On My Radar: Daniel Hennessy

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

It's not really an ad campaign, but I really respect the Sweetie work [below]. Trying to combat webcam child sex abuse is one of the most worthwhile initiatives that I have ever seen.

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

Ffffound.com is a daily dose of visual inspiration. It always leads me somewhere unexpected.

What work do you think will win big in Cannes this year?

Well, I obviously hope that Sweetie wins big, but for something more light hearted I think the Volvo trucks work with Jean Claude Van Damme is great.

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

A portable battery pack because my iPhone can't last a working day.

Facebook or Twitter?

If I have to choose, Twitter. Neither would be preferable.

What’s your favourite app on your phone?

Sun seeker. You can tell when and where the sun will be before you even get to a shoot.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

Like the rest of the planet, I'm obsessed with Game of Thrones. You can't beat great storytelling combined with great production values.

We’re in Cannes; how important is it to reflect on the past and examine the future?

History is always a great illuminator of the future. Both are essential for inspiration.

What film do you think everyone should have seen and why?

For a master class in storytelling it's hard to single out any one Hitchcock film, but I love Spellbound, with the Salvador Dali dream sequence. Watch it in the knowledge that it was made in 1945.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

In bed.

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

Collaboration. When I started, creative teams sat in their own offices and guarded the work because it was their currency. Now people sit in open plan offices and share their ideas with designers, technologists and multiple creative disciplines.

It has made the work multi-faceted and more infectious. Of course there are some agencies that are struggling to adapt.

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

The 'line'. Thinking that ATL and BTL are different astonishes me.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

Two people that have the same traits: GaryTopolewski and Axel Chaldecott. Both let me get on with it, but were always there if I needed support.

What do you most look forward to about coming to Cannes?

Seeing the work is the best part, but seeing old friends is also great.

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

Dumbo always makes me blub!