# Nao Kondo

> Experiential Marketing Manager at Orange inc. / Artist / Content Creator | MFA in Sculpture / BS in CS

Location: Suisun City, California, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/naokondo

I am an Experiential Marketing Manager and multidisciplinary creative professional with a background spanning technology, fine art, and entrepreneurship. I design strategic, experience-driven initiatives that connect culture, community, and brand in meaningful ways.

Currently at Orange Inc., I lead experiential marketing and community-focused campaigns that bridge Japanese pop culture and U.S. audiences. My work centers on building ecosystems — partnering with publishers, cultural institutions, and local communities to create high-impact programs that translate digital platforms into real-world engagement.

Prior to this, I founded nocnoc communications, where I led mobile-app development, branding, and growth. As a startup founder, I was responsible for strategy, product direction, partnerships, and execution from zero to launch. That experience shaped my ability to operate in ambiguity, build from first principles, and balance creative vision with operational rigor.

My academic background reflects this hybrid approach. I hold an MFA in Sculpture from Pratt Institute, where I developed a practice focused on embodiment, contemporary visual language, and community-based art education. I also have a background in computer science and human-computer interaction, which informs my systems thinking and product sensibility.

Across roles, I operate at the intersection of marketing strategy, cultural production, and creative direction. I am particularly interested in cross-cultural narratives, community building, and designing experiences that translate ideas into participation.

Based in the Bay Area, I work where art, technology, and entrepreneurship intersect.

## Work Experience
### Experiential Marketing Manager @ Orange Inc.
Jan 2025 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area

### Marketing Associate @ Orange Inc.
Jan 2025 – Jan 2025 | San Francisco Bay Area
- Planned and managed the Manga Truck project — a mobile manga library and promotional vehicle designed to engage diverse communities and promote Japanese Manga culture.

- Led end-to-end real event marketing operations, including concept ideation, event coordination, and partnership development.

- Coordinated logistics, vendor relationships, and on-site activations to maximize outreach and audience engagement.

- Crafted IRL marketing strategies to increase visibility and drive community participation through physical events.

- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to ensure project goals aligned with company objectives and audience interests.

### Freelance Artist / Designer / Marketer @ Unknown
Jan 2018 – Present | Bayarea
Usagiduck (an original character brand):
- Character design and world design, story making 
- Digital and watercolor illustration for social media, children's books, and comics
- Merchandise design
- Social media marketing (graphic design, community engagement, short video editing)
- Design a table setting for the craft market and sell in person at the events.
- Bookkeeping and general back office work


Web Design:
- Website design for Shopify
- Figma, basic HTML, and CSS

Illustration:
- Digital illustrations for advertising
- Procreate, Illustrator, Photoshop

Music Production:
- Lyric and melody making
- I sometimes sing my music
- I collaborate with track artists

### Founder / CEO / Product Designer @ nocnoc communications, inc.
Jan 2019 – Jan 2024 | Sunnyvale, CA
- I founded a social media app company in 2019 with a passion for eliminating the stress of organizing small events for the event organizer.
- For Business development, I did market research, fundraising, product design, and marketing.
- For Product development, I did UX research, UX design, UI design of the iOS app.
- We launched the app in 2020 and then gained 2k users daily. We constantly adjust the UX design to market needs to solve communication stress.

### Intern @ Recess Art
Jan 2023 – Jan 2024 | Brooklyn, New York, United States
Recess Art is a nonprofit art and social justice organization that runs a fellowship program that provides support and art education for system-impacted youth.

- I planned and facilitated weekly portfolio development sessions for youth artists.

### Official Columnist @ PLANETS
Jan 2019 – Jan 2021 | Tokyo

### Internship @ GROOVE X
Jan 2017 – Jan 2018
Mechanical Engineer/Design Research Intern

### Technical Staff @ National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
Jan 2015 – Jan 2018 | Artificial Intelligence Resarch Centor

### Founder, Designer @ TRYBOTS
Jan 2013 – Jan 2018
- I founded and led a robotic development team in high school, and We developed the underwater penguin robot, which won the underwater student robot competition in Japan in 2013.

- We have continuously developed a new version of the penguin robot and exhibited it in various science museums in Japan, such as the Hamamatsu Science Museum, Misawa Aerospace Museum, and Tamagawa Takashimaya Special Exhibition. We have also hosted educational STEM workshops for kids.

- I had a lot of public speaking opportunities not only in Japan but also in China an Taiwan as a founder of this project.

- I received horners such as Fobus 30 Under 30 Asia 2016, LOREAL-UNESCO Woman in Science Japan Special Award 2017,  and NETEX Pro Next Talent 2017.


## Education
### Master of Fine Arts - MFA in Sculpture
Pratt Institute

### Bachelor of Arts in Environment and Information Studies in Human Computer Interaction
Keio University

### Advanced Certificate of Teaching and Learning in Community Art Education, Art Education
Pratt Institute


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nao70kondo

---
Source: https://flows.cv/naokondo
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/naokondo/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-08