Q&A: Vin Farrell, chief content officer, Havas Worldwide + speaker at ADMA Creative Fuel

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Vin Farrell.jpgQ&A with Vin Farrell, global chief content officer at Havas Worldwide, who is set to speak at ADMA Creative Fuel, Thursday 6 August

 

Two years ago you were described in AdWeek by your boss as “someone that gets production, gets creation, gets narrative and storytelling, gets digital and social media. There’s no one like him in the industry.” Tell us about you.

My first job was the summer before my 8th grade year in school.  I was 13.  My dad started providing for himself at that age so he (and mom) felt it was good for me to as well.  I liked it because the money meant a sort of independence. 

I worked for a contractor who built residential homes.  I was on a renovation project.  My three main jobs were cleaning up after the roofers, helping the tile guys grout and fill in three 12 feet deep ditches that were dug with a backhoe.  I was cheaper than re-renting the backhoe. I always had “service industry” jobs growing up.

I learned the importance of teamwork and treating people well…and the toxic effects that poor management and bad behaviour can lead to behind the scenes.  And how hard you have to work to earn a dollar and that doing so with your body and hands was exhausting.  I also learned to stay out of jail.  The tile guy had been to prison and his stories were terrifying and insane. 

I spent college summers working for an investment bank specializing in the media industry: film, music, TV and technology.  The leaders in media (film, TV, advertising) whom I looked up to had one thing in common: they had multi-disciplinary and multi- industry backgrounds. So, I deliberately tried to find jobs in film, television, digital and now advertising. My mission early on was to make for every medium. I wanted to understand it all. So I took my time learning the craft of storytelling in each business.

My early days in art-house film taught me the importance of strong ideas, story and collaboration. I also saw, at an impressionable age, the impact of technology on the music and film businesses. My transition into advertising was part inspiration and part necessity to earn a better living because indie film didn’t consistently pay the bills. I began producing videos at a digital agency, back when digital was still an afterthought. 

Industries and, consequently, businesses have collapsed in on each other. This has provided opportunities for me to stay busy and professionally relevant. 

So, I’m a creative producer type and I’m drawn to team sport activities. I’m passionate about storytelling in all mediums. And I’m drawn to singular vision ideas that require teamwork and coordination as an ingredient for success. 

What’s the best example of creativity you’ve seen in the past year?

I really like Conservation International’s “Nature is Speaking” work.  It’s evocative, beautiful, and broad in scale yet spot on with its messaging.

Do you think creativity can be taught?

I don’t believe creativity can be taught. But it must be discovered. I believe creativity is a blend of aesthetic taste, tone and touch. And practice. Repetition and mastery of craft is essential.  And you can’t be afraid of looking stupid or failure. 

It’s like a painter, surgeon or a pilot who’s technically proficient or well learned…educated on the history of his or her field…up to date on all the top-of-the-line equipment but they have “it”. 

g03BH3UPNpJpJozP2zTbkHdbVzjo4pmKI0Zr8gZ7qUc.jpgYou took up photography a few years ago and now you’re very popular on Instagram with your aerial shots. Tell us about why you take photos from the air of your favourite places. Is this your favourite social media channel?

I’ve spent the majority of my last two and half years on the road for my job at Havas.  Frequent business travel can be isolating. And it’s easy to disengage…from anything and everything. You can become a phantom, drifting in and out of other people’s timelines as you’re whisked across the sky in a tube at hundreds of miles (or kilometres) per hour.

Aside from occasional family gatherings I hadn’t taken a photo in nearly 20 years. But the phone in my pocket — this iPhone 5JwEIauvwGpu6eZQfdkqtdSEAXRwzfht-OjAIxLWQMU.jpgcamera — got me started taking pictures again. Immediately I found a sense of peace, of inner creative satisfaction through photography. And sharing on social media (Instagram) became a great way to stay connected to people.

I felt a sense of urgency for constant improvement. This newfound passion drove me to want more. 

   

I have a thing for height and being in the air.  I am always on a plane and looking down at the shapes of the world from above.  I love getting up in tall buildings and seeing the views of nature’s topography and man’s temporary feats of industry. 

I want to stand out on Instagram _N4nmgwg1JD9an1Aia286imGk-EQuQsvj4IR8bufU5w.jpgbecause I want to participate with this amazing community of people. All the high-followed folks seemed to know each other and it felt like they were all riding a wave. A high following provides opportunity to see new things…from backstage concert access, museums at off hours, restaurant openings and the like. The notion of access to audiences and the power that brings was fascinating to me. This territory is new ground and the potential is unlimited. Most importantly this knowledge is useful when working with brands in this new media landscape. 

In 2013 nobody had really mastered aerial photography on Instagram. Somewhere between the top of a skyscraper and an airplane is where I wanted to be. Nobody had taken aerial photography to Instagram and that was my ambition. 

Where else do you get your inspiration from?

Movies, sports, random acts of kindness, and my family. 

You’re also an independent movie and documentary producer — Banksy does New York, Until the Violence Stops, Fur, Me @ the Zoo. How did you get into film and how does that work with your busy day job?

It works great with my busy day job. It’s all connected. My ongoing experience in film and social media makes me a better advertising executive. As the worlds of tech, media publishing and marketing collide, it’s proven useful to be fluent in other industries.

I partner with great people in the film business and never take on a project by myself. I’m a consultative role player on a lot of my film work. Keeping a hand in film satisfies my selfish creative itch and keeps me relevant, objective and better informed for our Havas clients. 

At Creative Fuel, you’ll be talking about how to build a business from the brand up. Got one tip to give away?

Yes. Quality matters. 

Is content still going to be big two years from now?  What other trends do you see coming?

Ten years ago people kept saying “everything is digital”. We’ve learned that everything isn’t digital but digital has impacted everything. Currently the term “content” is overused and poorly defined. And there is content frenzy in the media space.  We’ll probably have content saturation due to commoditization and just lack of quality. I do believe we could be in for a backlash or slight bubble burst…but that will serve us well. Everything goes in cycles and waves. With the passing of each fad or trend we usually see return to the rea
son something became trendy in the first place…and then do it better.  Ultimately I believe content is a vehicle for telling stories. We can’t get away from that. Good is good, great is great…and crap is crap. We need to better define content, the different kinds and uses. And just because it’s easy to make and easy to distribute doesn’t mean it needs to suck.  I think because it’s easy to make and distribute it needs to be better. Also, our industry needs to assign a value to all forms of content. It will get sloppier before it gets more organized. And don’t discount user behaviour and outlier behaviour to help predict where it’s going. 

What do you do when you get content block? How do you get the creative juices flowing?

I don’t freak out.  I used to though. I was perpetually convinced I’d never take a good photo again. But now I allow myself some down time or stuck moments.  But I usually just keep shooting…even if my pictures suck.  Repetition breeds craft but it’s also a great way to break out of a rut. When a baseball player is in a batting slump they don’t stop swinging…they keep at it and eventually you find your groove again. Why should this be any different?  I’ve also found that beer helps too.

 

Farrell will be speaking about building a business from the brand up at ADMA’s Creative Fuel event at the Seymour Centre on Thursday, 6 August. Book your tickets at: http://www.creative-fuel.com.au/.

(Aerial pictures by @vinfarrell with @nyonair)