On My Radar: Anna Smith-Tenser

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

Bodyform Blood [below]. It is just a bloody good campaign. Great idea, and really hits home the strains and stresses of sport and life, combat and endurance… the shots Awards campaign for ‘Fuck - I wish I’d made that’... that’s how it makes me feel!

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

If I’m not on an X-Files fan site I tend to be on the BFI or industry trade ones because I’m stalking the crew credits of the recent spots or shorts that have been released.

I like to keep an eye out for emerging talent like DPs and producers… I think they are the unsung heroes of the future so its good to see who is shooting, and then look to pairing them up with our emerging directors too.

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

I’ve put myself down on the waiting list for a Star VR headset. I know it seems cliché to be jumping on the VR bandwagon but I’m currently developing a feature and a proof-of-concept short that involves pushing the technology boundaries so want to have the kit to test it… (the Star VR headset has a vision of 210 degrees, which equates to IMAX periphery and is a much wider field of vision than the other headsets out there).

Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

Instagram, actually. It allows for quick insight to what my friends or colleagues are actually seeing at that moment in time. Mostly it's pictures of cats, gigs, clapper boards and food trophies (who doesn’t like looking at that?).

And then there is Periscope that takes that up a notch! I keep meaning to give that a bit of attention too.

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

Toss up between Weather Pro (love looking at detailed weather systems all over the world and also more locally on a day-to-day basis, especially if we have a location shoot pending)...

...and the Oanda app (it's a currency converter, always good when you’re bidding multiple territories and with the GBP in such distress we have to be careful with so much currency fluctuation) Both are always open on my phone and I’m sure drain the battery life significantly!

What's your favourite TV show and why?

The X Files. The X Files. The X Files. It's got everything, includes everything and is the basis of every other show out there. The writers have gone on to create Breaking Bad, Homeland and The Man in the High Castle and many of the cast have become A-listers.

I’ve lived and breathed it since I was 13. It inspired me to be a producer from the first frame I ever saw and I even got to tell the creator, Chris Carter [below], in person in January (he’s now a fan of Iconoclast).

One of our Superprime directors, Scott Cooper (who directed Black Mass), even starred in it once. It's all come full circle.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Alien or Terminator. Both films changed my life. The strength of the women portrayed here is immense, and sci-fi has been the genre which has pushed the envelope for female leads, both as actors and actually reflecting the social strata.

Best script recently is Wolf of Wall Street I’d say.

Most recently; Ab Fab??

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

We are currently shooting a series for the BBC and it was during an interview with one of the contributors (a famous author and screenwriter) that I was inspired to write the first page of my… well, something else I’m working on, but I don’t want to give the game away just yet.

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

Not only the amount of in-house production companies emerging but the amount of other talent in the market! It's so saturated, everyone is spoilt for choice meaning we all have to work so hard to get eyes on our directors and our hands on the work, it’s a minefield.

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

Overall, I’d say it would have to start at the top and trickle down. So, really it’s about the clients actually committing to, and buying more work, whether it's upsold internally from the agency (creatives can work on an account for a year and not get the client to bite!), or if it’s a production company going direct to the brand, ultimately idea-generation is an expensive and laborious task, so we need to be able to get more things over the line.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

Music Videos. I started in production because I wanted to produce music videos (there was money then) but even now I still look to music videos to find and enjoy new creative. It permanently influences me and I’m constantly evolving as a result - Look at Romain's [Gavras] Jamie XX [below]!