2013 in Review with… Dustin Callif

For Tool’s managing partner, digital, Dustin Callif, it's simplicity, great execution and user interaction that were key elements to work that shone in 2013. Although it didn't necessarily need to come from the advertising industry, he believes that next year, there needs to be good communication on all sides of those involved in a project from the off to get more from budgets and ensure a smooth process. Here, he takes us through some of his creative highlights of the year, talks about finding a good working balance and offers his thoughts on the year ahead.

How would you describe 2013 for the industry, creatively speaking?

I actually think that a lot of the most standout content in 2013 came from beyond the advertising industry. Both the Bob Dylan Like a Rolling Stone and Pharrell’s (Williams) 24 Hours of Happy interactive music video were great projects. They were simple, yet beautifully executed – qualities that I think our industry should aspire to in the year ahead.

And what about your own creative performance in the last 12 months?

We earned over 90 awards in 2013, making this the most awarded year in Tool’s history. Clouds Over Cuba, and JAM with Chrome were two particularly standout projects.

What do you think your own best personal achievement has been in the past year?

Continuing to build an amazingly talented team.

What are you most excited about for 2014?

I’m greedy and always excited to tackle more amazing creative projects.

And what are your predictions for the industry in general in 2014?

Lots of spots, banners, websites, awards and drinking – the never-ending cycle of advertising. 

 Which campaign or piece of work will you remember from this year?

There are two Tool projects that immediately come to mind. Combining live content with real time social media, we produced a digital project called The Remote Control Tourist, with director Jason Zada, Clemenger BBDO and Exit Films. It was a tonne of hard work, but an amazingly fun project. Another recent project that will really stick with me is a social and interactive documentary for the launch of Gran Turismo 6 called First Love. We worked with BBH NY and our director Ben Tricklebank. It was a really interesting blend between storytelling, social media and interactive. 

How is your company/office celebrating Christmas (a party, decorations, event, campaign?) this year and are you getting involved?

We threw a rager last week and thankfully, no one was arrested. A lot of people were dragging the next day.

What’s the one thing you look forward to in your time off over Christmas?

Time off? I work in production. 

What’s your New Year’s resolution workwise or other?

Spend a maximum of five hours in meetings each day, and more time focussing on emails and the work in front of me.

And if you had a piece of advice for the creative industry to learn from this year and take into next, what would you say? 

Please take an integrated approach upfront and get all teams talking together from the outset. Encourage your broadcast producer to speak with the digital producer. By doing this, production companies who excel at both live action and digital can be briefed at one time and have a better chance of making your creative better and your dollars go farther.