Meet James Ninness
Creative Director

About James Ninness

San Diegan with Philadelphia energy.

James is the type of guy who enters a room, but the sound of his flip-flops smacking against the ground has already alerted everyone to his impending presence for 10 minutes. As creative director, he flops to and fro, from meeting to meeting. His calendar is just one giant block that says “busy.”

Q&A

What is your hometown, and what’s the best thing about it?
San Diego, California, America's Finest City. San Diegans are a chill people, probably because they've got the best Mexican food in the country, an internationally diverse community, mild temperatures, fun theme parks, and proximity to beaches, deserts, and mountains. Did I mention the Mexican food?
Tell us about a fictional product you’d like Mad Genius to get creative for.
The Neralyzer from “Men in Black” could be a fun campaign. Brawndo Energy Drink from “Idiocracy” would be cool, though we'd have more fun with that audience than that product. If I had to pick only one, it'd probably be Sex Panther from “Anchorman.”
Tell us about a place you visited and something you loved about it.
Florence, Italy. It's a walkable city with tons to see and do. Visit a museum, get your drink on, find yourself lost, and eat some food. Then eat more. There are tons of day trips to take from Florence if you get bored. The people are kind, the food and drink are exceptional, and it's one of the few cities that feels like history and the future are trying to get along. Fun fact: Mark Twain once defined Florence as “the city of dreams.”