Eugene Buono

• Eugene has owned 25 cars—ranging from a '71 VW Fastback and '19 Golf R to a '91 Miata, Toyota Tacoma, and Porsche 996—which he has repaired, restored, overthought, and maintained, with mixed success.
• He has driven in or across 37 U.S. states, Ireland, and New Zealand, with a deep and abiding respect for roundabouts and shifting left-handed.
• His favorite automotive sound is the driver's side air intake wail from behind the wheel of a Boxster on a 2-3 upshift; his least favorite sound is fresh coolant splattering beneath a Miata due to his faulty water pump gasket installation.

Experience

A lifelong auto enthusiast, tinkerer, and shadetree mechanic, Eugene started his media career working in marketing at Condé Nast Publications, then shifted to pursue various copywriting, content, and creative technology roles at interactive ad agencies, where he spent over a decade writing for brands like John Deere and General Motors. Eugene's passion for cars, car culture, and media technology led him to join a creative innovation team at Google, working as U.S. creative lead and later as head of U.S. creative and creative technology, with automotive advertising partners such as BMW, Ford, Lexus, Nissan, and Toyota. His project collaborations across a range of U.S. and international clients have received recognition, including W3, Hatch, and Cannes Lions Awards. He currently writes and works as a creative consultant and is constantly in search of his next automotive project.

Education

Eugene holds a bachelor's degree in American studies from Colby College with a minor in English and is a graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course. He has pursued post-collegiate studies in the creative writing MFA program at San Francisco State University and the interior architecture certificate program at the Rhode Island School of Design.