William O. Campbell > Superfad, Los Angeles
Just the facts: Age - 25; Hometown - Tulsa, Oklahoma; Education - studied fine art and broadcast design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD); Employ - interned for Stardust, LA in 2006, joined Superfad in 2007.

Previous Experience: A college degree proved elusive for Campbell. He started post-secondary life at film school in Santa Fe but quickly became disillusioned with the art world and switched to pre-med closer to home in Oklahoma. But he found med school too regimented and had little time for extracurricular creative pursuits. "I always have to keep my hands moving or building something," he says. "I didn't have time to do anything that had any kind of self-expression." So, he wound up focusing on motion graphics at SCAD, skipping class to finish a short film called The Lemon Tree and then skipping his finals to take a job offer at Superfad.

The Lemon Tree: Based on an experimental narrative written by a friend, The Lemon Tree is about "the hunt for perfection" in one's life, a theme particularly resonant with those on the verge of graduation. "I'm not ready to settle down with what I envision perfection to be at all but I feel like I'm working towards it," he says. "This hunt for perfection is always a disappointment but when you find it accidentally, it always seems to be right."

Best Work: After only two months at Superfad, he was given the chance to helm a site-specific installation for Target in March, 2007. Working with co-director Will Johnson (also an FBA finalist), he had two months to complete the job while the rest of the creative department was preoccupied with an office move. For "Art Connects", a monochromatic black-and-white cityscape (punctured occasionally by Target's red logo) unfolds across four independently moving screens alongside several other pieces in Dallas' Victory Park. The client liked the illustrative, stream-of-consciousness piece so much that it eventually became a broadcast spot.

Live action: Campbell recently branched out into live action with a three-spot campaign for Pony running shoes that parodies well-known campaigns by Nike, adidas and Under Armour. He's also working on a short film series with some friends. "It's rare that live action is put into graphics with acting or a lot of dialogue. More likely, you shoot a hot lady in a bikini, chrome her out and put in your graphics," he laughs.

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