On My Radar: Kyle Thrash

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

The L'Oréal brand film The Last Copy of Ilon Specht, by Ben Proudfoot and Breakwater Studios. To pull back the curtain on a tagline so common in advertising, 'Because you’re worth it', and celebrate the unsung pioneer who created it was masterfully done. Also, Lance Oppenheim did this brilliant, meta campaign for his show Ren Faire, where he made knights from a Renaissance Festival into influencers to promote the show.

What website(s) do you use most regularly?

I’m on Letterboxd, Vimeo, Pitchfork, and Directors Library every day to see what people are watching and enjoying. When I’m juggling a few things at once, I’m trying to consume a lot and put it through a lens of whatever I’m working on. Or I see a rec that is totally in left field, and it clears my palette.

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

My iPad is my favourite piece of tech on set. On the drive to set in the morning, I’m usually playing music and scrolling through location photos and reference images to get a vision front and centre in my head. Then, as the project goes on, I’ll pull up stills to remember what we have shot and watch down cuts because of its true colour.

What product could you not live without?

My tea kettle.

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

I saw Predators the other week, by David Osit, and was blown away by it. A powerful investigation and humanising dissection of the show To Catch A Predator and the true crime genre. In the Q&A he said, “every human has this duality of empathy and cruelty,” and that stuck with me. Go see it. 

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Streetwise [1984] is one of my favourite films of all time. A time capsule of a community of street youth filled with dreams and desires. It pushes the documentary form, in its narrative flair, while simultaneously capturing a raw energy that feels boundless. It makes me sad and miss people I’ve lost touch with, and happy something like this exists. Mary Ellen Mark’s photography made a huge mark on me growing up, and the film is like one of her books came to life. I wish more photobooks were docs, and I wish more docs were photobooks.

What’s your preferred social media platform?

Twitch is a place I visit a lot to watch people play video games and to disconnect, and I find the community element when I’m away from home to be really comforting. At any hour of the day, I’ll find someone I know and chat with them. 

What’s your favourite TV show?

I think I’m ready to die on the hill that Better Call Saul is better than Breaking Bad. Its character study and overarching slow-burn approach made it a singular experience. His relationship with his brother is sad, competitive and filled with compassion, something I can relate to on a few levels.

What’s your favourite podcast?

Office Hours, or anything funny.

What have you been most inspired by recently?

Never been a walk guy. I mean, what’s the point of walking somewhere if you have nowhere to go? It’s a waste of time right? But recently I had a breakthrough, and I think I get it. I go on walks with my partner at magic hour around our neighbourhood in Bushwick, and we talk about our days. It's nice. I’m bummed I sold away so much walk time. I’m a walk guy now (I think).

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

Alex G. He creates worlds and characters that change upon listening. His new record rips. Shoutout Philly. 

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

I wish everyone would take bolder creative risks. More storytelling. More technique. More new voices. Less transitions. Less probes.

Who or what has most influenced your career?

My father. His empathy and drive know no bounds. As a counsellor and therapist for children and adults with disabilities and mental health struggles, it’d be hard to measure his mark on the Philadelphia community and its surrounding areas. A guiding light for me personally and professionally.

What scares you the most?

AI.