2012 in Review with... Justin Lane

MPC New York's Justin Lane has just completed his first year as MD with the company and here he reflects on starting something special with a new team of people, tells of his favourite work from the past 12 months and speaks about the value of good VFX.

How would you describe the past year, creatively speaking?

There were some clever spots here and there but, generally, I think we are still feeling a bit of a residual effect from the tough economy and I believe brands have been playing it safe so we haven't seen much creative push.

That being said, the spots that stood out to me were the simpler ones. Call me sappy, but I really like the Google Chrome spots that have families and friends conversing over chat or video - super simple ideas that connect to a viewer emotionally, which I think works really well.

Another spot that stood out to me was the Nike Super Bowl spot (Jogger, above) in the Find Your Greatness campaign. It was classic Nike and W+K, creating a simple spot that seeks to inspire normal people to do great things. The spot made great things attainable, and for the overweight kid it was simply about motivating yourself to make a change in your life. It was great work.

What have been your creative highlights of the last 12 months?

Getting Obama elected for a second term was the most impressive creative highlight of the year. While Romney wasn't much of a candidate, I have to say there were moments when I doubted that people were going to re-elect Obama. Whatever the Democratic Party did to pull that off was a stroke of brilliance. Now, with nothing to lose, looking forward to the next four years.

What’s been your own greatest achievement over the last year?

Well, I've been with MPC for a full year this December, so my greatest achievement has been starting fresh with a new team of people and creating something special. We just came off our first full year and I believe we've already established ourselves as one of the top VFX companies in NY. I think being able to do that so quickly was quite an accomplishment, especially in the current market.

What was your favourite place you visited through work in 2012 and why?

I've been tied to my desk for most of the year in NY, but I have to say, Austin for SXSW was probably the most exciting. Digital/Interactive continues to grow and become more and more relevant to what we are doing in the advertising world, and SXSW was truly eye opening.

What excites you most about working in advertising at the moment?

Probably the same thing that stresses me the most as well: the unknown. The business continues to evolve and change and what's exciting is that you have to stay on your toes and continuously think about where the business is heading and how to stay current in the space. Whether it's finding new creative outlets or revenue sources, it's exhilarating when you feel like you are cracking the code and finding new ways to grow the company.

Will the economy continue to play a pivotal role in advertising output?

Absolutely. Just when you think advertising is bouncing back, it reminds you that it is tied to the economy and everything else. I don't know about every company, but I think the first half of the year felt great and I think everyone thought we were out of the woods and the business was back full-steam, but then things got a little quiet toward the end of summer and early fall and it was a reminder that things will continue to ebb and flow.

If you could give one piece of advice to the creative industry as a whole for 2013, what would it be?

Giving a piece of advice to the creative industry as a whole seems like a big ask. I would say that my only "request" of the creative industry is that you try to see the value in what VFX and post production brings to a project. We've worked in a business that is extremely director driven, which makes sense on many levels, but I think VFX has been commoditised and we keep getting squeezed so hard on numbers that it becomes harder and harder to do great work.

When we are engaged the way we should be and are truly partners in the process, we can add tremendous value to the creative output. If we continue the path of going to the lowest bidder on projects, we will continue to see sub-par work out there. With all the work that goes into putting a great spot together, it's a shame when the VFX portion of the budget gets stripped away to where it becomes compromised.

What’s your New Year’s resolution for 2013?

Same as last year… Exercise more, spend more time with the family, sleep more, floss regularly, be more efficient with my time… Hopefully I'll achieve one or two of these one year.

How will you be spending the Christmas break?

Under the tree.