On My Radar: Dan Neale

London-based music supervision & production company, Native, is made up of a unique combination of experienced music supervisors, producers and artists, led by managing director and CD Dan Neale.

Below, he lets us in on his creative Radar to talk about his favourite campaign of the past year, the film that's had a lasting effect on him and how music and sound should be thought of earlier in advertising.

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

In the last year or so, it’s Honda Type R The Other Side – the interactive campaign where pressing R on your keyboard shows you two different parts of a story in perfect sync. I think it pushed online advertising and content technically and creatively and is perfect in a world where content is now being consumed more and more via online channels.

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

BBC Sport – because I want to read about the latest Arsenal player to be surprisingly injured for the rest of the season.

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

An iPhone 6 – and it is the best phone I have ever had… it bounces much better than my previous iPhone 4s.

Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

Twitter.

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

Spotify – it makes the commute painless and gives me a name to drop in my next meeting.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

I get addicted to TV shows very easily and quickly forget when I have finished them how good they were. Breaking Bad is, of course, up there, but I am currently binging on House of Cards, although Season 3 isn’t as strong.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Star Wars: Episode V -The Empire Strikes Back – it left a lasting impression on me.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

In my office in Soho. I had a genuine eureka moment when a track’s melody came into my head and I realised it fitted the brief I was working on perfectly. It took me a while to work out what it was, but as soon as the melody came to me I knew I was onto something… it could so easily have disappeared from my mind forever!

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

The entire music industry’s approach to sync and artist’s attitudes to having music used in commercials has changed significantly since I started out. It is now something artists consider when they sign with a label or publisher – meeting with the sync team to assess how pro-active they think they might be when it comes to placing their music in a production.

Of course, this is good news for brands, agencies and music supervisors as it gives us more to work with, both in terms of choice and scope. Syncs also often now go on to fuller brand/band partnerships, with single releases for example, as everyone is more geared up for it and more enthusiastic about the possibilities than ever before.

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

I would change the advertising industry’s approach to composers, bands, artists and music in general. It is often the last piece of the production puzzle both chronologically and financially. A lot of producers and agencies are savvier now and, if the brand is music centric, then the music strategy is formed earlier and the budget is realistic. However, music is often still an afterthought for many.

It’s a cliché to point out how fundamental the music and sound is to your visuals, but it really should be given the respect of time and budget that it deserves to create a better all-round campaign. When you consider the brand’s media spend versus the money “saved” on music, it doesn’t make sense.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

Falling in love with listening to and playing music influenced my career choice the most and made me determined to make a living being surrounded by it every day. But the art of managing a project I learned from Steph Wellesley and Jacqueline Dobrin, in my first proper job at Grey London as their TV production assistant. I am indebted to them and their nine-part folders.

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

I once played Dracula onstage.