Meet Yula Ryoo | Copywriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yula Ryoo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yula, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Risk has never felt like some dramatic decision to me. It’s just been part of my life. I left home at 19 and moved to the other side of the world. No safety net. Just me, a second language, a pile of paperwork and no real plan beyond just getting there. I’ve lived an ocean and a few time zones away from the people I love most, and I’ve had to learn how to move forward without always knowing what’s next.
That was almost a decade ago! Since then, risk stopped feeling like risk. It became normal to breathe through racist BS, build a language-heavy career in a language that wasn’t mine and prove value in a system that didn’t expect someone like me to show up. It’s been hard—mentally, and sometimes physically. But that’s how I got sharper and bolder.
I don’t love risk, but I’ve never backed away from it either. It’s just a challenge for your problem-solving skills—and sometimes, opportunity shows up in the middle of it. So trust yourself to move through the unknown. I think people call this mindset risk-f—ing-driven.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Creativity wasn’t mysterious in my house. I grew up with guitars hanging around and random storyboards sitting next to cereal bowls. Maybe because of that kind of fun chaos, I’ve always been the person who noticed patterns and messed with them. A little offbeat. I couldn’t stop making things up—fun names and mockeries, weird logic, twisted inside jokes no one asked for. It wasn’t polished, but it was always original. That used to get me labeled eccentric. Later, it got me hired. I mean, once I realized I could turn that into a job, I didn’t stop. Now that I’m writing ads, what excites me most is concepting ideas that feel a little off until they land just right.
I’ve worked across global agency networks and smaller indie teams, concepting for digital campaigns, out-of-home, radio and TV. I’ve helped write for audiences of millions. I led creative from scratch for a brand that had never launched a campaign before. And I’ve done all of it in a second language.
When English isn’t your first language but somehow your job, you become way more sensitive to tone, word choice, rhythm and nuance. Beyond textbooks, I had to pick up idioms, timing, cultural cues buried in memes and unspoken tone shifts no one teaches. That made it extra hard. But it made me different. (And kind of a nightmare to debate with. Yeah… I do overanalyze every word.)
My ambition still wants more. Every time I reach a goal, I get curious about the next one. So I move like a go-getter who goes after anything with a low-key hint of potential. It keeps going.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Stop by Blue Donkey and get their Light coffee. It wakes you up in a delicious way. You can find the coolest people near Atlantic Station. Or just stroll around Ponce City Market. Rumi’s in Midtown is so good for a girls’ night out.
And if you don’t mind being a little outside Midtown, Duluth is too Korean in the best way. Have fun there and PLEASE GO TO 9292 Korean BBQ.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Dad, thanks for raising me inside a creative tornado and spoiling me endlessly. You’re probably the most supportive dad in the world.
Mom, you make me be emotional. And you’re so damn smart.
And my brother. Sorry for being mean. You’re better than how I frame you.
And Grammarly. You fix my commas because you don’t really get me.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yularyoola/