On My Radar: Mees Peijnenburg

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

There’s so much good work out there. Coming from a fiction background I see inspiring work across a depth of industries and formats, and I think it’s a fascinating time to work in the commercial field as it in many ways is pushing for innovation and excelling creativity.

What website(s) do you use most regularly and why?
I do regular rounds on vimeo.com, nowness.com and dazed.com. But I try to avoid it some days, I’m easily distracted with moving imagery – like a child who just completely stops talking when put in front of the TV.

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why?
I’ve just bought a new old Contax T3, my girlfriend gave me an Yachica T4 for my birthday but it has sadly become too unreliable. I’m never sure if the film roll even goes to the next photo, so I gave myself a present and bought a new camera.

Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?
Instagram - I can easily lose myself (and my time) clicking away and getting intrigued by pictures and photographers that I haven’t seen or heard of before. Apart from that I find it a very helpful tool to connect with other filmmakers and photographers.

What’s your favourite app on your phone and why?
Spotify and Apple Music - can’t go anywhere without music in my ears.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?
I watch the news online, don’t really watch any TV shows at the moment. All the spare time I have I spend on watching films.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?
One film is impossible, that’s a difficult question. There are so many films that I think people should seen. Belovy, Days of Heaven, Naked, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, La Haine, Das Weise Band, Breaking the Waves, Paris/Texas (below), The Deer Hunter, Irreversible, Elephant, Hundstage. I can go on forever... I can’t choose.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?
I guess in the shower - mostly it happens during showering.

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?
I’m a new kid on the block, so I haven't see many changes in the industry so far.

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?
That brands would use their power to get up against companies to fight for equal rights. No gender- based cut-downs anymore. In many ways, it should be the norm rather than the exception. There are definitely brands who are already trying their best, and as far as the other brands are concerned - those that pretend - I would love to see more action and less talking.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?
Photography has the most influence on me by far. My girlfriend thinks I have some kind of problem because everywhere I go, I come back with a new photo book. I can spend days in my house just looking at all the photo books.

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know…
That I’m born in Japan.