On My Radar: Vicky Ferraro

With a career in advertising spanning over 14 years, Vicky Ferraro started out at JWT working on accounts including Pfizer, Domino’s, Smirnoff and Lipton. Previously holding a senior producer role at audio post firm Sound Lounge, she has been closely involved with every aspect of production at the company from casting to sound design to stock music and is now the company's executive producer.

Away from the ads, Ferraro has worked at PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) producing award-winning promos for shows like Frontline and Masterpiece Theatre, as well as working on acclaimed short films and partnering in a fashion collective.

Below, the EP tells us about volunteering for international charity work, mob movie classics and thinking beyond broadcast in advertising.

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

I was really impressed with the recent Verizon campaign, Inspire Her Mind, that depicts a girl being told throughout her adolescence that she’s so pretty, yet rarely says: “you’re pretty brilliant, too.”

She’s discouraged from getting involved with activities that are traditionally thought of as being for boys. The concept of the spot is very powerful and speaks volumes about how much children are affected by the way they’re treated. The message encourages us to inspire young girls to pursue maths and science.

I think the spot resonates with women who have ever felt suppressed by a lot of the stereotypes and social “norms” that exist in society and draws our attention to the ways we can change that.

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

BuzzFeed. I like lists and it feeds into my ADD. Unfortunately, I can get sucked in for longer than I care to admit.

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

My electronic keyboard. I wanted to be able to make use of the 11 years I spent growing up taking organ lessons. Cue the laughter.

Facebook or Twitter?

Facebook. It’s the easiest way to keep in touch with friends and family and eases the pressure of having to write something witty in 140 characters or less. If I have something to say, I’m likely to ramble on for a bit.

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

Definitely Spotify. It’s music on your phone, that about sums it up.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

Breaking Bad. It’s incredible acting with a great plot. The writers have a way of making every single episode so compelling and never predictable. It was amazing how they could take such an unrealistic premise and make it feel not only plausible, but in some way make the anti-hero relatable to the viewer.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Goodfellas. Maybe it’s because I’m Italian, but more likely because Scorsese is an engaging storyteller who knows how to capture the underworld of society. And who doesn’t enjoy a good mob movie?

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

I always find myself inspired when I’m volunteering, so it was definitely during my last Habitat for Humanity trip to Nepal. I’ve done several of these trips and am working on ways Sound Lounge can partner with NYC-based organisations to help them promote their cause.

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

The development and growth of digital media has really impacted the way we work. I started in the industry in ’97 and at the time there was no digital footprint. Now it’s such a huge part of the workflow that’s being produced and we have to think about execution for various media platforms beyond broadcast.

And, because of the rapidly advancing technology, productions are happening at a much more rapid pace with shorter deadlines and often shrinking budgets.

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

I’d like to change the way people perceive sound. Audio is often treated as an afterthought and isn’t focussed on until you get to the post production phase. I’d like to see a shift in that approach and encourage people to think about their sound during pre-production.

This undervaluing of audio is most specifically seen in digital production. Digital projects often have small budgets and one of the first components to get cut is the audio portion. With an increasing number of consumers viewing content on devices other than a television, we need to emphasise the importance of audio in those capacities.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

The greatest influence in my career was my role as a broadcast producer at JWT. When I graduated from college, I thought I wanted to work in film on set in some capacity. It wasn’t until I went into an ad agency that I discovered my calling was to be a producer—in fact, it wasn’t until then, when I was exposed to it, that I even knew that type of role existed and one that I could do!

Not only did being at JWT define what I wanted as my career objective, but also established some of the most important relationships that I have in the industry today.

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

I was the EP of a fashion collective for four years and was producing fashion events at venues like the Metropolitan Pavilion.