On My Radar: Paul Harrison

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

Greenpeace plastic hand grenade by DDB is really powerful image, in a single frame it says there’s an environmental time bomb about to go off. I’ve personally found plastic rubbish on coral reefs hundreds of miles from land. The scale of the problem is incredibly saddening.

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

The Guardian, The Independent and CNN. They’re compulsive viewing. Also I like to keep an eye on The New Scientist and Scientific American to restore my faith in the intelligence of humanity.

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

A Garmin Inreach satellite communicator. I’ve been left behind in the ocean before in the Maldives, not a pleasant experience. We floated on our BCD’s (buoyancy devices) for a couple of hours and were eventually found by a fishing boat. Somewhat worrying.

What product could you not live without?

My bicycle. When I die I want it buried with me. It’s the thing that keeps me sane and allows me to escape. 

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

Best recent film without a doubt is Sorry to Bother You; a weird and wonderful story that takes you on a journey then completely pulls the rug out. It's just brilliant.

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

I can’t pick only one! The Third Man, by Orson Welles, and North By Northwest by Hitchcock. Welles' use of light, or rather the absence of it, was unheard of in cinema at that time and North by Northwest is just technicolour at its best; beautiful. Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner also struck a deep chord in me as growing up; it’s a masterpiece. Master of cinematography, Vittorio Storaro’s lighting in Apocalypse Now was just sublime.

What’s your preferred social media platform and why?

Instagram is the only one I use. @paul_tk_harrison @harrison_colour

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

There’s so much good content now but I do like TV with a supernatural/sci-fi lilt to it. The last favourite show I watched is Penny Dreadful [below]. The production was amazing, really down and dirty. Great stuff.

What’s your favourite podcast?

Not one really, just my French lessons, News in Slow French, for catching up on world current affairs and brushing up my linguistic skills!

What show/exhibition has most inspired you recently?

New York’s Met Museum, to see Turner’s paintings on show. They’re simply breathtaking. I love his Fisherman at Sea [below] and The Battle of Waterloo paintings

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

The rise of the digital workflow in our industry and the creation of software to deal with all the new formats.

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

If I could change the industry I’d like to see a return to the more creative advertising we in the UK used to be renowned for; give the power back to the creative side of the industry and not be totally bottom line driven.