Kendall Madden is an Art Director at Cheil North America. With a background in copywriting, video editing and more, she has become like a Swiss Army knife for MDLab since joining the team in 2021. 

We spoke with Kendall to kick off our “Meet the Team” series, where we chat with folks within MDLab to tinker with their creative minds. 

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Kendall, can you share with us…

What were you doing before you joined Cheil/MDLab?

I’ve tried my hand at medical research (briefly), photography and copywriting. Then I went to film school and worked as an editor at a production company in London before I joined the MDLab team at Cheil.

What would you be doing if you weren’t in creative?

Ignoring the fact that I have absolutely none of the qualifications, I’m going to go with my childhood dream job: I’d be an astronaut. As much as I love this planet and want to fight to have more resources dedicated to protecting it, there’s also something pretty special about exploring the stars.

What skill do you think everyone should have?

Honestly, cooking. As humans we have to eat, so cooking might as well be something we’re good at — and ideally even enjoy. I also love connecting with people over food, so that’s an added benefit. (Also everyone should know basic first aid. It’s a boring answer, but it’s true.)

What are your current movie, book and TV recommendations?

Thank you for saying “current,” because otherwise I could never answer this question. For movie, I recently rewatched “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and it is so truly fantastic in every aspect. For book, I think everyone should read “Sum” by David Eagleman. And for TV, I think “Counterpart” slipped by a lot of folks since it was released on Amazon, but it’s worth the watch.

What three (emerging/future) tech innovations are you most excited about?‍

I think XR is genuinely on the cusp of some pretty exciting, large-scale revolutions – especially with AR in education and VR in a more escapist (and even therapeutic) realm. Other than that, I’m excited about the societal implications of improving carbon capture technology, and about currently-unimaginable medical advances. (Hoping for a real neural link that lets you see the world through someone else’s eyes someday).

Give us your elevator pitch for a new reality TV series!

Although I’ve worked on a lot of reality TV, I’m not the best connoisseur. Really, bring back the incredibly short-lived, US version of “The Almost Impossible Game Show” and I’m happy.

What do you love the most about being on the Cheil team?

Hands down, the people. It’s a tired stat, but we spend something like a third of our life working and I genuinely couldn’t ask for better people to spend that time with.

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