Radical Friend: A Few Of My Favourite Things

With a mastery of camera wizardry and VFX know-how, you would have thought that Radical Friend's Favourite Things would be all lenses and gimbals and whatnot.

However, when choosing the pieces he keeps around himself for inspiration, on projects such as music videos for Britney Spears and Skrillex or campaigns for brands like KFC, Honda, and AT&T, the JOJX director (real name, Kirby McClure) instead presents us with delightfully thoughtful trinkets and tomes.

The Crystal Frogs

I have two pet frogs sitting here with me. 

They are not real frogs; they are crystal ones that I acquired at a run-down rock and mineral shop in the middle of the desert. 

I found these babies on my first-ever venture into the desert, and for someone who grew up on the East Coast, the deserts of Arizona and California felt like stepping onto the surface of another planet.

It was just after college – my partner, Julia, and I were moving to LA with heads full of inspiration and hearts brimming with excitement to create crazy art and make films. 

We were driving somewhere near Death Valley when we stumbled upon this crystal shop that looked like Burning Man burn-outs had set it up and that’s where these three little frogs caught my eye. 

Ever since, they’ve sat on my desk like tiny mascots, reminding me of the awe, inspiration and wild possibilities we felt during that trip.

If you’ve ever been on a conference call with me, chances are I’ve probably been absentmindedly twiddling them around in my hands – I tend to fidget when I think or try to coherently engage in small talk.

The Hipgnosis Book

I always have a stack of art books around me.

A few faves include a beautiful one on the master Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli), packed with his original storyboards and character sketches, and a Criterion Collection book filled with gorgeous movie posters from decades past. But my go-to book is this incredible one on the album art of Hipgnosis.

Hipgnosis created some of the most iconic album covers of the 20th century – think Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. 

This book doesn’t just show their albums in lush, large-format prints; it dives into the backstory behind how each iconic image was made. It’s full of tales about working despite minuscule budgets, unexpected mistakes that turned into happy accidents, international friendships, wild adventures and navigating client feedback and tight deadlines – all while staying true to their vision.

For me, it’s an inspiring reminder that while you need to honour a brand’s aesthetic and vibe, you also have to put a bit of yourself into the project.

That’s what makes it yours and not another director’s – it’s the reason the agency picked you to bring the script to life, to get your fresh take on the idea they’ve been working on for months.

Sometimes, you must push back to protect that vision, but it’s worth it. 

That’s what transforms an ad into something that truly stands out in a sea of “content”.

The Bangkok Socks

Technically, this isn’t on my desk, but it’s two feet below it – literally.

On my feet are two socks, and these socks come all the way from Bangkok. They’re not just any socks, I wear them on important days and always on the first day of every shoot.

Here’s why: I was shooting a commercial in Thailand with the fine peeps from 180 Amsterdam. The shoot went incredibly well – client and agency were thrilled and we had the most epic wrap party ever. But something was bothering me: I’d dreamed of visiting Thailand my whole life, but because of our packed schedule, I’d only seen little more than the inside of my hotel, a few office spaces and our three locations!

I wanted to experience more of this amazing place before boarding that 19-hour flight home – to see some temples and eat street food – but time was very tight. 

Thankfully, one of the local producers took pity on me and invited me to jump on the back of his scooter. 

What followed was the wildest ride of my life – dodging traffic and pedestrians, weaving through seedy back alleys, visiting temples, shops and spicy street food stalls where I may or may not have eaten insects. 

Somewhere along the way, I bought these super psychedelic socks that I’m convinced are my good luck socks. 

Why not, right?

The Novels

I once read an interview with Sofia Coppola where she shared some advice her father gave her: always pack a novel on a shoot – one completely unrelated to what you’re working on. 

At the end of a long, hectic shoot day, you need to take your mind off everything you’ve stressed over and immerse yourself in something totally different – it helps to wipe your brain clean, giving you the mental reset you need before diving back in the next day.

That advice has stuck with me because I’m definitely not someone who can just switch off when the day ends. 

Even with my eyes closed, I’m still thinking over that one tricky shot I need to nail in the morning. So while I might be on set filming a Honda or Taco Bell commercial, back at the hotel,

I’m reading something completely random – a biography of a 17th-century composer or a psychological horror novel.

Recent companions include, The Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsun, a super slow-paced nature-driven piece or Tom Robbins’ Skinny Legs and All, an absurdist ride featuring a newlywed couple driving across America in a giant roasted turkey. 

That one absolutely does the trick.

The Moleskin

I’ve got my trusty moleskin right here – it takes me about a year to fill one up. 

I label each entry or sketch with the date and the city I’m in, and by the end of the year, it’s really fun to flip back and see all the adventures, challenges and headspaces I moved through that year. I’ve got a nice stack of them going now.

My Moleskin is like an extension of my brain. It’s where I have full-on conversations with myself – trying to convince or talk myself out of certain ideas or approaches. I’ll draw different camera setups, thumbnails for storyboards or mad-scribbled half-thoughts I’ve jotted down in the middle of the night.

When I hit a creative block, flipping through those pages often jumpstarts a new idea.

Honestly I think I’d go nuts without scribbling and sketching my thoughts down on pen and paper. 

I’ve tried typing ideas into my phone, but it always ends up being totally indecipherable like addddsssggfffff.