On My Radar: Sophie Gunn

Sophie Gunn is executive producer at MPC Creative. Moving into the role from the company’s motion design department in October, she has overseen notable projects such as a series of online films for adidas’ Predator football boot featuring Arsenal and Germany star Mesut Ozil.

According to her colleagues at the post production house, she’s “brilliantly quirky” but below the producer delves deeper into the mind behind the creative, mentioning her new home sound system, Amserican box set series’ and a movie without sound among her inspirations.

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

Honda The other side. Created in anticipation of the Civic Type R launch next year, it shows the two lives of Honda, with a daytime and night time story of the driver running simultaneously. By simply pressing ‘R’ on your keyboard you can flit seamlessly and immediately between the two movies in real time. Cool, clever and beautifully executed.  Interactive filmmaking at its best.

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

From a work perspective I’ll often check in with The Inspiration Room website to see what great campaigns are featuring from across the world. I’m also a pretty frequent user of the The Sartorialist and Facehunter. They’re great for a bit of a spy as to what others are wearing and for style ideas.

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

We had some renovation work done on our home recently and had Sonos sound system installed. I just love how you can search any track or artist and play it instantly in any room through a speaker in the ceiling. I use it a lot and our kids are developing a really diverse range of musical tastes and dance moves.

Facebook or Twitter?

At the moment Facebook, but I flit between the two.

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

It has to be Instagram for social; it enables even the worst photographers like me to create images that look half decent! The British Airways app for practical reasons - I love how you can check in online and get your boarding pass straight to your phone and just swipe through the queues. Using tech to take away the hassle helps me believe that living in a tech world is actually all ok.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

If I’m not completely absorbed in an American box set then I will immerse myself in mainstream TV. X Factor, The Apprentice, Strictly Come Dancing, you name it. I like nothing better than watching and reading Twitter comments at the same time. It makes you feel vey connected. There are some very witty people out there if you have the patience to wade through the volume of tweets.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

I don’t have a lot of time to go to the cinema these days and I have a lot of films to catch up on. I am particularly fussy about the length of a film and if its three hours or more I will choose not to see it but wait to watch it on Sky in two parts.

I like films that change my perceptions or surprise me. The film that stands out and I would recommend is The Artist. When I went to see it I had no idea what it was about. If you had told me it was a black and white silent movie with unknown actors I would have run a mile but for me it was so surprising, I remember being completely drawn in and blown away. Sometimes simple storytelling is enough.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

Inspiration strikes me all the time – recent examples include The Matisse Exhibition at The Tate, my kids’ Halloween party or Instagram on a daily basis: Paul Octavious and Daniel Arnold are consistently creating inspiring and beautiful imagery and ideas. 

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

I’ve been in the industry a long time, starting my career in advertising agency Bates Dorland.  The Internet changed everything. I remember not really comprehending the enormity of it and its potential to change everything (not just in advertising but the wider world).

The industry has had to move quickly to keep up with the way the market has and is changing and developing. Production has become a much more complex world to navigate but on the upside we are now exposed to an amazing diversity of talent and collaborative opportunities.

Tech means advertising platforms and channels are forever evolving, you need to make time to understand it or you get left behind vey quickly.

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

I believe in being fair. The market is incredibly competitive and with so many directors around you really have to give 100 per cent to win a job. Client expectation and demands on their agency are so great and that is passed down the line - we are often asked and expected to almost deliver the job before even getting the green light. So much work and prep goes into winning a job. If this is appreciated and recognised then that’s great and even better if you win the pitch! I know that the APA is working hard to ensure pitches are for ‘real live’ jobs.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

I spent a lot of my years working as a producer at HHCL. At the height of its success it was the most influential, revolutionary and inspiring place to work, with a lot of fun thrown in to boot. I don’t think there was or is an agency that was taking the risks and changing the face of the industry like HHCL was. I am grateful for those years and experiences. The talent in that agency was off the scale.

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

I used to do hand modelling to earn a bit of extra cash.