S02/E28 - Temi Coker: Put the Work You Want to Be Hired For & Everything Else Follows

He wakes up at 4:30am. Two kids under two. Three hours of work before the house comes alive. This is how one of the most sought-after artists in America currently operates.Temi Coker is a Nigerian-American artist and creative director based in Dallas, Texas. His work has appeared in campaigns for Adobe, Apple, ESPN, AT&T, and the Oscars. He launched a home collection with Walmart in 2025. And he will tell you, clearly and without drama, that none of it happened by accident — it happened because he kept making the work he wanted to be hired for, long before anyone asked him to.What we cover:Growing up in Lagos — limitations, bottle-cap football, and a love of colourMoving to Canada and then Texas at 12, navigating two Black identities at onceLeaving biomedical engineering to pursue design — and why he doesn't regret eitherSeven years of head-down work before the Adobe Creative Residency changed everythingHow a pillow he made for fun led to the Walmart home collectionApple said no four or five times — he now has 20+ collaborations with themFinancial literacy for creatives — the conversation nobody is havingRunning a photography studio, a clothing brand, and raising two kids under twoLearning to actually accept a complimentConnect with Temi Coker:Website: https://temicoker.coInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/temi.cokerListen and subscribe:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/captn-offscript/id1837469433Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7nJ5dKTP2dQN5OwICKjTY5More from Captn OffScript:Website: https://captnoffscript.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CAPTNOffScriptInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/captnoffscriptNewsletter: https://captn.myflodesk.com/newsletter