synthesizers designed in Russia and Poland.
I also play drums and trombone in Drowning Horse, a doom-metal band. Our aim was to be the loudest band in Australia. I think we came close – the tinnitus says so. We’ve played Perth Concert Hall, headlined Dark Mofo, and won West Australian Music Industry Awards.
If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at jamesgregorywills@gmail.com