The Source: Chuck McBride

In an ideal world, Chuck McBride, founder and executive creative director at Cutwater San Francisco, would be a popular cartoon rabbit teleported into a Californian coastal community to do a spot of surfing while reading a magazine about wooden boats, listening to his kid’s iPod and thinking about epic Volvo ads

What is the most creative advertising idea you’ve seen in the last few months?

Epic Split for Volvo Trucks was really cool. Straight-up product demo with a twist of cultural reference. Ambitious to say the least. But my favourites are always the work we are about to present to a client.

What’s your favourite website?

There’s just too many to name one. If I had to name the one I’m most attached to, it’s probably got to be gmail.

What website do you use most regularly?

Google – for the same reason I can’t really name a favourite website. I’m living in a world where there are so many great sites for content that there’s no way I want to limit myself to coming back to the same one over and over. When I go online I’m on the hunt for information, and Google is the hub for that search. It’s the portal to all of the other fun stuff.

What product could you not live without?

Probably one of my surfboards. I have an 8-foot Speed Egg (surfboard) that my long-time client Nike gave me when I left W+K to come down to San Francisco – so it’s beautiful and comes with great memories. I also have a beautiful board from Lee Clow that hangs in our offices at Cutwater. I’ve been surfing since I was about 14 years old, and love both of them.

What product hasn’t been invented yet that would make your life/job better?

The teleporter from Star Trek. Because lets face it – airplanes suck. We (especially in advertising) waste a giant chunk of our lives travelling to airports, sitting in airports and riding on airplanes, and we can never get that time back. That transporter would make life a whole lot better. 

What track/artist would you listen to for inspiration?

The shuffle feature on my wife’s or kid’s iPod. When I’m relaxing at home I like to listen to other peoples music and hear why they’re interested in it. It gives me a great new perspective. It’s a gift to get those sorts of insights – from your kids especially – because you get to take that knowledge back to work with you. A big part of advertising is about getting into other peoples heads, and music is an amazing way to do that.

What’s the best film you’ve seen over the last year?

Her, by far. From a writing, character and direction standpoint, it was the only movie I saw last year that will stay with me for a long time. Spike Jonze is great with these types of stories – taking a concept that seems totally unbelievable and telling it in a way that you 100 per cent buy into it. Who would have thought that you could get so much joy from watching someone’s face in close-up for two hours while they talked about falling in love?

What show/exhibition has most inspired you recently?

Cannes Lions is always inspiring. I walked away from this year’s festival feeling energised about being in a great industry with a ton of great things going on. Every year I leave ready to go out and keep doing quality stuff.

If you could live in one city, where would it be?

Bolinas, California. It’s a little coastal community northwest of San Francisco that’s quiet and beautiful.

Mac or PC?

Mac. 

What fictitious character do you most relate to?

The one that immediately comes to mind is Bugs Bunny. I watch a ton of cartoons with my kid and for whatever reason he seems to be the one that fits best.

What’s your favourite magazine?

Esquire or WoodenBoat magazine. It’s a toss up. Esquire because the articles and little blurbs are consistently great. It has a perfect balance between light reading and insightful content, which makes it a great airplane read. WoodenBoat magazine is exactly what it sounds like – a magazine about wooden boats. It was the inspiration for our agency name (Cutwater is the forward edge of a ship’s prow) and is one of the best places in the world to drool over photos of beautiful boats. 

Who’s your favourite photographer?

Right now, Zach Gold. We work well together. He shot some amazing stuff for our client Ariat recently. He does fantastic work and he’s also just a really nice guy.

Who’s your favourite designer?

Saul Bass, who’s such a classic designer. His intro to Grand Prix (the 1966 movie) is something that holds up incredibly well, even fifty years later.

If you could have been in any band, what band would you choose?

The Black Keys. I’ve been spellbound by both their music and their personal story. I can’t think of a single time during their career when it wouldn’t be fun to play with them and hang out.