On My Radar: Danielle Katvan

What is the most creative advertising idea you’ve seen recently?

Oh man, there were so many good ones this year! I really loved Tom Noakes’ Storm the Court spot for Reebok. It’s so weird and darkly funny, the casting’s spot on, and it’s brilliantly executed. I can’t help but smile like an idiot whenever I watch it. I also really dug Oscar Hudson’s Bounce spot for AirPods and was totally blown away by Ian Pons Jewell’s Call From Nature for Michelob.

What website(s) do you use most regularly?

This is such a boring answer, but probably Google Drive. There’s always some spreadsheet, treatment, or photo album I’m looking through. I’m even using it right now to answer these questions.

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

Does film count as tech? I’m prepping for a job right now that’s heavily inspired by black and white portrait photography, so I decided to buy some film for my dad’s Contax 645 and have been wandering around New York City taking photos. I also recently got AirPod Pros and I have to say that the noise-canceling feature lives up to the hype.

What product could you not live without?

Coffee. Hands down.

What’s the best film you’ve seen over the last year?

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite. I went into it cold, I had no idea what it was going to be about and, from the moment it started, I was totally engrossed. I loved every minute of it.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Everyone should see at least one Coen brothers movie. If you have any interest in the cinematic craft, it’s a must.

What’s your preferred social media platform?

I really only use Instagram, and even that feels like too much sometimes.

What’s your favourite TV show?

Mad Men. The style, the character development, the cinematic storytelling - it’s perfection.

What’s your favourite podcast?

I’m not a big podcast listener, but I do enjoy 2 Dope Queens.

What show/exhibition has most inspired you recently?

This year, my fiancé and I went to our friend Lia Halloran’s gorgeous exhibition, Double Horizon. She created a mind-blowing, three-channel video installation, featuring footage she shot while piloting a Cessna over Los Angeles. It’s hypnotic and beautiful. And I was really excited to be able to connect her with the colourist I use on a lot of my own projects to grade the footage (the brilliant Jaime O’Bradovich at Company3).

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

Definitely the rise of the Free The Work movement, and the push from all sides of the industry to get more women behind the camera.

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

I think more ads should be focussed on telling stories than pushing products. Building a tone and a visual style that viewers connect and engage with is more valuable than anything else.

Who or what has most influenced your career?

The 'who' answer would take up way too much time, so I’ll answer the 'what'. Without a doubt, it has been trust. Trusting that my vision and my ideas are good. Trusting that even if something didn’t happen the way I wanted it to, it would all work out in the end. And trusting the people I surround myself with to care about what we’re creating together and to do their best possible work.