On My Radar: Lee Einhorn

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

The two word tweet from Popeye’s chicken that started the Chicken Sandwich Wars and unprecedented growth in the Popeye’s brand. Amazing example of the power of social and that amazing, effective creative comes in shapes and sizes.

What website(s) do you use most regularly?

ancestry.com. It started as a school project with one of my kids, but two years later it’s still going. Beyond just building out the family tree, the found photographic history of my family’s journey has become an obsession.

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

Peloton. To look good for my wife so she’ll love me. 

What product could you not live without?

Oreos. More stuffed the better.

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

JoJo Rabbit. Loved every minute. Every frame even.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

Biggest Little Farm. Watched on a plane and cried. So, I watched on the ground to double check it wasn’t just the altitude - still cried. Great lessons about patience, trusting the universe and pursuing your passion.

What’s your preferred social media platform?

Instagram. It’s easy, and visual, and less combative than others.

What’s your favourite TV show?

The Wire. It’s still the GOAT in my opinion, The complex characters, how they connect from season to season, and the raw emotion that the film itself delivers.

What’s your favourite podcast?

Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. Just discovered this and find that the podcast format is perfect for Conan’s interview style and comedy.

What show/exhibition has most inspired you recently?

Allure of Matter, at LACMA in LA. Contemporary pieces from China made in the past four decades where conscious material choice is symbolic of the artists’ expression. Pieces created from plastic, water, and wood, but also hair, tobacco, and Coca-Cola. We also shot recently in Bushwick in NYC and was blown away by the street art in and around the studio.

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

Technology. From film cameras to digital to “I think we could just shoot this on an iPhone". From pricey helicopter shoots to accessible drone technology and all of the simple post magic we now have, our ability to create quality content at all levels is amazing.

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

Brands insisting they need to tell stories in six seconds. I wish more would embrace longer form, more entertainment driven content. Let’s create the content people seek out and not only the advertising that surrounds the entertainment.

Who or what has most influenced your career?

From Carravaggio to Diane Arbus to David Sedaris [below], I think I have always been influenced and inspired by artists who are not afraid to tell real raw stories. I tend to write and create from my everyday experiences and the people who I interact with as I move through life.