On My Radar: Anastacia Maggioncalda

Anastacia Maggioncalda is head of integrated production and executive producer at San Francisco independent agency Eleven Inc., overseeing creative work for clients such as Apple, Virgin America, Oakley and Lyf to name a few.

Below she takes time out to reveal what's on her creative Radar - including mind massage machines, clever Columbo and WAZE moves on the way to work.

What’s the best ad campaign you’ve seen recently?

In Their Chucks - A 360 experience for Converse. Tool, led by Ben Tricklebank, created it.

This campaign is inspiring in the way that it features cultural influencers and immerses the viewer into the stories with the use of virtual reality. I am intrigued by the concept of immersive storytelling through the adoption of virtual reality in the ad space.

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

Etsy – shopping for ideas of things to buy and/or make.

Houzz - shopping for ideas of things to do to my house… I’m always rethinking my home.

Google - Everyone Googles all day long, right? I find most of what I find through Google.

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

A CES (cranial electrotherapy stimulation) machine. This is a very odd thing. It’s a little box that sends electrical waves to your brain to induce relaxation. I know super new-age but I need some additional help when it comes to coming down.

I also bought a Kindle to read on the go without carrying 1000 pages of weight in my bag.

Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

Instagram. It’s my peephole into the lives of those I know, love and respect but lack the time to connect with in real-time. I can quickly feel like I was a part of something special. As for posting, it gives me the opportunity to use and share some of those photography skills I worked to perfect as an aspiring photographer back in the day.

What’s your favourite app on your phone and why?

Periscope. I am obsessed with the voyeuristic nature of watching and sharing the actual moment of people’s lives and events. Again, the peephole into other realities.

WAZE is a close second. I need to get where I need to go and I need to get there fast. Thanks WAZE!

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

I don’t watch TV much. Warriors’ and Giants’ games are pretty much my only jam. If I have some rare free time, I will Netflix something like Columbo. I love the mystery that doesn’t make your head hurt – it’s more about watching Peter Falk and his unexpected art of being clever than trying to predict the outcome.

I have a hard time adding more angst to my life with anxiety-inducing serial TV. But, I can go for an episode or two of Girls when in-flight as that show seems to mimic my life in my 20s.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

The Conversation. A film truly ahead of its time. Look where we are today in terms of surveillance. A brilliant precursor to where we have ended up.

Doctor Zhivago is on the list as well - for so many reasons.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

Watching the graffiti artists Faile use the wall of the Eleven office space as their canvas to create this (work in progress). In my mind, I began to paint all the walls in my house. I have not stopped fantasising about having them cover my home with colour and life. It makes me want to make.

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

Computers, cell phones and the need to be constantly available. I’m aging myself here but when I started, I had a pad of yellow lined paper, a pen and a phone. My purchase orders were three layers and I had to call a bike messenger to deliver one copy to the vendor. Nobody could reach me from 7pm until 8am. I socialised with people and not screens and slept through the night without hearing text and email alerts. But, some of the work being made makes it all worth while.

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

Today I was in a kick-off meeting for a new piece of business; 11 of us in the room (a great number!), 10 men and me. Where the fuck are all the girls??? More women need to be in the room. More women need to be heard. Period. I do like my boys, but come on. Girls are really, really good.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

The renowned photographer Joel Sternfeld. I studied under him at Sarah Lawrence College 25 years ago and his influence over me still runs strong. He taught me to say “I appreciate your opinion but I am doing it anyway.” And, “I understand you don’t like it and you don’t understand it but I will be making it.” He taught me to believe in what I believe in.