On My Radar: Kimberlee Mar

New York-based experience design company Sub Rosa provides an innovative, strategy-led service to its clients operating with a philosophical approach to each project and assignment. The company has worked on briefs for a diverse list of brands including Nike, Google, Axe and AT&T and continues to evolve thanks to a unique team of creative people at the helm.

Here, senior producer at the company, Kimberlee Mar, tells us what drives her, including great creative collaboration, her shiny new MacBook Air and taking time off.

What’s the best ad campaign you’ve seen recently?

I love that MAC and The Simpsons are creating a Marge Simpson cosmetic line for the show’s 25th anniversary. While The Simpsons aren’t a household product per se, the show has done a lot of interesting collaborations to maintain its relevance.

I also loved the 7 Eleven-Simpsons collaboration to create the Kwik-E-Mart experience.

What website(s) do you use most regularly and why?

Amazon! Great for personal and office shopping. I started using Amazon Prime, which is amazing.

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why?

MacBook Air. I owned my last computer for five years and it was time for a change. I’m an Apple loyalist.

Facebook or Twitter?

Facebook – always.

What’s your favourite app on your phone and why?

Instagram – I love looking at my friends' pictures – some are artistic while other images are daily life snapshots. Either way, it’s all very interesting.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

The Walking Dead. I love anything sci-fi; post-apocalyptic settings are a bonus.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Samsara – directed by Ron Fricke. It’s an incredible, visual journey that takes you through untapped places in the world.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

Probably reading in the evening at home.

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

Music and hardware technology. I started my career as an assistant audio engineer at Columbia Records in 2000 and was fortunate enough to have access to state-of-the-art equipment back then.

Within my career in the music industry (2000-2006), I saw a radical shift and uptick in products that supported music playback, likely due to Napster and growing competition between Sony and Apple. In 2008, Apple was able to create a product that combined a camera, music player, phone and PDA that would have been unheard of in 2000.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

American advertising agencies (and most companies in the US) have really awful vacation and personal time off policies. I think it’s important for people to have vacations in order to recharge; this is especially helpful if you are at a creative agency. My agency (Sub Rosa) has an open personal time off policy which I truly appreciate because it allows us to reset and come back to the office with fresh ideas and perspective.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

When I think of influencers, I think of people who changed me into a better person. Anna Simonse who was my previous supervisor at Sub Rosa has played an incredible role in my professional life. She taught me how to be an organised, dependable leader and to believe in myself.

Also, Kevin Patrick, my ex-supervisor at Columbia Records/Sony. To this day we are still in touch and I often consider him to be somewhat of a NYC father to me. He taught me the emotional side of business, how to work with others and get what you want, while remaining aware of other people's feelings and needs.

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know…

I’m pretty fanatical about the gym and I also practice aerial silks when the time allows.