On My Radar: Brock Montgomery

Upshot EVP Brock Montgomery has over 15 years in the business and knows how to maximise his time and reduce the energy he spends looking for inspiration, so much so that sometimes it even hits in the middle of client meetings... but for a different client.

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

The Rob Lowe DirecTV ads (below). Smart. Funny. And apparently effective enough to have Comcast complain about them.

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

Flipboard is probably my favorite. Between that and the Skimm, it’s easy to keep up on everything I want to keep up on, without spending a ton of time or energy to do it. There are a lot of better ways to spend my time and energy.

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

A Samsung 4k UHD TV. Hard to imagine what the next generation will do because it’s a remarkable device all around.

Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

Instagram. It’s mostly pictures and a couple words. I’m a fan of simple.

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

A golf app called Arccos. I haven’t been playing that long and I’m not that good but it tracks my progress and helps motivate me. Progress, of course, being relative.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

Game of Thrones. I’ve always been a fan of the time period. But I love the fact no one is safe. Every rule about hero characters and such is basically tossed out the window. Anyone can die at any time.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Spinal Tap. Because it goes to 11.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

In the middle of a client meeting. But the inspiration was for a different client. Felt a little guilty.

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

The internet. Hands down. I remember a guy in the office talking about getting an email address and we were like, “What the hell is that?”

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

It would be a coin flip between the rise of procurement (and the way ideas are valued, much like office supplies) and the Integrated Marketing Communications model (in any of its many forms).

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

Ordinary people. I try not to get too caught up in all the stuff we say to ourselves. I watch people a lot. All the time. Observe. Listen to what they are talking about every day. And keep that in mind during the creative process.

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

When I was a kid, I used to make a lot of puppets and write and perform shows. I am kinda glad it was a passing phase. It would be odd to introduce myself as a ‘puppeteer’ at a cocktail party. No offense to puppeteers.