On My Radar: Elliott Lester

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

Dunkin’ Donuts' Super Bowl spot. Just so funny. It is so good to see Matt, Ben, J-Lo and Tom Brady sending up their own celebrity. It was heartfelt and transported us into that moment. It was interesting to see how quickly the shirt Ben wore sold out. That’s true reach!

What website(s) do you use most regularly?

I cycle between Deadline, The Daily Mail, and The New York Times. Deadline is minute-by-minute film and television updates and it’s almost like a reflex. I think if you want to know the business, you should do so from the inside out. The Daily Mail is so fun; it’s a deep-dive into the cesspool of gossip and conspiracy theory… wickedly salacious! The New York Times is my go-to for the other part of my brain. It allows me to balance out the other two and feed the mind with what’s going on in the other part of the news world.

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

Chat GPT 4. The future is coming and we, as creatives, must adapt. The technology is a dramatic paradigm shift. It’s terrifying and exciting… but inevitable. So, why not lean in? 

What product could you not live without?

Tea. The mornings are slow, and tea is a gentler way to clear the cobwebs. 

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

The Zone of Interest. Such a bold and unique film. The banality of evil is on show in every way. In many ways, it’s an upscale reality show. As in, it is unobtrusive and we get to gaze at every aspect of the characters’ lives. The way [Jonathan] Glazer approached the writing and the use of multiple hidden cameras was innovative and effective. I have watched it eight times; you unpack another layer with each viewing. You want to get close to the characters to see if you can and should judge their behaviour. Objectively, they are terrible people. However, they are human. They raise their kids, eat breakfast and perform all our daily rituals – all against the sounds of Auschwitz: the scene of the most abhorrent chapter in 20th-century history. 

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Seven Samurai. The restraint and patience in [Akira] Kurosawa's storytelling is phenomenal. It’s a movie that winds up like a ticking time bomb. In our short attention span era, it’s well worth putting the phone down to be mesmerised. 

What’s your preferred social media platform?

Don’t usually use, but Instagram. I use it sparingly to research directors of photography. You cannot deny its accessibility to talent. TikTok seems like the real place to live, but I find I lose days going down wormholes, and I try to keep the conspiracy theories about Taylor and Travis out of my head. 

What’s your favourite podcast?

The Making Sense Podcast - Sam Harris: the subject matter and guests are never dull. Sam is a critical thinker, and I find it keeps the mind fresh for unexpected and differing points of view. 

What show/exhibition has most inspired you recently?

Appropriate with Ellen Fanning, Sarah Paulson and Corey Stoll. Tremendous acting! 

If you could only listen to one music artist from now on, who would it be?

David Bowie. Endless creativity, and so many different evolutions. Brave and never compromising, Bowie is the definition of artistry. Plus, Let’s Dance is a great karaoke choice… 

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

Stronger creative lead by artists. You can feel the client’s influence in so much of what is currently in the ecosystem. It feels fear-driven. I recall a story about Steve Jobs and Lee Clow. Clow was responsible for creating the iconic Apple logo. He went and presented one image, The Apple. Jobs said, “Is that it? Why don’t we have more options?”. Clow turned to him and rebuked Jobs: “You have asked for my point of view, my creativity. Here it is. Another option would be me questioning that.” Creatives should be bold. Clients hire agencies for a reason: let them trust, or they should simply do it themselves…