Group 5 - Lars Bastholm ECD Ogilvy NYC
Lars Bastholm - Executive Creative Director Ogilvy New York
(Former ECD at AKQA - and multiple Cyper Grand Prix Lions in his basement)
Hi Lars, great that you take time to answer our questions. For us you where one the biggest pioneers in digital launching the first Nike multiple gran prix winner website. And after shaping one of the worlds leading agencies, AKQA, as a ECD, your thoughts are very valuable for our team.
Mikkel: What gets you most excited at the moment in the digital media industry?
Lars: I’d say the mainstreaming of digital, meaning that it is no longer viewed as an add-on or a stand-alone but as an integral part of any great communications plan.
I also enjoy the fact that social media allows me to get in touch with incredibly smart people in a heartbeat, which let’s me get highly qualified answers to any and all questions.
Mikkel: Which are the key skills you are looking for when you hire digital creatives today?
Lars: The ability to both think and do. There are too many creatives who can do only one or the other. If you are passionate and can do both, I’ll hire you.
Mikkel: Which current books, are in your opinion the best for aspiring new digital creatives?
Lars: Books? Most books are obsolete the moment they are printed. I’ve contributed to a couple of books published by Taschen (The Internet Case Study Book and Guidelines for Online Success), which are both full of good basic knowledge for students, but in general, I read blogs and follow twitter links to articles much more than I read books about the industry. Read some good science fiction instead. It’ll inspire you to dream about things you’d like to have exist.
Mikkel: Being productive, and getting things done calls for systems, and organization. What are your experiences being organized as a creative? Which offline/online tools would you recommend us to use?
Lars: Ask a great producer– they’ll talk to you about Agile and Waterfall and other interesting process. I find that if you put a small team of smart people together in a room (max 6 people) and give them a clearly defined task, then it’ll all work out in the end.
Mikkel: Here is a big one. Let’s say entire digital industry is moving in one direction, i which way are you trying to break the conventions or norms, In other words what fingerprint would want to leave on the digital industry.
Lars: I’m not arrogant enough to think that I’ll leave a fingerprint on anything. As an advertising guy, my job is to make sure that the brands our clients have entrusted us with thrive and grow. Back in the Framfab days when the digital industry was young, we did an enormous amount of ‘firsts’. That gave me a ton of good stories to tell. If nothing else, those stories are my legacy.
Mikkel: In your opinion, what should the human species fear the most in the digital revolution. In other words, which digital innovations can potentially do the most damage to humanity?
Lars: SkyNet.
Mikkel: In 5 years time, what digital phenomena will be on everybody lips?
Lars: Anybody who thinks they can predict what’ll be going on in 5 years is either lying or delusional. Think about how young the iPhone, Google, twitter and Facebook are. True disruption happen out of the sight of the mainstream. I’d be very rich, if I could predict this stuff. I’m seeing…robots… ;-)
Mikkel: Are there a chance you would come to Hyper Island Karlskrona and give us a lecture, and have a beer with us one day?
Lars: Sure. Buy me a plane ticket & I’ll happily come over. Beers on me!
Mikkel: Thanks so much for your time, we cant wait to have beer with you in Karlskrona.
