On My Radar: Levi Rijper

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

James Rouse’s Red Cross film, Hope is a stand out. This film makes me proud to work in advertising. In this case the film gives a voice to the ones that can’t be heard. It’s not all plastic fantastic capitalism.

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

Vimeo – staff pick binge-watcher. Oh, and of course Czar.nl, so many directors, films, content. It’s a full-time job to keep up with all the content the Czar family (including Bacon and Henry) produce.

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

Sony headphones. Noise cancellation = life.

What’s your favoured social media platform?

Instagram. By far. I’m a huge Insta-stalker, I follow a gazillion directors and DPs. I love waking up with stills and videos to check out new work. However, I implemented a new rule as of today: no scrolling in the mornings.

What’s your favourite app on your phone?

Blinkist. An audio book app. 15-minute recaps of non-fictional books, means four books per gym session. Very productive; I am a producer after all.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

My fave (Netflix) series by far is The Crown. Production value over the moon and great cast. Scratch that. Everything is great.

What’s your favourite podcast?

I’ve ditched podcasts for Blinkist (no, I do not have shares).

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

Call Me By Your Name. I’ve watched it two times but LISTENED to it over and over again; piano classics & 80-vibes. Love it. Also, Beautiful Boy moved me. I’m aware this might possible have something to do with Timothée Chalamet.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

Cycling through rainy Amsterdam. Very dramatic.

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

The major shift from 30 second TVCs towards longer format online content (with different aspect ratio: vertical!).

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

Unpaid pitching. STOP. Thanks.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

Who: Willem Bos, EP at Czar Amsterdam. When things are dragging, he maintains a good relationship with directors, agencies, crew. He gets shit done with a huge smile on his face. His energy and positive attitude is very inspiring. What: while working in advertising I got my Sociology Masters. Never imagined it would come in handy in new business, strategy and production.

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

I'm obsessed with the [17th century] philosopher [Benedict] Spinoza. He gets me through life.