Creative Insights is an AdNews series investigating and uncovering the secrets of the creative side of advertising.
David Roberts: creative director at BMF
How did you fall into the industry? Was it deliberate or a misstep?
I was really depressed about my job at the time so I chucked a sickie and went for a bushwalk. I took a notepad and wrote down a page of questions to myself. I was trying to stir something in the universe to help me leap into a different career orbit. A week later my housemate told me about an AWARD School info night and I tagged along.
What’s your secret sauce for commercial creativity?
Flying Goose sriracha mayo.
What’s the biggest hurdle now for creatives?
The same it’s always been – the steeplechase. Most creatives aren’t very athletic and end up falling into the water pit thing.
Do you wear the black t-shirt uniform or are you a nonconformist?
I wear a technicolour plastic bracelet my daughter made me that spells out the words “POSITIVE THOUGHTS”.
Can commercial creativity only take place in a room full of people in black T-shirts?
Clothing has nothing to do with how interesting the inside of your brain is.
What was the latest campaign you worked on that you really enjoyed?
Sleep with Kip for Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.
We had lots of fun making bedtime stories for kids with sleep disorders. The trick was to weave in scientific sleep strategies in a way that kids wouldn’t sniff out as boring medical instructions. Our guiding ethos: add more fart jokes.
https://app.frame.io/presentations/46342806-b495-4433-a594-608c9c0152ca
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