On My Radar: Tom Linay

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

The latest ITV ad for the new series of The Voice UK was screened in 4DX cinemas, so viewers could feel as well as see and hear the ad. The technology is a huge amount of fun and really brought the ad to life.

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

IMDB.com - it's an invaluable tool for any film nerd.

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

A Bluetooth speaker for my kitchen. It's transformed my listening habits.

What’s your favoured social media platform? 

I probably spend the most time on Twitter but Instagram is slowly winning me over.

What’s your favourite app on your phone? 

The podcast app. I listen to podcasts every morning on the way in to work and it's a great way to start the day. I also host the DCM Podcast, so the app is a great way to check that I haven't made any big mistakes in the latest episode (below).

What’s your favourite TV show and why? 

I recently re-watched the first series of Eastbound and Down and it's just one of the most perfect series of comedy I think there's ever been. The later series couldn't scale the same heights but that first one is a classic. 

The main character, Kenny Powers, has done some funny stuff with K-Swiss too.

What films do you think people should be keeping an eye out for this year? 

Gosh, where to start... La La Land and Manchester by the Sea, both out on Friday are wonderful. I can’t wait for Danny Boyle’s T2 Trainspotting, which is out in just over two weeks, and Moonlight is the best film I've seen in the last year and is out on 17 Feb. Later in the year, I am looking forward to Dunkirk, Blade Runner 2049 and Star Wars Episode VIII.

Where were you when inspiration last struck? 

On Wells Street in Fitzrovia, last Thursday evening. My girlfriend and I had just come out of a screening of the great German comedy, Toni Erdmann, at Framestore and our minds were racing with possibility.

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

Cinema going digital in 2012. It transformed our industry, making it easier to buy and with shorter lead times. It also enabled advertisers to book by film, showing, time, day or location – opening cinema up to a much greater range of brands and driving huge growth for our medium.

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

For creatives and planners to start thinking about cinema at an earlier stage of the process. Cinema is an incredibly powerful channel when aligned with other platforms and strengthens the impact of a campaign. Our latest research study, Building Box Office Brands II, proves cinema’s ROI and the sectors that should be investing more in the medium.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

My dad and older sisters both used to work in our local cinema, so I spent a lot of time there and that's probably where the love of cinema properly took hold.

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

I love roller skating.