On My Radar: Angus Kneale

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

I really like the latest Hennessey campaign from Droga5. The Piccards [below] is beautifully executed and really captures my imagination. I love travelling to extreme places, from climbing sand dunes in the Namib desert to flying to Fairbanks Alaska in February to see the Northern Lights, it makes me feel alive.

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

I’ve spent a lot of time on RoadtoVR recently. It is the best place to see the latest advancements in immersive content and tech. It is such early days now but believe all the hype, VR & AR is going to be huge.

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

I have an insatiable technical curiosity so I buy a lot of tech, my most recent purchase being my 4th drone, a DJI Phantom 4 [below]. It combines a lot of the things I love; technology cinematography and flying. It’s one of the best pieces of tech I have ever bought. DJI are an incredible company, they are defining the commercial drone industry.

What’s your favored social media platform?

I am fascinated by the constant evolution of social media platforms. When Facebook and Google started taking VR seriously I got very excited. I am actually quite resistant to personal social media though; I find a lot of it quite hollow. I do however really enjoy flipping through my wife’s Instagram account from time to time.

What’s your favourite app on your phone?

I bounce around between a few of them and keep on discovering old classics. Currently I am obsessed with an obscure game called Osmos [below]; highly addictive, great sound, dead simple and highly satisfying. Great for long flights.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

That’s a tough one. There is so much good TV these days it’s hard to choose what to watch. I love the texture of Peaky Blinders, Mr Robot is also really good but my favorite has to be Stranger Things [beow]. I love everything about it - the 80s nostalgia reminds me of growing up.

What film do you think everyone should have seen and why?

I would have to say there are two films that I have recently watched that everyone has to see. The first being Deep Web, an amazing documentary about the dark web and [former darknet market operator] Ross Ulbricht; it provides an insightful view on cyber privacy and the government’s reach.

The second is Beasts Of No Nation; a really powerful film that draws attention to the cost of war on childhood.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

In the kitchen, I love to cook. It often happens in the kitchen.

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

The iPhone has changed everything. It’s the most significant cultural revolution of our time. For better or worse it’s the way we communicate, document, share and consume. The smart phone is the most important consumption device out there.

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

I wish advertisers would take more risks. No risk, no reward. There is a lot of noise out there, In order to stand out from the noise you need to break the mold.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

Getting my hands on a video camera and Amiga 500 computer [below] at a young age were the two things that influenced my career the most. It gave me the opportunity to experiment with video and computer graphics and develop skills that I never imagined would be needed.

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

My big toes are really big, I mean they are HUGE. When walking in flip flops they get a lot of attention.