What do you actually do?
I am the Creative Director of exposure. We sometimes discuss amongst ourselves what it is a modern creative director does. At exposure my job falls into four main sections; idea architect, creative conductor, talent scout and studio MD.
Initially it is the job of the creative director to inspire and sketch out a number of campaign ‘ideas’ with the agency planners and art directors. These ideas are then worked up and built out into the skeleton of a campaign.
We then engage our specialist teams; publicists, digital & social media experts, content producers, event producers, media planners and retail specialists all of whom are best at what they do. It is my job to act as ‘conductor’ of these teams and ensure that as the idea develops into a campaign it stays true. I ensure all the teams ‘play’ to the same tune and the ideas gets stronger and not diluted as it develops.
We are a complex agency with so many different specialist teams. It takes a special type of creative to thrive in this environment. It is my job to spot talent, scout talent and develop talent and build the best creative teams possible to respond to our clients challenges. Most of the creatives have been with us for a number of years so we must be doing something right!
The final part of my role is that of a studio managing director. I work closely with our creative services director and studio financial manager to ensure we are operating profitably, managing the jobs as efficiently as possible and maximising creative opportunities for the agency. In my view this is a very important component of a modern creative director’s role and the delivery of award winning campaigns.
The better talent we can afford, the better the studio output. The better the studio output, the more effective our campaigns are for our clients. The more effective the campaigns, the more they are prepared to pay us. The more they pay us, the better talent we can afford… and so it goes on…
What would you be doing if you weren't doing that?
Building a house again and again and again until it was absolutely perfect.
How did you get started in the industry?
I studied architecture and worked initially designing bars, restaurants and loft apartments.
In time I ended up working on the branding of these projects and the communications around them. I found myself as interested in the brand and communication as the design. All the elements needed to be treated with equal importance to make my clients projects a success. My passion moved from just architecture to every element that makes up a campaign; from the strategy to the sale.
After working for Imagination, the brand experience agency and then being part of a start up agency that was subsequently sold, the final piece of the communications jigsaw for me was when I joined exposure and was introduced to PR.
Exposure started out as a fashion PR agency and has been constantly evolving balancing a portfolio of fashion and lifestyle clients, blue chip clients and equity clients. This heritage combined with a desire to explore the edges of the changing communications landscape and new client challenges has made exposure what it is today - a constantly evolving modern communications business.
What's your favourite piece of creative work at the moment?
Too difficult. It changes daily… our industry is changing so quickly that what is good one day is copied the next by the following day is passé.
I love things that are consistent, detailed and have narrative. My favourite piece of architecture is Fondazione Quirini-Stampalia in Venice, a building with a series of installations by Architect, Carlo Scarpa – in fact I can spend hours looking at anything designed by Carlo Scarpa; from glass to architecture.
What do you love about your job?
The people. Exposure attracts the most interesting and eclectic group of people and these people in turn attract and win the most interesting group of clients. Everyday I learn some something new from the people around me.
Our brands. Our brands and their business challenges are continually evolving. In the morning I can be working on positioning for a Wellington boot brand, talking to a whiskey brand over lunch and in the afternoon reviewing campaign creative for telecoms brand – each one with a different set off challenges.
The market. It is an exciting time to be in the communications business. Our ideas operate in a market changing daily… new technology becomes available, new channels are constantly opening up… it’s like having a new colour to paint with everyday.
Add these three things together and no two days, no two challenges, no two teams are the same.
If you could give one piece of advice for someone starting out, what would it be?
Seek out wisdom, it is beyond value. Look around, inspiration is everywhere. Speak to everyone, insights can come from anyone.
If you have one Super power what would it be?
A time traveller. Be able to play with time, go backwards and forwards in time and may add an extra hour or two to each day…
What do you want to be when you grow up?
A master stonemason.
What was your worst job and what did you learn from it?
Picking tomatoes. So long as a job has a purpose it is worthwhile; to learn something; to create something. I once spent a summer picking tomatoes with the purpose of buying a new leather jacket… this was not a worthwhile purpose. 6 x weeks tomato picking = 1 x leather jacket.
You have already worked with some amazing brands, who would you like to work with next?
I would love to work with brands that have a interesting story to tell and an interesting history. Maybe next automotive brand like Bristol, a classic British brand supporting great and innovative engineering – I bet there are so many interesting people to meet and incredible stories to tell around that brand.
Your favourite app?
Instagram, the visual man’s twitter.
Facebook or Twitter?
Twitter… I’ve been using it to get advice (and negotiate a few discounts) whilst building my house. Crowd sourcing knowledge. Genius.
Exposure is a creative communications business.
We were founded on the power of network 18 years ago and we still work on that same principal today.
We generate ideas and content that spark conversations, are talked about and shared across our network and beyond.
We create award-winning campaigns for some of the world’s largest brands as well as undertaking cutting edge briefs for some of the most creative and innovative fashion brands.
We are passionate about brands, big or small, local or international.
We have offices in London, New York, San Francisco & Tokyo.
If you are interesting in joining out creative network find us on facebook.
Twitter: @insideexposure
Facebook: facebook.com/insideexposure
Blog: inside-exposure.net
Website: exposure.net
