Tell us a bit about you Wesley...
I began working in the creative industry in 1998 after studying at Central Saint Martins and Goldsmiths. Early on I specialised in digital and was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to ride the digital wave from its early agency beginnings. I have held Creative Director roles at McCann-Erickson, Rufus Leonard, E3 and Syzygy and have enjoyed almost every minute of it! I have dubious music taste leaning towards the classic RnB and gangster rap of the 90’s, more trainers than I could ever wear, and have been told by people of my own age that I dress like an inner city teenager, which I took as a compliment.
What's the story behind you joining Reading Room?
I joined Reading Room back in 2009 to creatively lead their new company "The Distillery" which was based in Manchester. This was set up as a "Skunkworks" to help Reading Room develop creative propositions, which were outside of their usual business proposition. I began to work with the group and their clients more and more, so it seemed like a logical step to move back to London and work from here.
What does a typical day consist of at Reading Room?
I normally start at 8.00, I like to come in before the storm starts and everything is an oasis of calm to have a little think. Then the brainstorms and meetings begin. I normally have a few new business briefs on my desk as well as my regular clients that I look after.
I could have a pitch, which means I'll be the man in black in Johnny Cash style. If I am at my desk there'll be a few arguments about music, a lot of cups of green tea and coke zeros and a lot of raucous laughter, generally about inappropriate things. I don't normally sit down for long until someone comes up to chat and get an opinion on something. I then spend the rest of the day holding brainstorms, meeting clients and reviewing work. If I get a rare spare moment I'll probably buy something I don't need from ebay, pin some stuff on Pinterest and swipe right on a lot of girls on Tinder.
What would you be doing if you weren't at Reading Room?
A few years ago a colleague asked me what my dream job would be, and I replied that I would be doing exactly what I am right now, but maybe 10 kilos lighter and with a bit more hair. Today I’d say the same thing again, but maybe 15 kilos lighter and a lot more hair. Being a Creative Director has always been my dream job and like a travelling creative nomad I’ll do it wherever the wind blows me.
What do you love most about working at Reading Room?
The people, we have some really special people here!
You're looking for some new team members at the moment, what do you look for when interviewing someone?
We don’t tend to go for the normal agency types, we look for people that are a bit unconventional and different, smart people with interesting stories to tell. They have to love the internet though, that goes with out saying!
What's been the highlight of your career so far?
Creatively directing Orange.com and their global digital campaigns for 4 years before it was taken over by France Telecom. It was a real pleasure to work with such an iconic brand on award winning work with a great team.
What campaign do you wish you'd worked on?
The launch campaign for Tango Blackcurrant in 1998 by HHCL starring "Roy Gardner". I always get a rush when I watch that ad, pure genius!
Which brand would you love to work with?
Syco. I’m a big fan of Simon Cowell but I think his sites and mobile apps are always a bit disappointing. What an opportunity to be in 12 million people’s hands on a Saturday night. We could move people’s expectations of mobile exponentially, but instead we offer users the opportunity to buy a “bundle of 6 votes” for £1.99…
What's the best advice you've ever received, and who from?
I worked with Peter Saville on the concept for the BAFTA award winning site for Marconi Calling. Among the nuggets of genius that he shared with me over a few Gauloises and some strong black Moroccan coffee was about the art of combination. He reached up to his bookshelf, took two books from completely different periods which both expressed a different view of modern style, and he then showed me how when we combined the two, we could create something completely new that would never date as it was based on two things from the past.
What do you want to be remembered for?
Inspiring people.
What was your worst job and what did you learn from it?
For my first creative job, I came in as Creative Director straight from my MA. I had no idea how to actually design or build websites from a technical point of view and that was a requirement of the job as it was a small agency. I left shortly after and went to night classes to learn the software and got a job as a designer and went from there. That's the big thing with digital, you may be able to be purely conceptual in an offline agency, but in digital you need to know the art of the possible to come up with the impossible.
What's do you see to be the most notable change in the industry in recent years?
Social media. Now everyone can be creative and have a platform. It has revolutionized the way consumers can interact with brands. You can spend 7 million quid and make an advert as good as “The bear and the hare” and then someone comes along and does this:
What do you think will be the next big thing?
Desirable “invisible” branded technology you can wear. So far Nike + is the first thing that’s come close. I think this has to be about partnerships with classic designer brands and technology. How do we get classic style with modern tech?
For instance, will Google Glass ever really look cool? Probably not, but what if they looked like Warby Parker’s Man of Steel glasses range? And then when the tech gets old, unplug the chip and put in a new one but keep your classic frames.
