James Wu
Brand Storytelling

Little-Known Facts

• Once pursued a career as a musician in a rock band

• Is a lifelong soccer lover and die-hard “Gooner”

• If he could do it all over again, he’d go to art school

Meet James

James has 20+ years experience partnering with leaders building a more just, fair, and interdependent world. As the Founder and Managing Director of Studio Tomo, he's had the privilege of working with National Geographic, Duolingo, General Motors, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Natural Resources Defense Council, Columbia University, The New York Community Trust, and the United Nations Development Programme. Recently, as Partner and Head of Planning at A—B Partners—a creative agency centering the voices of Black and Brown communities—he helped build brands and campaigns for organizations working on climate justice, disinformation, reparations, criminal justice reform, and gender and reproductive justice. 

Previously, James was a Senior Strategist at SYP where he led Fortune 500 executives through large-scale transformation. Prior to SYP, James was Head of Branding for the nonprofit impact investor, Acumen; worked in development for the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM); and served as Director of Business Development for the digital consultancy, Modea. 

James serves as Chairman Emeritus of the Marketing Advisory Board at Virginia Tech, and as a board member for the Asian Mental Health Collective. He has guest lectured for the Virginia Tech Honors College Presidential Global Scholars in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland; the University of Warwick in the UK; John Jay College for Criminal Justice’s Moelis Social Entrepreneurship Fellows; University of Texas’s McCombs School of Business; and Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife, 7-year-old son, and 14-year-old Shiba Inu, Tomo—the inspiration for the studio’s name.